Meet Our Team
Carlos Farina
Program Director
No one was better suited to be the founder of this program more so than Carlos Farina. Carlos is a war veteran and has spent 30 years as a law enforcement officer, so he understands the demands his group faces….
Samuel King
MS, MSW, LCSW, EMDR
Military Veterans/First Responders Helper
Sam is enthusiastic about helping people to improve their lives, by making positive choices, while improving their positive practice of being most present. He spent almost a decade of combined service…
Mary Crombie
Mary has been with transformations treatment center since February 2014. She is passionate about her work and a great asset to our team…
Nicholas Caris
VA/FR Client Liaison
Nicholas Caris, a United States Marine Veteran, who is now a certified yoga teacher with over 5 years teaching and over 500 hours of teaching trauma-sensitive and adaptive yoga techniques to veterans. Nicholas served 5 years…
Clyde Thompson
Clyde served in the US Army as a Combat Medic. He has been in recovery for 25 years and contributes that recovery to a disciplined wellness program…
Troy Meeks
Working with Veterans in recovery for the past 14 years, Troy brings with him a deep passion for those that he works to help.. By facilitating groups…
Matt Baker
Matt Baker was a US Army active duty Veteran from 2003-2007 as a Field Artilleryman fire direction specialist. He served overseas in Korea with the 2nd infantry division (’03-’04) and in Iraq with the 17th fire brigade (’05-’06). Matt recieved an honorable discharge from the Army, along with the Korea Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge, and the Army Commendation Medal…
Don’t Suffer in Silence
For the men and women who dedicate their lives to helping others, we are here to help you.
Getting to Transformations I realized I’m not alone and these folks right here are in the trenches with me and I do need help and it’s a judge-free zone. I learned that getting help is not a weakness, it’s actually a strength.
– Dave V., Help For Our Heroes Alumnus
There is a lot of life to be lived, that it’s okay to reach out for help, and that’s just what I did. We are all going through the same thing and we can help each other through this.
– Jake H., Help For Our Heroes Alumnus
I didn’t even know what I was doing was wrong. All I know is I was just looking for my next drink. I didn’t have the tools to help myself. When I got to Transformations I was broken, and by the grace of God, this program and the people in it helped me…we helped each other.
– Joey R., Help For Our Heroes Alumnus
Sometimes asking for help can be seen as weak, but it’s really about loving yourself and setting your pride aside. And Transformations helped me do that.
– Tsuji C., Help For Our Heroes Alumna
Transformations saved my life multiple times. I was fortunate enough to receive treatment at TTC through the VA, and I can’t speak highly enough of the Help For Our Heroes program, the staff, and the level of care at this establishment. If it weren’t for the caring and supportive staff, I would not be here.
– Tamara E., Help For Our Heroes Alumna
Carlos Farina,
MS, MCAP, NBCCH Program Director
During his time with the Broward Sheriff’s Department, Carlos was a member of the Critical Incident Response Team, staff clinician for the Psychological Services Division, hostage negotiator serving with the Strategic Response Team (S.W.A.T.), psychological profiler, and provided in-service training and consultation to the department’s training division.
Carlos is a state certified addiction and mental health professional as well as a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. Before joining Transformations, Carlos founded a unique substance recovery, wellness, and intervention program for first responders. His dedication to helping these men and women stems from decades of providing recovery and mental health services in private practice as well as community mental health and recovery centers.
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Samuel King,
MS, MSW, LCSW, EMDR Military Veterans/First Responders Helper
Sam is enthusiastic about helping people to improve their lives, by making positive choices, while improving their positive practice of being most present. He spent almost a decade of combined service, in the United States Marine Corps, and United States Army ; training, mentoring, and counseling, and, offers this experience towards understanding and serving people, he defended abroad, in the United States, and also around the world. Sam believes that helping people through active listening, positive reflection, and positive suggestions, can help them realize more positives in their lives, while utilizing their strengths, and support from family and friends, to overcome challenges they face, in their daily lives. He is driven by the notion that the joy of helping others, is the joy of helping ourselves. Sam’s message through the aforementioned is to help people, who in turn help others – by sharing and caring – in positive reciprocating helping relationships.
Sam has worked extensively with middle school children, adolescents, and adults challenged by substance dependence and mental illnesses. Sam was conferred a bachelor’s of science degree in social psychology from a Park University, a master of science degree in industrial organizational psychology from Capella University, and a master’s degree in social work from Florida International University. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Florida, and a practitioner of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), mostly with military veterans, and clients who experienced varied trauma. Sam is currently working towards a Doctoral degree, at this time. Sam believes that people can, through willingness and acceptance, be guided to increase their positive self-determination; through kindness, positive suggestions, unconditional positive regard, and evidence-based best practices, to help them positively enhance their lives.
