Dr. Velandy Manohar brings warmth, wisdom, and compassion to Aware Recovery Care. He is a son, a brother, an uncle, a father of two sons, a grandfather, a neighbor, and a member of many local community organizations. Dr. Manohar is a member of The Valley Hindu Temple in Middletown, CT and at one time he even performed functions of a priest for over thirty years. He is a seasoned physician certified in Adult Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, Addiction Psychiatry, and most importantly is a teacher and a life-long learner. He is deeply committed to advocating for the health and wellbeing of active duty service members, veterans and their families, and is recognized by the US Marine Corps League of CT. He is a lifelong advocate for eliminating Health Care Disparities and is recognized by The Connecticut Multi-Cultural health partnership. Dr. Manohar received the Nancy Berger Award, and is an external member of Policy Committee of The Connecticut Commission on Health Equity, The Center for Occupational Health and Education, and engaged in efforts to help achieve specific sustainable development goals including protection of and education of girl children. His gentle nature combined with his passion and experience is a gift to all that he comes in contact with. Dr. Manohar's main edict is to deliver treatment with a compassionate heart, and we at Aware Recovery Care do our very best to live by his words each and every day.

Sarah Allen Benton, MS, LMHC, LPC is the Director of Clinical Services at Aware Recovery Care with over 14 tears if experience in direct care. She is Co-Founder of Benton Behavioral Health Consulting, LLC and the Clinical Consultant for The Strathmore House transitional sober living in Boston, MA. She was formerly a Therapist at Insight Counseling in Ridgefield, CT, a Primary Therapist at Turning Point addiction treatment in New Haven, CT and a Therapist/Case Manager at McLean Hospital in the McLean Brook dual diagnosis treatment program in Waltham, MA. She is author of the book “Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic” and has been featured in the NY Times and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, CBS Early Show and NPR.

As a private practice psychotherapist, Megan strives to assist her clients in finding meaning behind their challenges and identifying their purposes for the future. She holds a Master's Degree from Fairfield University in Community Counseling. She is a licensed Professional Counselor (2010) and is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (since 2014). She is also an auricular acupuncture detoxification specialist which is a holistic intervention used to reduce cravings, urges, withdrawal symptoms, and reduce anxiety amongst others benefits. It is also known as the NADA Protocol. In 2015, she was a National presenter in Cleveland, OH on a clinical study she completed on the use of acupuncture with addiction with her clients. She is also trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) which is a therapy approach that can be applied to most mental health issues (heavily targets those with a trauma history) or addiction related goals. She has worked for Cornell-Scott Hill Health Center in New Haven, CT for 6.5 years as an outpatient therapist and the last 3.5 has been a senior therapist at South Central Rehabilitation Center. There, she works on a detox unit and with outpatient clients on a variety of different medication assisted therapies. Currently, she has a private practice with a strong focus in co-occurring disorders treatment. In her spare time, Megan enjoys traveling, snowboarding, swimming, and has a passion for nutrition and fitness.

Chuck is a veteran of the U.S. Army where he served as a medic. This is where he found his passion for medicine and has worked in many roles of healthcare, and then has since became registered nurse. He comes to us with 13 years of recovery experience and a constant desire to combine this and his skills as a nurse to help others find their personal path to recovery and wellness. In his spare time he is an avid birder, camper, and general nature buff. Chuck also continues to use his spare time to further his nursing skills with a focus on developing tools to guide clients using a holistic nursing approach.