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Master Center is proud to be the first physician-led practice to hire and fully utilize Peer Recovery Coaches as personal patient helpers, guides, teachers, and care navigators. Our recovery support services are powered by a growing base of dedicated coaches with lived experience recovering from addiction. All of our coaches are professionally and specially trained to guide our patients as patients regain the life they want to have. Our Peer Recovery Specialists are generous, compassionate, and demonstrate to our patients every day that there is hope and freedom from addiction.

Here are some of the registered recovery specialists that you will meet at our physician-led, outpatient addiction treatment locations throughout Virginia – including Greater Richmond, Gloucester, and Hampton. Request an appointment here or call 804.332.5950.

Francis Fletcher is a Registered Peer Recovery Specialist and the Lead Recovery Coach at Master Center. Francis began helping peers six years ago at a recovery community organization in Richmond and has now been with Master Center for over four years. He trains and supervises our amazing team of peer recovery specialists. Francis earned an M.A. in Art History at Rutgers University. He taught art history at the university level for several years and has also worked with art collections at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute. He is active as an amateur photographer and spends much of his free time improving his skills with various digital and film cameras.

Beverly Alston is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist at the Master Center Hampton office. Beverly has 24 years lived experience in recovery. She obtained her DBHS 72 HR training in Hampton and has been a member of Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance (SAARA) since 2017. She is known for ongoing volunteer efforts and is always looking for ways to give back to her community, including assisting Four Oaks Day Service Center and homeless shelter. When she is not helping and inspiring others, you can find Beverly gardening, beading, and camping. She is also the Baltimore Ravens’ BIGGEST fan.

Evan Booth is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in our Richmond office. Evan has served as a bridge to lifelong recovery for patients at Master Center for over four years. Prior to joining our team, he drove a dump truck on a pipeline before realizing that he wanted to help others. Going out on a limb, he became part of our Virginia Center for Addiction Medicine prior to changing our name to Master Center when there were just 15 employees. Today, Evan says that helping others through their own recovery journey is what motivates him and drives what has become his life’s work. He says that the ability to offer suggestions and input to medical providers is a rewarding feeling and that he is honored to play a part in helping patients find the joy and freedom of recovery.  Evan and his wife have a one-year-old daughter. You can often find Evan enjoying Manchester United and VCU basketball games. 

 As one of our talented Certified Peer Recovery Specialists,  Jardine Espinos has served as a bridge to lifelong recovery for our patients over the past three years. Prior to joining our mission, Jardine worked at the Willingness Foundation as the Head Recovery Coach and Office Manager. She has experience in facilitating groups, providing one-on-one peer support, and taking care of all the office duties that make an organization run smoothly and effortlessly. Jardine has also studied Substance Use Disorders and continues to work toward expanding her knowledge of the disease of addiction every day. Her passion in life is helping others achieve recovery and lead healthy lives. Jardine’s past experiences and long history of addiction makes her an asset in assisting and guiding individuals struggling with addiction. In her free time, she enjoys cross fit, strength training and living a healthy lifestyle.

Jeff McIntyre, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist at Master Center, joined our mission in 2020 and has been helping to make addiction medicine accessible and understandable to our patients ever since. He was first trained as a Substance Abuse Counselor by the US Navy in the late 1980’s and worked at the Virginia Beach Detox and Judeo-Christian Outreach Center as a counselor. He retired from the Navy in 1996 and worked as computer network engineer before becoming the IT Director of the Bionetics Corporation. After six years at Bionetics, Jeff started his first Information Technology business growing it to over 300 business clients. He also had several other businesses in IT and real estate throughout his career. Throughout all of these experiences, Jeff has worked part-time in various capacities in the field of addiction for over thirty years. He also has worked full time as a CPRS for the Hampton-Newport News Community Service Board. Jeff lives with his wife, Pam, of 33 years and has two grown children.

Rachael Rafferty joined our team in January of this year and has quickly made an impact as a peer recovery coach committed to changing the lives of the patients we serve. Rachael has a strong desire to help others along their recovery journey and to share her own success in recovery. Rachael was able to discover a path out of addiction and begin a life of recovery with the help of influential, strong role models and the structure of a recovery program that met her physical and emotional needs. Bringing this same pathway to success for her peers remains a top priority for Rachael at all times. When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, dogs, as well as her sisters in recovery.

Bennett Thomas, CPRS, has served as a peer recovery coach with the Master Center since 2021. As a dedicated coach, he enjoys sharing his journey and his hope with patients as they find their own path forward in recovery. Before joining our mission, Bennett worked as a crisis counselor for MHAV through the pandemic and spent a year working with Rams in Recovery. In his free time, Bennett enjoys hiking/backpacking through the mountains, cycling around Richmond, and playing his guitar. 

Learn More About Our Coaches 

Our peer recovery coaches are compassionate and committed to making addiction treatment accessible, understandable, and affordable. Learn more about recovery coaching at Master Center here.

Use the confidential form here to request an outpatient or telehealth appointment, ask a question, seek help for a loved one, or request more information about addiction medicine. You may also call 804.332.5950 for support.