Milestone Recovery Team

Tara was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, a small city in northern Canada. Tara previously worked in the non-profit sector, offering outreach services and trauma therapy in remote northern communities. Before relocating to Phoenix, Tara earned her master’s in counselling psychology and worked as a Domestic Violence Outreach therapist, providing trauma therapy to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as well as Substance Abuse Therapist at an Indigenous residential treatment center. Tara is passionate about trauma healing, and specializes in EMDR, CBT, DBT, ACT, and DBR to assist clients with trauma processing and healing. Before relocating, Tara also ran her own part-time private practice, specializing in trauma treatment with the focus on providing EMDR therapy. Tara’s passion lies within working with individuals who have experienced trauma and struggle with substance abuse.

“My goal as a therapist is to help you explore and identify the life experiences that are negatively impacting your daily functioning. Therapy should go beyond coping; I want clients to be thriving”.

James “Michael” is originally from Philadelphia. He’s lived in Arizona for the past 21 years. After struggling with addiction, Michael had the opportunity to get his peer support certification while in treatment. Michael is passionate about this industry because of his own experiences going through treatment and remembering those who facilitated groups and how much of an impact they had on his journey to recovery. Working in this industry is his passion because it’s a lifestyle that shows him gratitude and humility daily. Michael has been working in this industry for 5 years now and enjoys helping others. Michael is thinking about going back to school to eventually become a therapist or move up to the administrative side of the field. Michael hopes to teach others that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, especially when you are sober.

Kyana was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and moved to Arizona to pursue her master’s degree in counseling. With a background in college and geriatric counseling, Kyana has gained a comprehensive understanding of various complex psychological disorders and their impact on brain function. Her experience extends to psychological research, particularly working with undocumented immigrants facing complex PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Kyana is dedicated to offering holistic care, aiming to support individuals on their healing journeys by ensuring they feel seen and heard.

Jonathan was born and raised on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Prior to working in the behavioral health field, Jonathan worked for San Carlos Apache Health Care and has had a passion for helping induvial who struggle with substance use due to his own traumas and life experiences. Jonathan is a Milestone Alumni who successfully completed our program and is over a year sober. Jonathan brings lived experience to our program, something that is highly valued and respected by our clientele. Jonathan is a huge advocate for mental health and trauma recovery and continues to share his personal experiences to assist clients in their recovery.

Jonathan has received certifications in Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Trauma Informed Coaching, Motivational Interviewing for Peer Support, as well as Crisis Prevention Intervention. Jonathan is passionate about continuing to grow and advance in the behavioral health field.

Luna was born in February of 2022 and came to Milestone Recovery at 8 weeks of age. Luna was born with a genetic defect and is blind in her left eye. However, this disability has not held this resilient girl back. She began her extensive training at six months and Luna earned her Certified Therapy Dog designation in Dec. 2023. She is an integral part of Milestone Recovery and assists our clients by helping to improve rapport with their counselor, reducing anxiety, and increasing the chances of successful treatment recovery.

Born in Cuba, John’s family escaped from the Castro regime and came to America as refugees in 1961. Raised in Little Havana in Miami FL, John came to the Valley of the Sun in 1985. As a child refugee, he understands the implications trauma has on one’s life. He brings years of business acumen to Milestone Recovery and is passionate about the population he serves. John spent 20 years in corporate America and has been a lifelong entrepreneur. He believes in outside-of-the-box thinking as well as a collaborative and inclusive work environment. John embraces a holistic approach to recovery. He is trained as a Recovery Certified Peer Support Specialist to better connect with his clients and brings a boots-on-the-ground attitude to his work.

Born in Ohio, Lynn has been a resident of Phx for the past 39 years. With an extensive background in Business and Marketing, she co-founded Milestone Recovery with her husband and business partner John Cabezas. Addiction has touched her and her family’s lives in very personal and tragic ways over the past 20 years. Her vision was to create a treatment facility that focused on treating trauma along with addiction to create a holistic experience for the patient. Lynn strongly believes unresolved past trauma prevents full recovery and leaves a greater risk of relapse. She and her husband John, strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for clients to heal their past, recover from addiction, and create productive and fulfilling lives.