Justine is a U.S. Navy veteran and former military spouse of 20 years, as well as a published author, counselor, and entrepreneur. Over the past two decades, she has served the military community in a variety of professional roles, ranging from admissions counselor in higher education to Founder and CEO of The Paradigm Switch, which merged with Columbia University in 2021. Following this milestone, she published her first book, F*uck This, in 2022. She also previously served as a board member of VOCAL Virginia, advocating for individuals impacted by substance use and the criminal justice system.
Driven by a passion for service and advocacy, Justine transitioned into the substance use and mental health field, beginning her new professional journey as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist at Fairfax County’s Crossroads long-term co-occurring disorders treatment center. There, she was deeply inspired by the clinical team’s work and commitment to client care, which led her to return to school to pursue addiction counseling.
In January 2023, Justine began her counseling career at The Farley Center in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she served for one year as the active-duty male counselor. She later joined Evolution House, an outpatient treatment center with housing in Williamsburg, specializing in substance use treatment within the Medicaid population.
Today, Justine is pursuing her second master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Walden University while working full time at Faith Recovery as the Director of Clinical Services. In this role, she specializes in developing and launching Faith Recovery’s six-month clinical and vocational program, with a particular focus on serving the Medicaid population. She prides herself on providing evidence-based, person-centered solutions that truly work for individuals committed to healing, and she is deeply passionate about renewing the mind, body, and spirit of each person she serves.
Justine’s long-term goals include becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPMore...