Pavillon

06/02/2026

06/02/2026

Pavillon’s Medical Director, Michael Wilkerson, MD, and Business Development & Alumni Services team member Ed Schafer recently spent a full day in the Wilmington area connecting with treatment providers, therapists, recovery residences, and members of our alumni community.

Among the stops was Momentum Recovery, where Gabrielle Neal-Barney MMS,PA-C,CAQ-P, Medical Director, and David Neal, Co-Founder and COO, welcomed our team and shared more about their women’s program, The Cove. Ed and Dr. Wilkerson also visited Tree House Recovery, where Clinical Director Brent Botros highlighted their holistic outpatient approach and emphasis on physical fitness and wellness.

The day also included a visit to The Launch Pad and then time spent with therapists Scott Bass, Maryann Martin, Staci Ellsworth, of One-Eighty Counseling. And one more clinical visit with Dennis Mendelson, Jim Doxey, MS, LCMHCS, LCAS, MAC, TAP, and Recovery Coach Joe Dunning. Each conversation reinforced the importance of staying connected with professionals across the continuum of care. By sharing resources and maintaining strong professional relationships, we can better support our patients and help set them up for lasting success in recovery.

One of the highlights of the trip was spending time with several Pavillon alumni. Wilmington continues to be home to many members of our alumni community, and we always value opportunities to reconnect, hear how they are doing, and celebrate their continued recovery journeys.

At Pavillon, our commitment to alumni is lifelong. Through our Alumni for Life program, graduates are welcome to return to our 160-acre campus and stay in our Alumni House at no cost. Whether they want to reconnect with their therapist, attend programming, walk the trails, visit with staff, or simply spend time in a recovery-focused environment, they always have a place to come home to.

https://www.pavillon.org/alumni-services/

Thank you to everyone who took time to meet with our team. We are grateful for the relationships that help strengthen our recovery community and support lasting healing.

06/02/2026

Tom Edwards affiliation with Pavillon goes all the way back to 1992, predating Pavillon's migration to North Carolina.

He was influential in helping the founders, Gilles and Liliane Desjardins, bring their vision of Pavillon to life in the United Sates.

"At Pavillon, the value of the lessons becomes greater than the discomfort of the pain." ~Tom Edwards

Tom served as Pavillon's Marketing Director from 1996 to 2023.

From the original model in Canada rooted in the mission of spiritual renewal, to the new model in North Carolina that married that spiritual approach with clinical expertise in the form of a multidisciplinary treatment team, a spiritual thread is woven through Pavillon's entire story.

Today Tom shares how Pavillon continues its dedication to the mission of brining hope, healing and lasting recovery to those in need saying, "It was about creating a sanctuary where healing could keep growing. A place where science and spirituality could walk together. A place where people could reclaim hope. And though every season, every iteration, and every leader, the mission remains the same: To help people heal. To help families heal. And to remind every person who arrives here that growth is still possible."

Tom Edwards shares about the spiritual thread woven through Pavillo...

05/31/2026

Fix The Outside Things...

This part?

"Addiction isn't a broken bone you can set and walk away from. It's not just physical and it's not just mental. It's deeper than that. It lives in the way we relate to life, to ourselves, to discomfort... to escape... to the God of our understanding."

For a long time I thought if I could just fix the outside things... I'd be okay. Change the people, the place, the situation. But wherever I went, there I was.

Recovery started when I stopped trying to outrun myself and learned how to sit with myself instead. No numbing, or escaping, or distractions. Just honesty and a WHOLE lotta prayers and meditation.

That's where the real work is. Sometimes in can be painful...

Learning your patterns. Seeing what pulls you. Catching yourself before you get swept up in it.

It's not about being fixed. It's about being aware.. present.. and choosing differently.

~Vee K.

