Meet The Team Behind Your Care & Recovery in Worcester County

Justin Laporte

Executive Director

Justin is a person in long-term recovery, with decades of personal experience and over 5 years of professional experience. He started his career as a Recovery Coach doing homeless outreach. Where he focused on removing barriers to healthcare and substance abuse treatment. Meeting individuals where they are, providing information, advocacy, and access to services. For the past three years, Justin has been a Director of Alumni Services as well as the Territory Outreach Manager, managing two departments at an inpatient facility. Under his direction, engagement and participation flourished. He has now taken the role of Executive Director in hopes of continuing that momentum, engaging others in their own recovery experience.

Justin believes that aftercare and connection are the keys to a successful recovery process. He has spent his career helping others create proper connections by facilitating access to medical providers, advocating for treatment, promoting peer fellowships, and other supportive services such as recovery coaching and alumni programs.

In his personal life, Justin enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, engaging in his own recovery process of the twelve steps through Alcoholics Anonymous, and giving back to his local community by sitting on the Board of Directors of two local nonprofits.

Jamerson Maurer 

Lead Clinician

Jamerson Maurer has been working in social services and the recovery field for 14+ years, including working with adolescents with co-occurring disorders in an inpatient facility, as a case manager in a treatment continuum, and most recently as a housing specialist for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, often with co-occurring disorders. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo in English with an emphasis in philosophy; his dissertation focused on ontology and phenomenology, and guides his clinical approaches. His MSW was through Boston University’s School of Social Work, and he is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in Massachusetts. 

Jamerson’s clinical approach is Strengths-Based, Trauma-Informed, and Person-Centered, and utilizes CBT/DBT modalities focused on re-shaping cognitive pathways towards the recognition, processing, and amelioration of psychosocial stressors and traumas. His therapeutic approach involves the utilization of Mindfulness and Motivational Interviewing, is informed by Liberation Psychology, Feminist Therapy, and Multicultural Therapy, and incorporates aspects of Art/Music Therapy, Solutions-Focused Therapy, and Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy. Jamerson views community and the formation of new pathways of interconnectivity as the central points of growth. As a result, he believes in the exploration of various approaches to uncovering an individual’s subliminal links between trauma and substance use, in order to identify effective coping skills, and developing new and empowering rituals for recovery.

In his personal time, Jamerson enjoys spending time with his family and pets, travelling, cooking, and is an avid film and fiction fanatic.

Herman Falu

Clinician

Born and raised in the Bronx, Herman Falu’s journey from addiction to recovery began in 2005, when he made the courageous decision to confront the reality of who he was becoming and enter a rehabilitation program in his home borough. That decisive step became the foundation of a lifelong calling.

After relocating to Rhode Island, Herman began working in the clinical field in 2006, serving in settings ranging from detoxification centers to correctional facilities. Drawing on his own lived experience, he has helped countless individuals navigate their own journeys toward recovery. He went on to earn his Licensed Chemical Dependency Professional (LCDP) credential and later advanced to the Licensed Chemical Dependency Clinical Supervisor (LCDCS) license, reflecting both his clinical expertise and his leadership in the field.

Herman’s commitment to service extends beyond the clinical setting. As a pastor in Providence, he serves a mixed-ethnic congregation, bringing the same passion for helping others out of the pit, whether that pit is addiction, mental illness, or despair. His unique blend of personal recovery experience, clinical training, and pastoral care allows him to build bridges of hope for individuals and families from all walks of life.

What drives Herman is a deep love for the clinical field and an unshakable belief that transformation is possible. Having walked the difficult road from trauma to triumph himself, he understands both the struggle and the hope inherent in the healing process. Today, he remains committed to walking alongside those battling mental health and addiction challenges—serving, supporting, and encouraging them toward lasting recovery.

Anthony Vinton

Territory Outreach Manager

Anthony Vinton serves as Community Outreach Manager at Peak Treatment Facility, where he leads the organization’s efforts to build meaningful connections with the community and expand access to recovery resources.

At the heart of Anthony’s work is a deep-rooted commitment to the principles of twelve-step recovery and fellowship. His journey in the twelve-step community spans years of dedicated service attending meetings, working the steps, sponsoring others, and serving the fellowship in whatever way is needed. Through this work, Anthony has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of fellowship: the strength that comes from shared experience, honest connection, and carrying the message to those still struggling. It is this spirit of service that grounds everything he does at Peak Treatment Facility.

