RJ Elizarraz
RJ grew up in the Conejo valley region of southern California just north of Los Angeles. He was raised in a healthy environment by loving and successful parents. By the time he was 17, he had been expelled from several high schools. 2 years later, he was a full time drug addict. Over the next decade, a long slow drug induced decline finally ended in homelessness. When he finally hit bottom, his friends had given up on him and his family was exhausted. He turned his life around by doing everything his mind to told him to resist. He opened himself up to a new way of living. He sought out others who had gotten clean & sober and followed their advice. He joined a 12 step program and made it his number one priority. In the process, a miracle occurred in his life. His old sense of self obsession gave way to a new purpose of helping others. He became completely committed to seeing others recover the way he did. His first venture was a high structure men’s sober living. The success of that home lead to a women’s sober living. And then a third sober living which consists of 3 houses on one property - all gender specific. He now oversees the operation of 5 sober living homes in the Agoura/Westlake/Thousand Oaks area. To give even more help to people who are struggling with mental health and addiction issues, he opened a PHP/IOP treatment center in Agoura/Westlake. RJ’s continuing mission is to provide more and better support to people struggling with addiction and mental health problems.
Amy Van Daele, LMFT
Amy is the Clinical Director at Oak Forest Recovery, where she oversees clinical programming, supervises a multidisciplinary team, and ensures quality care in mental health and substance use treatment. With experience in private practice and systemic family work, Amy brings a relational lens to recovery while prioritizing program development and staff support. She began her career in community and practice settings before joining Oak Forest in 2023 and advancing to Clinical Director in 2025. Amy is dedicated to fostering a collaborative treatment environment that promotes healing, growth, and long-term recovery for individuals and families.
Nick Howley
Chief Operating Officer
Originally from the Bay Area, Nick came to Oak Forest after a 12-year struggle with drugs and alcohol. Following his treatment, he managed a sober living home and later oversaw the men’s house. He launched the mentor program, which has become a cornerstone of the center’s community support, and now serves as Chief Operating Officer. Nick’s personal journey through recovery fuels his commitment to helping others transform their lives. Outside of work, he enjoys surfing, mountain biking, and spending time outdoors, finding both peace and purpose in nature.
Jenna Foster
Director of Admissions and Business Development
Coming Soon...
Dr. Robert Rymowicz
Robert Rymowicz is fellow in addiction psychiatry at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, an APA/APAF leadership fellow serving on council on addiction psychiatry, and a trainee representative to the board of directors of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Robert attended medical school at Western University of Health Sciences, and served the national president of Psychsign, the American Psychiatry Sssociation's medical student organization. He completed his psychiatry residency training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where he served as a vice-president with the committee of interns and residents, representing all unionized programs in new jersey, and as chief resident in psychiatry in his senior year.
Clinical Team
Operations Team
Elina Cooper, AMFT
Primary Therapist
Wilson Johnson, AMFT
Primary Therapist
Debra Thomas, LMFT
Therapist
Lindsey Scott
Case Management
Peter Lara
Case Management
Emma Moseley
Case Management
Ginger Pollard
Lead Technician
Christopher Hanna
Operations Manager
Nick Howley
Chief Operating Officer
Amy Van Daele, AMFT
Family Specialist
