Our EXPERT instructors
Sandy Rivers
MA, CASAC-M
Lisa Ardner
MA, CASAC-M, CARC, CCTP
Ruth Riddick
CARC, RCP/f, RTR-S
Jim Donovan
M.Ed.
Sandy Rivers, MA, CASAC-M, RC
Founder of Authentic Trainings & Lead Trainer
As the founder of Authentic Trainings, Sandy has decades of clinical experience in substance use disorder, sexual abuse, and trauma.
As a clinician, she noticed that evidence-based practices rooted in practical, person-centered approaches led to the best client outcomes. She further noted that these same skills led to lower rates of burnout among her colleagues.
When she noticed a deficit in workforce education focused on these skills, she pursued a master’s degree in adult education, and she founded Authentic Trainings to fill that void.
Sandy holds various certifications, including Trauma Debriefing, Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist, Trauma Champion, and Advanced Motivational Interviewing Trainer. She’s a member of the NYCB Trainer Registry.
At Authentic Trainings, she develops customized training solutions to meet the growing needs of professionals in the fields mental health, criminal justice, substance use disorder, and more to increase client engagement and retention.
Lisa Ardner, MA, CASAC-M, CARC, CCTP
Lisa has over two decades of clinical experience in substance use disorder. She is a Certified MINT ® Trainer and member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT®). Lisa is a member of the CNY Motivational Interviewing Learning Collaborative and co-facilitates a monthly virtual Motivational Interviewing Community of Practice Group.
Lisa has a master’s degree in Adult Learning from SUNY Empire State College where she is an adjunct instructor. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) and a NYS Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC).
Lisa is an approved trainer through OASAS (Office of Addiction Services and Support) and a member of the NYCB Trainer Registry on a variety of topics.
Lisa is best known for her compassionate, nurturing, and relational style of counseling and teaching.
Ruth Riddick, CARC, RCP/f, RTR-S
Recipient of the 2025 Long Island Recovery Association Friend of Recovery Award and the 2024 NYS Justice Peer Initiative Impact Award in Training & Development, Ruth Riddick is an experienced trainer offering custom coaching and communications programs since 1997. She expanded her practice to include a specialization in recovery under Sobriety Together Training (est. 2004) and added CCAR programs as an RCP Facilitator in 2015.
Ruth holds a certification in experiential sociometry (RTR-S) and is a Certified Addiction
Recovery Coach (CARC). A FOR-NY Best Practice Trainer and member of the NYCB Trainer Registry, which she co-founded in 2020, Ruth co-authored its Member Standards of Practice in 2022. She is also a credentialing expert.
In September 2025, Ruth served as producer and co-facilitator of the innovative Embodying Recovery, an immersive retreat focused on the O’Connell-Valentine-Riddick “Stages of Recovery”
model. Diverse professionals expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the program’s experiential learning methodology.
Jim Donovan, M.Ed.
Jim Donovan M.Ed. is a professional musician, educator and TEDx speaker. His mission is to share the restorative power of music through education and performance.
Donovan is an Assistant Professor and Director of Music and Wellness at Saint Francis University. His TEDx Talk “How to Trick Your Brain Into Falling Asleep” has been viewed over 7 million times to date.
Since 1999, he has presented over 3000+ music and self care presentations at professional conferences, the TEDx stage, universities and for corporate clients. He specializes in placing music and wellness programs in organizations who focus on people with disabilities and people recovering from addiction. Donovan’s current clients include the State of Pennsylvania, Pyramid Healthcare, The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification and the Veterans Administration.
Jim is a Therapeutic Drum Circle Facilitation Training. This 4 hour educational workshop designed to show people how to facilitate rhythm and wellness activities with the people they serve. This training does not require prior music experience and is accessible for beginners. These activities were developed by Jim Donovan at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA. Jim also provides Sound Healing and Mindfulness training.
Jim got his start as a founding member of the multi-platinum selling band Rusted Root. There he co-wrote the song “Send Me on My Way” featured in the movies Ice Age, Matilda, and the series New Girl. During his time with the band 1990-2005, he recorded and released seven full-length albums, including When I Woke (3x platinum). “Send Me On My Way” also became the first song on Mars where it “woke up” NASA’s Mars Rover.