“Don’t wait for the kids to ask you to play with them. Walk over to them, introduce yourself, and ask them to play with you.”
Teri D. Smith, CAS
Founder & CEO
Recovery Date: August 9, 2005
My career in helping people recover from substance use disorder began in 1999 and one thing remains the same…nothing is permanent except for change.
Once I started looking for my own role models and letting go of the fear of asking for help I began to become the person I wanted to be. Currently I sit on the Board of the Colorado Associaton of Addiction Professionals as the voice for peer service organizations. I’ve sat on Boards for women’s programs, charitable giving foundations, business membership organizations and service organizations. I am an Alumni of the Denver Leadership Forum and Outward Bound. I have been named Business Person of the Year and have spoken on the TEDx stage. My most important achievement is letting go of my own shame so that I can join others and be a voice for those who are struggling with their “monsters”.
I believe that, when given the right opportunity each of us will grow and prosper.
My personal goal is to provide a supportive environment in which my team can thrive….and in turn pay it forward to our clients so that together, we can all reach our potential. My overarching goal is to help individuals who wish to recover from substance use disorder receive an opportunity to achieve their wildest dreams.
“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Dr. Alacey Berumen, PhD
Clinical Director
Dr. Alacey has been trained as a Peer Recovery Coach through the CCAR Recovery Academy Certification Program. Alacey has spent many years in the Emergency Room Department helping patients who suffer from addiction and substance abuse. She understands the physical and mental effects of substance abuse and is ready to support and coach our team members through every step of the way.
“My recovery must come first so that everything I love in life does not come last”
Steve Pietrafeso, CFPS
Director of Operations
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: August 15, 2013
Steve Pietrafeso has been working in the Addiction Recovery Industry since 2015, a few years after he received treatment for his own drug addiction. Steve currently is a member of the Larimer County Mental Health and Substance Use Alliance (MHSU). He is serving a 3 year term on the Larimer County Health Districts Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and also sits on the Colorado State University Guiding Counsel team that is instrumental in promoting Peer Support services throughout Larimer County. Before joing the ka'nekt team, Steve worked 6 years at a long term drug and alcohol treatment facilty in Northern Colorado as the Program Coordinator Supervisor. Steve brings his own lived experience to help walk along side others to help find and live a new life free from drugs and alcohol.
“Being humble means recognizing we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others”
Carolyn Pietrafeso
Director of Admissions
Carolyn has called several places “home.” New Jersey is the state where she was born and raised. Colorado is the state that has held most of the years of her life, where all her children were born and where she currently lives. Phnom Penh, Cambodia is the “home” that expanded her heart in the most unexpected of ways for 4 1/2 years of her life. Her time in Cambodia, working with a non profit and starting a new chapter of her story is when she realized her deep love and curiosity she has for all people, is the beat of her heart. Carolyn has four incredible children, who are the loves of her life, along with her wonderful husband.
“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection.”
Charles Van Loucks, CFPS
Director of Communications,
Peer Recovery Coach
Charles was named the Director of Communications in September 2020. He began his career in Recovery Services by building an app to help track triggers and successes. He then served the sober living community at Footprints to Recovery. He has also served as a trained Recovery Coach, impacting lives on the front lines of the battle against drugs and alcohol.
“I’m here to help reinvent your life. It’s never too late to start new!”
Nicole Estes, CPFS
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: November 13, 2017
Nicole Estes started working in the Addiction Recovery Industry in 2018 after seeking treatment for herself and getting sober in 2017. Nicole has worked as the Alumni Coordinator at Denver Women's Recovery and an assistant to the Behavior Health Team at New Health Pain Treatment Center. Nicole has been a Peer Recovery Coach since January 2020 and specializes in connecting with women and transgender clients. Nicole connects with clients using her personal experience as a mom, wife, sister and friend who lives a recovery lifestyle. She genuinely loves it and is ready to help the next person who is ready for support.
“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit AS HARD AS LIFE. But it ain’t how hard you hit it’s about how hard you can get hit, and KEEP MOVING FORWARD”
Cedric Clark
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: August 8, 2016
After nearly a life time of drug use and multiple attempts at recovery, being in and out of the judicial system and losing practically his whole life, Cedric woke up and realized that he had more to give than what he was doing at that time. Cedric chose to leave the oil field to pursure his passion: helping others find THIER recovery. Cedric belives in a solustion focused approach and prides himself on being a good listner.
Cedric is CCAR certified, certified personal trainer, and is continuing his education so that her can continue to grow personally and professionally. Cedric is very much tapped into the recovery community and is full of resources. Cedric believes that addiction isn’t a morality issue but a life issue because it destroys life.
