ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Manuel Guantez, Psy. D., LCADC
mguantez@tpnj.org

Dr. Manuel Guantez recently completed his seventh year as Executive Director of Turning Point, Inc., a behavioral health treatment program that focuses on alcohol and substance abuse addictions as well as their co-occurring disorders. Under Dr. Guantez’s direction, Turning Point, which serves clients across the state of New Jersey, has expanded beyond residential treatment programs for men and women to encompass the recent launch of two new outpatient programs in Verona and Newark. 

Dr. Guantez received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Montclair State University and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University followed by a Post Doctoral Fellowship at New York University.  He has served the fields of addiction and mental health treatment for nearly 20 years in a variety of capacities:

• In his very early career, Dr. Guantez worked in residential and outpatient addiction treatment conducting individual, group and family therapies, and coordinating programs for some of the more challenging treatment populations, including adolescents and individuals with co-occurring mental disorders.
• During his graduate and post-doctoral work, Dr. Guantez treated patients in acute psychiatric services, adult, geriatric and adolescent populations. 
• Following his studies, Dr. Guantez served as the Coordinator of Addiction Studies at Montclair State University and, as Assistant Professor, taught all core graduate and undergraduate courses in addiction and mental health. 
• As a consultant, he has worked with a variety of behavioral health and managed care entities to improve service delivery and treatment outcomes for various populations. 

Dr. Guantez is an international speaker and consultant who has worked with the United Nations to help other countries achieve the gains in combating addiction that we have seen here in the United States.  Last year, Dr. Guantez was singled out as an important contributor in shaping statewide policy and practices in mental health and substance abuse by being named Chair of New Jersey’s State Advisory Group to the Commissioner of Human Services on addictions treatment policy. He has also served on the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services’ Residential Licensure Standards Revision Committee, the Residential Treatment Services Committee and the Quality Standards Substance Abuse Treatment Committee. 

Dr. Guantez is a former U.S. Marine and Presidential Honor Guard. He and his wife, Katherine, recently celebrated the birth of their first child, Isabella Grace.