Anthony brings four years of professional recovery experience to his role, having served as direct care staff and admissions coordinator. In these positions, he supported individuals through the earliest and often most vulnerable stages of recovery, from the first phone call for help through their first steps in treatment. This frontline experience gives him a unique understanding of what individuals and families need when they reach out, and informs his thoughtful, compassionate approach to outreach.

Anthony also brings extensive experience in peer support and community engagement. As a peer, he meets people where they are, offering not just resources, but understanding, hope, and living proof that recovery is possible. His background includes volunteering with local organizations, mentoring individuals and families through the recovery process, and building bridges between treatment services and the wider community.

Outside of his professional life, Anthony’s greatest joy is spending time with his family and children. Whether it’s family outings, game nights, or simply being present for everyday moments, he credits his family as his foundation and his reminder of why this work matters. Anthony believes that recovery thrives in community and he is honored to bring that belief to his role every day.

 Elizabeth Kern

Psychiatric & Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

Liz began her nursing career as a Certified Nursing Assistant, working in nursing homes while pursuing her undergraduate education at the University of New Hampshire, where she would later graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. Although she initially considered a career in laboratory science—working with rats—Liz ultimately discovered that she was far more drawn to the human side of healthcare and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with patients. 

Liz continued her education at UMass Chan Medical School, where she earned her Doctorate of Nursing in May 2020. Following graduation, she became a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Shortly after, she returned to UMass to pursue postgraduate education in psychiatry. She completed her Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification in 2021. Recognizing the significant connection between physical and mental health, Liz maintains dual board certification with ANCC and AANP. 

Throughout her career, Liz has provided care across a diverse range of clinical settings, including skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, outpatient primary care, inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, home care, and community healthcare. This breadth of experience has given her a comprehensive perspective on the many factors that influence an individual’s health and well-being and has reinforced her commitment to individualized, compassionate, and evidence-based care.

Liz’s professional passion is psychiatry, particularly the opportunity to support individuals while maintaining the human connection that is fundamental to quality healthcare. She believes effective treatment begins with listening, understanding each patient’s unique circumstances, and establishing a therapeutic relationship built on trust and respect.

Outside of her clinical work, Liz enjoys spending time outdoors and connecting with friends and the community.

Michele LaPorte, CADC

Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor | Certified Recovery Coach | Certified Recovery Coach Supervisor

Michele LaPorte is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) at Peak Treatment Center, where she works directly with individuals affected by substance use disorders and the many challenges that can come with addiction and recovery. She brings professional experience, clinical knowledge, compassion, and lived experience in long-term recovery to the work she does with clients each day.

Having experienced recovery firsthand, Michele understands the courage it takes to ask for help and the commitment it takes to make meaningful and lasting changes. Her personal experience allows her to connect with clients in a genuine and nonjudgmental way while maintaining a strong professional and clinical approach to treatment.

At Peak Treatment Center, Michele provides individual counseling, facilitates therapeutic and psychoeducational groups, develops individualized treatment goals, monitors client progress, and works closely with clients on relapse prevention, coping skills, emotional regulation, accountability, and recovery planning. She helps clients identify the patterns, behaviors, stressors, and life circumstances that may be affecting their recovery while supporting them in developing healthier ways to respond.

Michele believes treatment is most effective when clients feel heard, respected, and actively involved in their own recovery. She works to create an environment where clients can speak openly, gain a better understanding of themselves, build confidence, and develop practical skills they can use both during treatment and in their everyday lives.

Her approach incorporates evidence-based practices, motivational interviewing, cognitive and behavioral strategies, recovery education, and relapse-prevention planning. Michele focuses on helping clients strengthen self-awareness, improve decision-making, build healthy supports, and develop the tools needed to move forward with greater stability and independence.

Outside of her professional role, Michele is a devoted wife and mother. Family, honesty, resilience, accountability, and hope are values that are important to her both personally and professionally.

Michele believes recovery is about more than stopping substance use. It is about rebuilding relationships, finding purpose, developing self-worth, learning healthier ways to cope, and creating a life that feels meaningful. At Peak Treatment Center, her goal is to help each client recognize their strengths, believe in their ability to change, and build a foundation for lasting recovery.