Our Team

Meet the people behind your care

Our team of licensed professionals brings decades of combined experience in addiction treatment and mental health counseling.

Dr. Shmuel Waldman

Executive Director

DSW, LMSW

"Connection is the fuel for change."

Dr. Shmuel Waldman is passionate about helping people navigate life's most difficult moments through a combination of clinical knowledge, pragmatic realism, and genuine human connection.

His journey began in 1999 as a teen mentor and eventually led him to earn his Doctorate in Social Work (DSW). Over the years, he has dedicated his career to behavioral health, addiction treatment, and crisis intervention, working alongside individuals and families facing complex challenges.

Dr. Waldman believes that meaningful change begins with connection. His approachable and collaborative style allows him to build trust quickly while helping people identify practical solutions that can create lasting impact. Whether he is developing treatment programs, supporting clinical teams, or working directly with clients, his focus remains the same: helping people move forward one achievable step at a time.

He is particularly passionate about addiction treatment and crisis intervention, where he combines evidence-based practices with real-world problem solving to meet people where they are and help them build sustainable paths toward recovery.

Fun fact: Dr. Waldman is an altruistic living kidney donor. Outside of work, he is a sushi enthusiast and enjoys spending time on the ski slopes.

Marsha Tipelin

Clinical Director

LCSW, LCADC

"Meet people where they are, while helping them discover where they can go."

Marsha Tipelin brings more than four decades of experience helping individuals, families, and communities navigate life's challenges with compassion, clinical expertise, and thoughtful leadership.

Throughout her career, she has served in numerous leadership roles, including Executive Director, Clinical Supervisor, Program Director, and Consulting Clinical Director across behavioral health and human service organizations throughout New Jersey and New York.

Marsha specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health conditions, and comprehensive client care coordination. Her approach combines extensive clinical knowledge with a collaborative and person-centered style that helps individuals feel supported, respected, and empowered throughout their treatment journey.

In addition to providing direct clinical care, Marsha has extensive experience developing programs, supervising multidisciplinary teams, and maintaining high standards of quality, accountability, and regulatory compliance. She believes that exceptional treatment begins with strong relationships and a coordinated team approach that places each individual at the center of care.

Marsha earned her Master of Social Work from Columbia University and holds advanced certifications in clinical supervision and addiction counseling. She remains passionate about building treatment environments where clients can heal and clinicians can thrive.

Michael Lunn

Senior Substance Use Disorder Counselor

CADC

"Recovery gets real when excuses stop being more convincing than your goals."

Michael Lunn is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor with more than 23 years of experience helping individuals navigate substance use challenges and build meaningful, lasting recovery.

Throughout his career, Michael has worked in outpatient and residential treatment settings, providing individual counseling, group facilitation, relapse prevention, treatment planning, and services for individuals involved with Recovery Court. His approach draws on Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and practical strategies that help clients better understand their patterns, strengthen coping skills, and make healthier choices.

At Diamond Counseling Center, Michael brings a calm, grounded presence to treatment. He believes recovery is built through honesty, consistency, and helping each person discover reasons for change that feel meaningful to them. His goal is to create a space where clients feel respected, challenged, and supported as they work toward lasting progress.

Fun fact: I enjoy a good conversation or two or three.

Daisy M. Wilson

Intake and Assessment Coordinator

CADC

"This too shall pass. We are overcomers."

Daisy Wilson is passionate about helping individuals build healthier, more fulfilling lives through compassionate support, evidence-based care, and meaningful therapeutic relationships. With extensive experience in substance use treatment, she is dedicated to helping clients navigate recovery with dignity, accountability, and encouragement.

Throughout her career, Daisy has worked in both counseling and intake coordination roles, providing individual, family, and group counseling while helping clients successfully navigate every stage of the treatment process. She has experience conducting assessments, developing treatment plans, completing clinical documentation, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive and individualized care.

Daisy believes that every person's recovery journey is unique. Her approachable and supportive style allows her to build strong connections with clients while creating a safe environment where they feel heard, respected, and empowered to make meaningful changes.

She is particularly passionate about helping individuals build confidence in their recovery and believes that consistency, communication, and genuine human connection are essential components of long-term success.

Fun fact: Daisy is very involved with her church and loves giving back to her community.

Alethea Thompson

Recovery Specialist / Counselor

"Don't leave before the miracle happens."

Alethea Thompson is passionate about helping individuals discover that recovery is possible and that every person deserves the opportunity to build a meaningful, fulfilling life free from addiction.

With more than eight years of experience as a Recovery Specialist, Alethea has worked alongside individuals in hospital settings, drug court programs, and mental health services. Throughout her career, she has provided encouragement, guidance, and hope to individuals navigating some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Recovery is more than a profession for Alethea, it is personal. As a woman with 17 years of recovery, she understands firsthand the challenges, fears, and triumphs that come with overcoming addiction. Having witnessed the devastating impact of substance use and the loss of far too many lives, she has dedicated herself to making a difference by helping others discover that long term recovery is possible. Her lived experience, combined with her professional background, allows her to connect with clients in a genuine and compassionate way while inspiring hope that change is within reach.

Fun fact: Alethea loves to cook, and one of her favorite dishes to make is homemade lasagna.

Tara Nicholls

Peer Recovery Specialist

CRSP, CPSS, NCPRSS

"Earn the respect of intelligent people and leave the world a little better than you found it."

Tara Nicholls is passionate about helping individuals rediscover hope, rebuild their lives, and realize that recovery is possible through connection, encouragement, and purpose.

Since 2020, Tara has worked as a Peer Recovery Specialist, supporting individuals as they navigate recovery and reintegrate into their communities. She currently works with NHJN, where she helps individuals access recovery resources, participate in educational programs, develop life skills, and find meaningful employment as they build independent and fulfilling lives.

Recovery is deeply personal to Tara. Having been in recovery herself since 2003, she understands the courage it takes to begin the journey and the commitment required to sustain it. Her lived experience allows her to connect with people in an authentic and compassionate way, meeting them where they are while helping them recognize their own strengths and potential.

Tara is a Certified Recovery Support Practitioner in mental health, a Certified Peer Support Specialist in addiction recovery, and a National Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist. She believes that genuine human connection is one of the most powerful tools for healing and lasting recovery.

Fun fact: Tara can recite all 50 states in alphabetical order from memory, and she is the proud owner of four dogs.

Carri Polansky

Front Desk & Client Coordinator

"Healing isn't linear, and every step matters."

Carri Polansky brings warmth, organization, and a people first approach to her role as Front Desk and Client Coordinator at Diamond Counseling Center.

As one of the first people clients may speak with when reaching out to Diamond, Carri understands that the experience at the front desk matters. She helps clients navigate appointments, communication, paperwork, and the many small details that can make starting treatment feel less overwhelming.

Carri is known for managing multiple responsibilities while keeping communication clear and helping things move forward behind the scenes. She works closely with both the clinical and administrative teams and makes a point of treating every person with patience, kindness, and respect.

Her goal is simple: make the process feel organized, welcoming, and manageable from the moment someone first reaches out for help.

Fun fact: I'm a huge TV show person and I'm always open to suggestions. To be clear, I mean suggestions for what I should watch next, not life advice.