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Nicholas Caris,
CYT, VA/FR Client Liaison
Nicholas Caris, a United States Marine Veteran, who is now a certified yoga teacher with over 5 years teaching and over 500 hours of teaching trauma-sensitive and adaptive yoga techniques to veterans. Nicholas served 5 years in the Marine infantry with v2/9 Fox company, deploying on a South American MATAF mission, and both Iraq and Afghanistan. After leaving the Marines, Nicholas received a Bachelor of Science and Technical Management with a concentration in technology and small business from Devry University. After graduation, he worked as a foreman for a renewable energy company installing over 100 different solar systems. Nicholas has also received his fully certified level 3 Warriors at Ease Trauma Training, and a 72 hr. VA approved Peer Support Specialist Certification. Nicholas has spent the last 7 years managing and teaching for the Exalted Warrior Foundation. A non-profit program that began in Walter Reed Medical center in 2010 providing an adaptive yoga program to the traumatically injured. Nicholas has used the yogic practices to better understand and overcome his own struggles from his service. This allows him to deliver an authentic yoga experience to his fellow veterans, with compassion, and understanding.
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Mary Crombie,
Mary has been with transformations treatment center since February 2014. She is passionate about her work and a great asset to our team. Mary works with the Veteran and First Responders population as their case manager and discharge coordinator and supports them thought their time in treatment. She facilitates contact for clients with Veterans Affairs and works hard to get their needs met. Mary works inter-departmentally and models healthy ways to advocate for themselves to help these clients reach their goals to live a successful and drug free life.
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Troy Meeks,
Working with Veterans in recovery for the past 14 years, Troy brings with him a deep passion for those that he works to help. By facilitating groups, hosting Veteran and First Responder-specific meetings, and assisting with outdoor recreational therapy, Troy works to help establish a community that is conducive for long term recovery. Troy works to stay in contact with the Veteran community long after their time in treatment is done to help provide community, connection, and support.
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Clyde Thompson,
Clyde served in the US Army as a Combat Medic. He has been in recovery for 25 years and contributes that recovery to a disciplined wellness program. A program consisting of spirituality, martial arts, physical fitness, health, and the development of skills that changed his way of thinking. His outlook on the causes and effects of life have helped him tremendously and he shares that outlook with both veterans and first responders.
Clyde was the dedicated owner and operator of his own martial arts and fitness studio for many years. He has trained others in self-defense, Tai Chi, Qigong, meditation, and fitness. Clyde was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame for his skills as a martial arts instructor and is continuously learning and shares that knowledge helping others.
Clyde is a Certified Fitness Instructor (ISSA), holds a black belt in different martial arts disciplines and trained in both WRAP and WHAM, evidence-based practices promoting recovery and wellness.
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Matt Baker,
Matt Baker was a US Army active duty Veteran from 2003-2007 as a Field Artilleryman fire direction specialist. He served overseas in Korea with the 2nd infantry division (’03-’04) and in Iraq with the 17th fire brigade (’05-’06). Matt recieved an honorable discharge from the Army, along with the Korea Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge, and the Army Commendation Medal.
After being discharged in 2007, Matt went back home to Cleveland to help out his mother with her house as she was struggling financially at the time. During that time he used his GI Bill and earned a BA degree from Cleveland State University in Finance and worked in the theater district in downtown Cleveland. However, during this period he also struggled mightily with alcoholism/ drug addiction and mental health problems which can be attributed to a soul sickness. This went on for almost a decade before he ultimately became homeless and unemployable. Matt came down to Florida in February of 2017 for treatment and to seek a new life.
After finding God through the 12 steps of AA, he has a new mission which is to walk humbly under the grace of God and be of maximum service to others especially the still sick and suffering addicts and Veterans whom are marginalized in today’s society.
Currently Matt volunteers for two nonprofits serving Veterans and the community called Unified Dream and Team Rubicon. Unified Dream recruits local Veterans struggling with addiction and mental health issues, and provides media and manpower to local charitable organizations. Team Rubicon a disaster response organization consisting of primarily Veterans and first responders.
Altruism/volunteerism aka doing Gods work inside and outside the rooms of AA is big part of his spiritual program today.
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