Meet Our Gambling Addiction Treatment Team

Robert W. Cabaniss, Jr

Founder

As a person who was lucky enough to find recovery for his own addictions, Williamsville Wellness founder and executive director Robert W. Cabaniss Jr. has dedicated his resources, experience, time, and energy to bring together the best elements of treatment found under one roof to help others.

With a noted clinical psychiatrist known for expertise in addiction treatment, Cabaniss developed an Advanced Synergized Treatment method that combines five different therapeutic modalities, supported by a highly trained staff of psychologists, counselors, and social workers. No other treatment center in the U.S. offers this program.

A graduate of the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, Cabaniss began a career in real estate before becoming involved in the wholesale beverage industry. Cabaniss went on to expand his business, opening microbreweries in Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and St. Martin, FWI.

Battling both gambling and alcohol addictions for over three years led to the closing and sale of the businesses in 2005. Having conquered his alcohol addiction in 2002, in 2006 he started treatment to stop his gambling addiction.

In 2007, Cabaniss opened Williamsville Wellness in his family’s historic home outside Richmond, Va. In the four years since that time, people seeking to break the bonds of addiction have found Williamsville Wellness to be a fulfilling, whole health experience, treating both mind and body.

Cabaniss is passionate about helping individuals overcome the darkness that addiction brings to themselves, their loved ones, and their friends.

Dr. Brown is a residency trained psychiatrist who has been licensed to practice medicine since 2000. He has a solo practice outside of Richmond, Virginia, and sees patients every week as part of the treatment team here at Williamsville. His areas of interest include the treatment of addictions, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

Dr. Brown attended medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, and residency at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. He also holds a bachelors degree in Biology from Florida State University. Dr. Brown is a member of the American Medical Association and the Medical Society of Virginia.

Gayle Norbury, Ph.D

Family Therapist

Dr Gayle Norbury is a licensed clinical psychologist, La Trobe University, and also a Psychoanalyst of the Freudian School of Melbourne, both in Australia. Dr Norbury came to the US and trained in integrative therapy obtaining a Ph.D. from Temple University, Philadelphia and so she brings many different styles of working with clients to Williamsville Wellness.

Dr Norbury has taught at several universities (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee; Wesleyan University, Connecticut; University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg. Undergraduate and graduate courses include Systems of Therapies, Group Therapies, Psychoanalysis, Diagnosis/Psychopathology, Clinical Supervision, Lifespan Psychology, Social Psychology, General Psychology and Statistics.

Dr Norbury has over thirty years of clinical experience including addictions of several kinds, eating disorders, a range of anxiety and mood disorders, learning, attention and cognitive disorders, and this experience includes a range of psychological assessment.

Dr Norbury has published papers on psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. She likes to research client informed therapy outcomes and established databases in several university centers and training clinics.

Dr Norbury is currently also a clinical professor at the American School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, Washington DC. She directs a doctoral internship program, the Mid-Atlantic Internship Consortium. Williamsville Wellness is a member of this consortium and has 2 doctoral interns from this program on-site.

Joel Elston

Operations Director Peer Counselor, CCGC

Joel has been a great asset to Williamsville Wellness since joining our program as a Peer Counselor and a Personal Trainer. He is completing his B.S. in Holistic Nutritional Health from Clayton College Natural Health in Alabama. His life is a testimonial as he is a Pastoral Counselor and recovering Gambling Addict for over 12 years, making him a value like no other to our program at Williamsville Wellness. As a personal trainer, recovering gambler, and public speaker, his goal is to share his experience and expertise so he can help others to recover. He has spent the last decade dedicating his life to others as he continues to help them and himself through the recovery of gambling addiction.

Lisa Judd

Intake Coordinator

Lisa has been with Williamsville Wellness since 2010. She brings a diverse background of experience, including: Medical Office & Health Information Management, Multi-Unit Management and Financial Practicality. She attended the University of Alaska, Anchorage and is a graduate of Alaska Computer Institute, Medical Office Specialist. She is always available to assist patients and their families with questions about the programs that are offered at Williamsville, insurance inquiry’s and discussion of financial options to facilitate admission to Williamsville.

You can contact her directly at 804-559-9612 or 804-559-9959 x504

Richard Edelman, LCSW

Anger Management

Until 1994 Richard was the program director for all child and adolescent services at Charter Westbrook Hospital. Currently he is the program manager of Emergency Mental Health Services for Henrico County and manages the mental health and outreach services to Police and Fire Department of Henrico County. Richard has maintained a small private practice for 22 years in the Richmond Area seeing adults and children. Richard has specialization is working with trauma, emergency mental health, and men’s issues

Julia Hughes, MS, MA: Doctoral Psychology Intern

Doctoral Psychology Intern
Julia Hughes is in her final year of training for a PsyD in Clinical Psychology at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University. Julia holds graduate degrees in general psychology (MS) from Shippensburg University and clinical psychology (MA) from the American School of Professional Psychology. She also has two Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and Spanish from West Virginia University.

Prior to her internship at Williamsville Wellness, Julia has completed research and clinical experience with the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, the private practice of Dr. Aaron Noonberg, CSAAC, and the PG County Schools Mental Health Initiative.

Julia specializes in an eclectic type of therapy which is primarily based in cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques which are integrated with family systems and psychodynamic approaches. Her primary areas of interest lie within working with anxiety and depressive disorders.

Ruthy Cutler, MSW

Ruthy is a full-time therapist at Williamsville Wellness. She practices a client-centered approach utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic theory. She received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Longwood College and her Master’s degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her professional interests include working with individuals with addictions, depression, anxiety, and trauma.

Craig has worked in addiction recovery for over 15 years. His recovery experience includes serving as a probation officer, clinical counselor, clinical therapist for a family medical office and now is the director of the NorthStar Community Addiction Recovery program. While working in these positions, Craig received extensive training and practical clinical experience in addiction recovery. This included drug and alcohol prevention training, family systems therapy, and medication monitoring.
In 2007, Craig was responsible for establishing NorthStar Community (NSC) in Mechanicsville, VA. Through NSC, Craig serves as director and pastoral counselor to many individuals and families in the Hanover County Virginia area dealing with addictions of all types. NSC uses the 12 steps and supports other local addiction recovery programs.
B.A. Hastings College; M.S. Appalachian State University; completed graduate work at Francis Marion University.

David is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 17 years of experience in counseling at
both inpatient and outpatient settings. David has served in past positions of Clinical Director,
Assistant Clinical Director, Family therapist and Primary therapist at Remuda Ranch Treatment
Center for 15 years, a nationally recognized inpatient treatment center and leader in the
treatment of Eating and Anxiety disorders.

David specializes in Eating and Anxiety disorders, individual, marriage and family systems
therapy, trauma recovery, addictions, depression and adjustment disorders. He has worked
with over 500 clients and their families, ages 8 and above and has supervised both doctoral and
masters’ level therapists. He has taught counseling professionals at numerous conferences
across the U.S and into Canada, and trained students at graduate schools in Massachusetts
and Arizona.

David earned his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Gordon Conwell Theological
seminary and his Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Southern Maine.

Sandra Rasmussen, Ph.D.

Family Therapist

Dr. Sandra Rasmussen brings 40 years of family therapy experience to Williamsville Wellness. Many of those years were spent counseling gamblers seeking to break their addiction and helping the families of those afflicted better understand and cope with addiction. She is the author of Addiction Treatment.

With a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice from Harvard, in addition to being a Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS) in alcohol, other drugs and gambling, she is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Registered Nurse (RN).

A member of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, Dr. Rasmussen teaches in graduate programs for counseling, psychology, and public health. She serves on the editorial boards of The Journal of Social Change and the Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Services.

Evelyn Zak

BA, CSAC E-RYT500, ACSM

Evelyn Zak has been teaching yoga since 1993 and began providing yoga education at Williamsville Wellness in 2008. She offers group classes combining active poses with deep relaxation (yoga nidra), and also works individually with patients if appropriate. These practices help people regain control over their bodies and minds. The positive effects of yoga as a recovery tool have been studied by many well known institutions, including Harvard Medical School. Upon completion of treatment, everyone is given a copy of Evelyn’s instructional CD which allows for continued guided relaxation practice. She also assists in identifying appropriate classes should they wish to continue yoga studies when they leave our facility.

Additionally, Evelyn is a peer counselor who shares the experience, strength and hope gained through her own continuous recovery since 1986. She calls patients periodically after discharge to check in and continue to provide support.

Evelyn began studying yoga at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, MA and is also certified in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. She is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association. She completed coursework in addiction counseling at the University of Rhode Island and is a graduate of the University of Richmond.

Rosana has joined our therapy team as a part-time Clinical Psychology extern.  As an extern, her primary functions in the treatment team include providing individual psychotherapy, conducting psychological evaluations, as well as giving other psychological support as needed, such as in Neurofeedback sessions.

She is enrolled in the doctoral clinical psychology program at the American School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, Washington, DC. Rosana earned her BLS in Psychology from the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.  In addition to working at Williamsville Wellness, she is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, VA.  She is also a Family Educator consultant for a governmental agency that provides home-based services for adults and families.  Prior to coming to Williamsville Wellness, Rosana worked with domestic violence victims, adults, and adolescents, who, as with the families she currently works with, had addition challenges such as Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Rosana has been trained in treatment and assessment of diversity populations and is sensitive to how diversity issues may impact relationship building.  She describes her treatment style as integrative, based on psychodynamic theory and family systems, with added components from cognitive behavioral therapy.  She practices meditation and has been trained in mindfulness therapy.

Addictionologist

Dr. James E. Thompson has been involved in addiction medicine since his days as a resident physician at MCV. He has been on the board of directors for multiple non-profit treatment centers as well as in private addiction practice. He was awarded the Joel Hernandez as part of the McShin Foundation for his involvement in advocating for addiction treatment in the state of Virginia and his work with the state legislation in funding community based addiction treatment. He is board certified in Internal Medicine as well as Addiction Medicine. He is a California native, lives in Richmond with his wife and three daughters.