05/29/2026

Friday is for ever reminding us not to take ourselves to seriously 😂

05/28/2026

Director of Marketing & Business Development Kimberly Nelson, MA, recently had the pleasure of connecting with Debra Jay, MA, of Love First during a visit back home to Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

As Kimberly shared, “You know it’s a great professional connection when you get to meet up and talk recovery while you’re technically on vacation.” Kimberly and her husband enjoyed lunch with Debra just a stone’s throw from Grosse Pointe South High School — the alma mater of both Kimberly and Love First co-founder Jeff Jay — making the visit feel both personal and full circle.

The conversation covered everything from recovery and family systems work to arts, culture, and memories of growing up in Grosse Pointe.

Debra and Jeff have spent more than 30 years helping families impacted by substance use disorders through intervention services, trainings, educational programs, and their nationally recognized Structured Family Recovery® model. Their work continues to help families move beyond crisis and toward long-term recovery, accountability, and healing together, making a profound impact across the field for decades.

It was such a pleasure to reconnect, catch up, and be reminded that meaningful relationships in this field have a way of showing up wherever life takes you — even back on your old stomping grounds while on vacation!

Love First intervention

05/27/2026

Don’t wait to get the help you deserve! Pavillon Outpatient Services is designed specifically for individuals who need support without stepping away from their daily lives.

05/27/2026

We were grateful to have Marketing Representative, Amber Brown welcome Asheville clinicians Scott McCulloch, LCMHCA, LCASA and James Foote to Pavillon last week. We enjoyed a truly robust conversation about the evolving needs of individuals navigating varying levels of care in mental health and substance use disorder treatment in today's world.

Scott shared more about his collaborative and compassionate therapeutic approach, and James spoke about his work with professionals and high achievers navigating trauma, burnout, stress, grief, and major life transitions.

Our conversations centered around the importance of helping clients find the right treatment at the right time, and the value of strong communication between residential, outpatient, and private practice providers. We were also glad to share more about Pavillon’s outpatient services (https://lnkd.in/eQ7UHJyM our Extended Care Program (https://lnkd.in/dt_pp8i), which offers deeper therapeutic work for individuals facing trauma, relapse patterns, family system challenges, and other barriers to sustained recovery.

Thank you both for taking the time to visit our campus and connect with our team, CEO, Barbara Bennett, and Director of Marketing & Business Development, Kimberly Nelson, MA. We appreciate the work you do for individuals and families in our region.

05/26/2026

We are grateful to and President for welcoming Pavillon to their beautiful new Roswell, Georgia location for a recent continuing education event focused on the evaluation and treatment of safety-sensitive professionals with substance use disorders. Director of Marketing & Business Development Kimberly Nelson, MA and Marketing Representative Hunter Ragland enjoyed collaborating with the Summit team on this event.

Pavillon’s Medical Director, Michael Wilkerson, MD, FASAM, presented on the unique challenges involved in evaluating and treating impaired professionals, sharing practical clinical insight drawn from more than 25 years of work in addiction medicine and professional monitoring programs. As a program recently accredited by the Federation of State Physician Health Programs, INC (FSPHP), we were proud to contribute to this important conversation alongside so many dedicated professionals in the field.

With more than 40 attendees joining us for the presentation, the day was filled with thoughtful discussion, meaningful questions, and a delicious fajita buffet! Summit’s welcoming and creative space created the perfect setting for learning and engagement, and we sincerely appreciate their hospitality and collaboration in making the event such a success.

05/25/2026

Pavillon Marketer, Ed Schafer, founded the non-profit, Joyful Justice, in 2023 to help other lawyers struggling with addiction through service, advocacy, and connection.

Lawyers are at a significantly higher risk of substance abuse, depression, and other mental health issues than are members of other professions. The Joyful Justice Memorial Day 5K is becoming a tradition in Columbia, SC after completing its 4th year. Pavillon was happy to sponsor again this year along with some other great sponsors. To learn more about Joyful Justice visit www.joyfuljustice.org.