Dennis Ballinger
LMFT, CACIII, EMDR, FFT, TF-CBT,DBT

Chief Clinical Officer

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I am responsible for overseeing the clinical program at Momenta Recovery. I provide clinical supervision, direct client care and program design and development. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Level III Certified Addictions Counselor licensed in the State of Colorado. I am a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and an Approved Supervisor and Approved Supervisor of Supervision through AAMFT. I have over 20 years of experience providing counseling to individuals, couples and families that are struggling with addiction and other mental health disorders. I have been trained and certified in a number of evidence-based practices including; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Functional Family Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Hypnosis for the treatment of Trauma and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy in addition to many others. I have trained over 50 individuals working towards their master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, has been a consultant to hundreds of therapists, case workers and other professionals and presented on topics, to other professionals and community members throughout Colorado and the Nation, on relate to co-occurring disorder treatment, family therapy and trauma.

How has addiction affected you and your life?

It is a sad statement to say that I, like everyone in this world, has been closely connected to someone struggling with the disease of addiction. I have seen firsthand how this disease hurts those struggling with addiction as well as all of the people that are connected to that person. I have lived with seeing the heartache, tragedy, trauma, and sadness that this disease brings. I have also seen the joy, excitement, gratitude, compassion and return to health that recovery brings. I truly believe that addiction is the greatest health crisis this country is facing yet it is the most marginalized and stigmatized health condition one can suffer from.

What's your favorite part about what we do at Momenta?

I love helping individuals and their families address the impact of addiction on their life and help them move to a place of recovery filled with joy, happiness, and the promises that recovery brings.

What inspires you?

People in a program of recovery. It is a blessing to be able to watch someone enter a program of recovery and blossom into the person hidden by addiction.

What do you do when you're not working?

When I am not working, I love to spend time with my wife and our two mini Goldendoodles. If I am not with them, I am often doing landscaping, woodworking, playing outside or going to the gym.

What's something about you that not many people know?

I am a Colorado Native and if you told me growing up that I would be living in the mountains and loving it I would have told you had lost it. As a kid I loved the city and everything about the city. As an adult I love the peace, tranquility, and beauty of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.