John Dennem, MA, CADC-II, LPCC, USN(Ret.), is a retired submariner. He completed his MA in Psychology at California State University Los Angeles, 2014. He is currently enrolled as a PhD student in the Applied Social Psychology PhD program at Claremont Graduate University. He worked with organizations creating programs including “Skid Row Housing Trust” and “Didi Hirsch.” He was one of two counselors who set up the first of its kind “housing first project” in California known as “Project 50”. He served as Project Director on a 2.5 million CABI grant. He is currently an adjunct Lecturer at CALSTATE Los Angeles, at Tarzana Treatment Center College, he is Adjunct Faculty at San Bernardino Valley College, and College of the Desert He has worked as a counselor in the SUDs field for over 15 years. He has developed a transdisciplinary course on personal and professional development and self-care and teaches it at CSULA as well as Tarzana. He was Consultant and Co-Principal Investigator on the “Culture is Prevent Project (CIP)” in partnership with Native American Health Center, Oakland. The purpose is to investigate and establish the efficacy of “Native Epistemology” (i.e. ways of knowing) in preventing and treating health disparities in Native diasporic communities. He is dedicated to teaching and reaching SUDs counselors about the importance of personal and professional development and self-care. He also is a reviewer for several scientific journals.
