ED Fernandez, LSW, LCADC

(Director, Bi-Lingual Counselor)

My name is Ed Fernandez and I am 61 years old. I am currently in my 28th year of recovery (clean date 7/7/1995). I came from a single parent home. My mother had three small children and had to find a way to survive. I grew up in NYC and had to figure out the things of life at an early age. I believe that drugs became my outlet. I started using drugs at age 11 (alcohol/marijuana) and by the time I was 33 I was smoking crack cocaine on a regular basis. There had been multiple attempts at stopping my drug use, but none were successful. I had tried geographical moves, different drugs to help curb the effects of another, I tried different relationships but nothing worked. At the end of my using days I was suicidal most days and was living a double/secretive life.

My mother although she was unavailable emotionally, she did make her attempts at parenting and always directed me to continue going to school. I was the only child at home that finished school. I even went to school during my active addiction. All of my friends ended up dead or in jail and I wanted something different for my life. I had moved to Puerto Rico on two different occasions to avoid my addiction. Everywhere I went my disease showed up. In 1987 I graduated from a small private university in Puerto Rico and decided to move back to New York. Shortly thereafter, in 1989 I found myself living in New Jersey and my addiction was full blown. Even though I thought I was hiding it, I always felt like there was something missing, something wrong. I felt alone and this brought on thoughts of suicide, but I was to scared to follow through with any of these thoughts.

In 1995 my drug use and suicidal ideations had escalated out of control. I was married and had a small child, and my life was truly unmanageable. It was at this point that I had a spiritual awakening and was led to a 12 Step Program. I was so afraid of using drugs that I began to follow other people's directions immediately. I was attending meetings daily and I began to avoid people, places and things I used with or at. As I began to recover I began to see things from a different perspective. After approximately 19 years as a salesman, I entered the field of treatment for addiction and mental health services. In July 1997, I began working at a program called Princeton House and my career as a mental health provider began.

After a few short years of working at this facility I realized that I needed to return to school. The process took approximately two years to establish reentry and I was finally accepted into NYU's School of Social Work in NYC. I graduated in 2002 with my MSW and decided to expand my professional options. I began working at a local high school as a School Social Worker and was given the opportunity to explore my options as a therapist in private practice. I worked for a practice for 7 years as an independent contractor and in 2010 made the decision to start my own business. Breath of Life Counseling Services, LLC started as a small vision of hope. Today, 21 years out of graduate school, I am still employed at the school and I am working full time in my practice. Breath of Life Counseling Services, LLC has grown into two office locations and is currently employing 2 therapists as independent contractors. We are performing individual, family, and couples counseling and are running groups for anger management/domestic violence and DWI violators in two different languages (Spanish/English) and two different counties of the state.

I am proud to say that living life as a person in long-term recovery has awarded me the many gifts that God has always promised and these gifts were that He would give me the desires of my heart if I stayed on the path of giving and loving others.

Today as the Director of my own agency, I am grateful to be able to tell others that they too can come from the horrors of addiction and find a new way of life…

Sincerely,

ED Fernandez, LSW, LCADC

Elaine H. Handleman, MSW, LCSW

(N.J. State License No. 44SC00849000)

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years’ experience working with individuals, couples, and families. I have a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University and I hold a number of post-graduate certifications in marriage and family therapy as well as individual psychotherapy.

I am a specialist in the field of addictions, working with couples and families affected by addiction. I have been practicing psychotherapy in various settings including community mental health, family service agencies, and inpatient/outpatient addiction services. I have been in private practice since 1994 and I have also taught at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work as an Adjunct Professor. I have been a Clinical Supervisor and a Clinical Director of practicing psychotherapists and practicing drug and alcohol counselors for past 20 years.

Dealing with addiction can be overwhelming. Addiction is a family disease. When one member of the family is affected, everyone in the family is affected as well. When your son or daughter, spouse or significant other suffers from addiction, you also suffer and need support and guidance from someone who specializes in working with parents of addicted children and spouses. Whether your child is an adolescent, young adult, or adult, as a parent, you are grieving the loss of your child. Drugs and/or alcohol have stolen your loved one away and therapy can help. I have specialized in working with spouses and parents of addicted children for the last 25 years and can guide you in this journey to restore your sanity in the midst of the chaos and insanity of addiction.

You may be suffering from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem or an unfulfilling relationship. Finding the right therapist can be overwhelming at times. One of the most crucial parts of therapy is feeling understood by someone in a safe and comfortable environment. As a seasoned clinician, I work with clients in a supportive, nonjudgmental way. Individuals often repeat patterns and behavior learned or seen growing up in their families. This can lead to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and unfulfilling relationships as well. Unexpected losses or difficult transitions can lead to fear and immobilization. Psychotherapy can help clients through the grief process and help navigate through different transitions in healthy ways. Individual, couples, and family therapy can help identify ineffective couple and family patterns and eliminate longstanding resentments, loneliness, and low self-esteem. Psychotherapy can restore happiness, a sense of wellbeing, and balance in life or create or reestablish loving, caring and deeply intimate relationships.

You may be struggling in your relationship. Couples counseling can help. When couples are not getting along it can feel frustrating and lonely. Counseling can be an effective way of repairing a relationship and restoring trust and intimacy. It can help create emotional and sexual intimacy which did not exist before or was lost. It can help resolve issues such as, poor communication, constant fighting, and a lack of emotional and physical intimacy. Couples often repeat patterns and behaviors learned or seen growing up in their families. Identifying some of these patterns can help to eliminate anger and other ineffective ways of communicating. Couples can learn new skills that can help them resolve differences without fighting and can help reestablish a loving, caring and deeply intimate relationship or a stable couple/family system.

Rande Palmer

Mr. Palmer began his addictions counseling career at The Center Advanced Behavioral in 2020 working in an outpatient setting. He was able to attain his Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) credentials while attending classes at Ocean County Community College. He decided to further his education and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and went on to attain a Master’s degree in Social Work both from Stockton University. Shortly thereafter Mr. Palmer became a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Palmer decided to venture into private practice and began his Independent Clinical Contractor Career with Breath of Life Counseling Services working with the Intoxicated Drivers Resource Center (IDRC) as a Coordinator in Somerset and Middlesex counties. Mr. Palmer continues to work with this population as well as developing his private practice. Mr. Palmer has also worked in multiple treatment modalities throughout his career; Recovery Innovations in 2020, Discovery Institute since 2023 and most recently Blue Star Recovery LLC in Hazlet offering counseling, support and guidance to clients with addictions and co-occurring mental health issues. Rande often expresses that he experiences great joy from helping others and takes the utmost pride in the work that he provides to those individuals in need.