“It sounds simple telling people to work hard and never quit, but to really execute and demonstrate those principles takes discipline and faith. Those are the two factors that I believe separate the good from the great, the successes from the failures.”
Aleck Hackney
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: June 3, 2018
Alec has spent 16 years dealing with the cycle of gangs, addiction and the justice system. He is a resident of Denver, CO and loves spending time supporting those who still experience struggles in these areas. Alec is a CCAR certified recovery coach, mostly working with those recently released from incarceration. His passion is driven through sharing lived experience to help others, with guidance, to find their own corrective solution to recovery and freedom. There is nothing like receiving support from someone that has experienced the exact same pain. Alec’s strong points are advocacy, connection and communication.
“pain makes you stronger, obstacles make you braver, and experience makes you wiser, so thank the past for a better future”
Heather Buss
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: April 5th 2021
After struggling more the half of her life in active addiction, Heather finally experienced the gift of desperation after loosing almost everything she had, but most of all her two children. coming to the realization that not even the loss of something she loved most would be enough to stop her from using she decided it was time to humbly ask for help. In active addiction Heather experienced pregnancy, residential treatment, outpatient treatment, the Jefferson County court system including probation and a significant amount of time in and out of jail. Two child protective services cases and the loss of custody and foster care, along side many other obstacles in life. Today Heather believes she is a stronger, healthy, more caring and successful person and mother then she could have ever hoped to be. Her goal is to support others especially other mothers to help them understand that people are not defined by their mistakes in life, but they show how strong they are by over coming and learning from them.
“You drown not by falling in a river, but by staying submerged in it”
Bradely Cook, CFPS
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: August 28, 2017
After 20 plus years in active addiction, in and out of jail and prison and having to rebuild his life more times than he could count...Bradley decided it was time to implement major change in his life. Undergoing extensive treatment in a structure based recovery environment allowed him to rebuild his life for the last time. Bradley Cook has been trained as a peer recovery coach through the CCAR recovery coach academy certification program. Bradley believes that's passing on his knowledge of recovery is instrumental in helping others rebuild their own lives.
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
Rebeka Smith
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: Septembe 19, 2021
In the depths of adversity, Rebeka faced the relentless grip of addiction that had consumed her life for far too long, 25 years to be exact. Each day felt like an insurmountable battle against the cravings and the darkness that seemed to envelop her. It took Rebeka hitting rock bottom, losing everything, and landing herself in prison to embrace that moment of profound self-reflection and an unwavering commitment for her to embark on the transformative journey of overcoming her addiction and beginning to walk that path of recovery.
With resilience as her compass, she navigated the complexities of rebuilding her life, seeking support from loved ones, and embracing a newfound sense of self-discipline. The path to recovery was marked by both triumphs and setbacks, each serving as a lesson in perseverance. Rebeka hit the ground running in January of 2023, getting education in Mental Health First Aid, Certified Addiction Technician, and becoming a Peer Recovery Coach through the CCAR program and then moving forward with her COPA certification in the spring of 2024.
Rebeka prides herself on her big heart and dedication to make a difference in this world.
“The best things in life aren’t easy, and the easy things in life aren’t the best.”
Andrew Johnson
Peer Recovery Coach
Recovery Date: September, 2018
I have live a life full of ups and downs. I have had what I thought was everything a man could want and nothing at all. One thing that was constant through a majority of it was a dependence to drugs and alcohol. Even the thought of living life without those things seemed so far out of reach until Sep. 13, 2016. After years of being in and out of jail/work release and multiple failed attempts to get sober on my own, the light at the end of the tunnel stopped flickering. The end was finally in sight. 3 years in one of the top Drug Court Programs our country has, countless hours of therapy including EMDR, a 12 step program and a probation officer determined to see me succeed, graduation day finally cam in Oct. 2019. I spent there next 3 years in different leadership roles of Oxford House, a nation wide recovery community housing men and women searching for a pathway to their own recovery. I opened and successfully chartered 4 different homes in my area that housed over 40 men and women while holding positions at the chapter and state levels. Helped facilitate multiple fundraisers, outreach programs and community events in an effort to spread awareness and hope to those seeking answers and a way out. Having the opportunity to guide others to a successful life through their very own pathway is not only a passion of mine, its a commitment that allows me to change the way my clients see themselves and their futures, as well as assist in breaking the stigmas that have overshadowed addicts for far too long. What I didn’t prepare for was the abundance of joy and hope seen in eyes that would otherwise portray a dark a dreadful soul. It’s an unexplainable feeling few can imagine or put into words.
Peer Recovery Coaches
We have a large team of state- or nationally-certified peer coaches ready to walk beside you in your recovery.