Dr. Pellack earned his doctorate from Indiana University, Bloomington. David’s dissertation focused on characteristics that predict patient program compliance for chronically homeless mentally ill individuals, many of whom had issues with drug and / or alcohol abuse. While at IU, David did an extended practicum at the Kinsey Institute where he worked with clients with a variety of sexual issues and received training on numerous treatment modalities. As a Kinsey intern, David also co-facilitated a weekly group for transgender individuals. David completed his internship at the Syracuse Veterans Administration hospital where he focused his training on traumatized veterans in hospice. David has over 15 years of experience working with traumatized children and their families in foster care and psychiatric community residences. He has been with the ECU since 2016, and was the assistant director for 5 years before becoming the director in 2021.
David became EMDR trained and incorporates this into the intense trauma work done at at KeyStone.
As director, David enjoys educating the public and professionals by providing trainings on addiction, trauma and sexual compulsivity. David continues to utilize his clinical skills by having an “open door” policy with the clients, facilitating a variety of psychotherapy groups and assisting clients with trauma through EMDR therapy.
Dillon is a licensed social worker with a Master’s Degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and member of the Systems-Centered Training and Research Institute.
Dillon has experience providing counseling and support to diverse individuals and families spanning a broad range of community settings to address a variety of health topics, including relationships, illness and disability, sexuality, gender identity, trauma, and mental health. Dillon’s integrative approach focuses on promoting holistic personal growth, development, and transformation by using effective strategies to increase insight into oneself and relationships.
Dr. Harvilla has provided intermittent psychiatric coverage here at KeyStone Center over the last year. Dr. Harvilla received her medical degree from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and her undergraduate degree from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Harvilla not only serves as a psychiatrist at Friends Hospital’s CRC but she is also a Chief Resident, in the school of psychiatry, at Drexel University College of Medicine. She has numerous years of clinical experience and an expressed interest in addiction medicine. Dr. Harvilla has many notable scholarly activities including many oral and poster presentations.
Dr. Sherry Nykiel is a graduate of the Harvard University MGH-McLean Adult Psychiatry Residency Program and Partners Healthcare Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. Her clinical and administrative experiences span a wide range of settings and patient populations. In her current role as the Behavioral Health Medical Director for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance, she works closely with managed care organizations and legislative leaders to assure that vulnerable populations are receiving high quality, evidenced-based behavioral healthcare. As Medical Director of DHSS Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, she worked with state legislators, clinical and administrative staff to administer, monitor and expand behavioral health services for the State of Delaware. As Director at The McLean Center at Fernside, Medical Director of Outpatient Psychiatric Services at Boston Medical Center and as Medical Director of First Steps Treatment Center she worked with multidisciplinary teams to assess and treat patients with a broad range of substance abuse and co-morbid psychiatric disorders in inpatient, residential and outpatient settings. Leadership and administrative duties over the course of her career include overseeing and supervising the daily medical operations and quality of general psychiatric and drug and alcohol abuse treatment services, participation in utilization management, risk management and continuous quality improvement activities and integration of clinical, research, educational, fiscal and operational components of patient care. Her research interests lie in developing innovative, evidence-based psychosocial treatments for patients with co-occurring substance use and other mental health disorders. As a McLean Hospital Maria Lorenz Pope Research Fellow, Dr. Nykiel worked to create and pilot a novel integrated treatment for patients with co-occurring borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders using elements of motivational interviewing techniques and mentalization-based treatment. While at Boston Medical Center, she worked with researchers from Northeastern University to study the effects of limited literacy on patient receiving substance abuse and other mental health services. She the editor and one of the authors of the “The Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital Residency Handbook of Psychiatry” (2010), has designed a flexible curriculum to train clinicians in the effective use of Alcoholics Anonymous as an adjunct for patients with alcohol use disorders, developed and taught a motivational interviewing curriculum for behavioral health clinicians, and is a trainer for buprenorphine prescribing. She is founder and Chief Psychiatrist of Justus Mental Health, a psychiatric practice in Media, PA where she maintains her private practice.
