Treatment Team:

A recovery staff addicts and their families can count on

Destination Hope is comprised of caring and dedicated professionals that understand the often difficult path to recovery. The staff here has worked in all areas of substance abuse as well as behavioral and mental health. Many have experienced addiction from both sides of sobriety and know the challenges an addict faces firsthand. The result is drug rehab Florida can count on – a facility dedicated to the recovering addict and focused on getting a client’s life back on track. By helping addicts through individual, group and family therapy, we are able to proud to graduate clients that are empowered to help themselves heal for the long-term..

Ben Brafman, LMHC, CAP — CEO, Founder

As a published authority on men’s substance abuse and treatment issues, Ben has led Destination Hope since he founded it. As a nationwide hub for drug rehab Florida has many treatment centers to offer a client looking for recovery. It has been Ben’s singular goal to make Destination Hope stand out from the rest through a combination of innovative treatment protocols that he has developed over his 20 years of substance abuse and mental health experience. Ben is keenly aware of the community around him and founded two charitable organizations: The Evan Glugeth Substance Abuse and Relapse Prevention Fund and Rx Angels. Both are dedicated to those struggling at the hands of addiction or mental illness. Ben was presented with the “Spirit of the Community” award and has helped addicts and their families throughout the country. He has been published on various topics including dual diagnosis and chemical dependency. Ben also educates other addiction counselors through the Academy for Addiction Professionals.

Ben produces a YouTube campaign to educate and inform the public about mental illness through pop-culture icons. Click here to view our library of videos.

Alton Smith — Vice President of Operations

With two post-graduate degrees, in Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology, Alton leads Destination Hope’s business development, creating new and exciting partnerships with other treatment centers and levels of care as well as working with the staff and clients to create effective treatment protocols.

He is also an integral part of the Academy for Addiction Professionals, creating new and exciting lesson plans.

Alton has worked in the substance abuse and mental health industry for over 30 years and has worked with both private and public agencies offering his expertise in substance abuse and mental health.


Suzanne Brafman, LCSW — CFO & Founder

Suzanne is the Chief Financial Officer and co-founder of Destination Hope. She has been working in the substance abuse and mental health field since 1993 and received her masters in social work from Florida International University in 1995. In addition to managing the finances, she sees clients individually and as couples to help them re-assimilate into their previous relationships in a healthy way. Suzanne loves finding creative solutions to help people by thinking out of the box and involving the whole family in the recovery process.

 
Tyrone Cleare, CAC — Primary Therapist

Tyrone has dedicated the past 15 years of his life to helping people recover from the disease of addiction. As a Certified Addiction Counselor and primary therapist here at Destination Hope, Tyrone has a particular interest in group therapy. Tyrone has been in the recovery community for almost 21 years which gives him an unrivaled degree of compassion and empathy. He is a traffic school instructor as well as a DUI counseling specialist and teaches classes at the Academy for Addiction Professionals.

John Springle, CAP — Primary Therapist

John is extremely knowledgeable in the treatment of addiction and substance abuse in part because of his certified Addiction Professional designation but also because he has been in the recovery community for almost 13 years. John is a relapse prevention specialist and has been working in the addiction treatment industry for over 10 years. John is also a Nursing Support group facilitator and actively involved in the Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN).

Thomas Sibilia, CAC – Director of Quality Assurance

Thomas is an integral part of Destination Hope’s relationships with our clients and the other addiction treatment facilities we work with. As the point of contact for new clients entering treatment his compassionate care allows for the easiest transition into treatment possible. His relationships with other treatment centers and knowledge of addiction means that each client he receives is assured of the very best level of care for their particular situation.

As a Certified Addiction Counselor, Thomas has the background and experience to effectively manage patients’ intakes into treatment. Thomas also teaches at the Academy for Addiction Professionals, training others within and outside the addiction industry.