Andre Stewart, psychiatric nurse practitioner to the KeyStone Center treatment team. Andre received his BSN from Augusta, State University, in Georgia and his MSN from Monmouth University in New Jersey. Andre has served 16 years on active duty in the US Army and 3 years in the US Army Reserves, with one year to go on his military commitment. He has served two tours of duty; one of which was in Afghanistan and the other in Iraqi. Andre has been an RN for 12 years and a PMHNP since 2021. He has worked in psych for over seven years. His work experience includes providing psychotherapy and medication management to a range of clients having mental health and substance abuse disorders, under the supervision of consulting psychiatrist. He is a team player, hard worker, very approachable with a focus on patient advocacy. He hails from Philadelphia and is a Sixers, Eagles and Phillies fan! He enjoys roller skating, bowling, horseback riding, football and watching movies.
Brittany earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior & Applied Psychology from Albright College. She has worked in the drug and alcohol field for 7 years. Prior to joining KeyStone ECU, Brittany was a case manager, conducted intakes. and completed drug and alcohol evaluations. Brittany became familiar with KeyStone Center while making referrals to the program and interacting with the marketing team. Brittany is passionate about helping those who struggle with addiction, and she is more than willing to lend a listening ear. In her spare time, Brittany enjoys spending time with her family, her parrot Gaza, traveling, and trying different eateries.
Judith has worked as an Art Therapist for over 25 years, both with children and adults in a variety of different settings, including inpatient, partial hospitalization programs and addiction treatment centers. She has been employed at the KeyStone Extended Care Unit since 2011 where she provides art therapy and facilitates the Grief and Loss groups. Her experience with Mindfulness, Trauma-Informed Art Therapy and Yoga influences her work.
In her spare time, Judith expresses herself through a variety of different art forms like stained glass, creative photography & Photoshop, drawing, making jewelry and even spiritual research. Additionally, she is a dedicated volunteer with the Col Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue Network.
Karen, an MA in counseling from the University of Connecticut 1981, has been working with the KeyStone Center ECU for over 9 years. As the KeyStone’s Family Therapy, she works with adults, adolescents, dual diagnosis population and their family’s on a daily basis. Karen previously worked as the Program Coordinator for the IPR Program which treats co-occuring disorders. Karen’s training is in couples and family therapy with a special interest in trauma.
Nancy is a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania and a certified practitioner in psychodrama by the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy. She facilitates groups at KeyStone Center ECU for sexual addiction, KeyStone Center for alcohol, drug and gambling addiction, and at the Renfrew Center for eating disorders. Nancy also facilitates a weekly outpatient psychodrama group at OATS Counseling Services. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice and has a special interest in women’s issues, trauma, and couple and family healing.
Paul has worked in the Addiction field for the past thirteen years and has been employed at ECU for the past eleven years. During his tenure here, Paul has acquired a great deal of knowledge and understanding which serve him well in introducing the program to potential referral sources and in supporting potential clients. Paul facilitates groups on offending behaviors, addiction and trauma, relapse prevention and education groups on the twelve steps of recovery and the recovery process.
Robert is a licensed clinical social worker who graduated from the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. He also has a certificate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Bob’s passion and expertise is in the connection between childhood trauma, the brain, and addiction, a topic he presents monthly to clients. He also facilitates the Sunday morning relapse prevention groups which focus on rationalizations, the Personal Craziness Index, the Three Circles of SAA, and High-Risk Factors. Bob brings a great deal of knowledge, understanding, and compassion to clients of the Keystone ECU program. When Bob is not at Keystone, he provides individual outpatient therapy services to disadvantaged individuals with mental illness at a local community health agency.
Deborah MacDonald is a graduate from Kutztown University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. She joined the Business Development team October 2021 having worked here previously from 2003-2007. She is the Community Relations Liaison for the Extended Care Unit. She has significant experience in the fields of behavioral health & addictions, including roles as Case Manager and Case Management Supervisor for the local county Drug & Alcohol Divisions; Utilization Management and Quality Assurance. She has worked in Business Development and Marketing for several facilities and realized she found her professional niche. She has a passion for helping people find the right treatment program and does this through building strong, honest and professional relationships. She loves working in close collaboration with clinical providers, referral sources and clients. Over her years of working in the field of addictions, she has developed an understanding of the importance of treating the root cause of one’s addiction rather than the symptoms. She is also a firm believer that helping someone explore their trauma in an empathic, patient manner is key to helping one on their way to a successful long-term recovery. Deb loves spending time with family, traveling and jazz.