Staff

Annas Boyer – Executive Director

Annas has worked in the field of human services for more than 20 years and has more than 25 years of experience as a manager and director. She is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor with the State of Kansas. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and a Master’s in Social Work degree from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout her career, Annas has served a variety of specialized client populations, including those with substance use disorders, dual diagnoses and high accountability professionals. Annas has also worked as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare since 2012 and has provided private therapy and clinical supervision since 2016. She is passionate about creating environments and experiences that promote personal growth and which facilitate a process of positive, self-directed change for the clients she serves.

Chris Bayne – Clinical Director

Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Kansas State University and received his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from MidAmerica Nazarene University. Chris is currently licensed with the State of Kansas as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and as a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC). His work experience has been with clients of all ages and with a variety of treatment modalities (Spofford Home for Children, Ozanam Home for Boys, Kids TLC, Johnson County Mental Health Center Adult Detox Unit, Adolescent Center for Treatment, Community Reinforcement Approach/Dual Diagnosis Program), Wyandot Center (Crisis Therapist), and individual, couple, and family therapy at Existential Family Therapy (EX-FT). Chris utilizes an eclectic theoretical approach when working with clients, although he leans toward the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA), Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Reality Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Christian Counseling. Chris believes every client is unique, treatment should be individualized, and clients are the expert of their lives and need to have a personal investment in their treatment.

Dorothy Horn – Counselor

Dorothy holds two degrees from the University of Kansas; a Bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work. Dorothy is licensed with the State of Kansas as a Master Addiction Counselor and has experience working with adults with substance use disorders. Dorothy also has experience working with adults who are dually diagnosed and she believes that both mental health and substance use must be addressed in the recovery process in order to help clients make lasting, positive change. Dorothy is trained and experienced in using several treatment modalities, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Family Systems Therapy. Prior to joining the Gold Bridge team, Dorothy worked as a substance abuse counselor at Mirror, Inc. in residential settings in the Kansas City area.

Elizabeth Smith – Counselor

Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science from The University of Nebraska- Omaha and earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from MidAmerica Nazarene University. Elizabeth is currently licensed with the State of Kansas as a Licensed Professional Counselor and as a Licensed Master Addiction Counselor. She started her career working at a community counseling center providing therapy to families, couples, adolescents and adults and transitioned into working in residential substance use treatment facilities. Elizabeth has a passion for working with individuals who suffer from addiction, mental health disorders and their families as she believes that these issues should be addressed in a holistic approach. She specializes and is trained in working with individuals and couples who struggle with sexual addiction. Elizabeth utilizes an eclectic theoretical approach when working with clients to include emotion focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy, client focused therapy and experiential therapy.

Tricia Ptasnik – Substance Abuse Clinician

Tricia has been in the mental health and substance use treatment field for 14 years. She holds a BA in Psychology, BS in Nursing, Masters in Social Work with a minor in Trauma-Informed Care Studies, and is also a licensed Master Addiction Counselor. She is currently in school to become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Tricia serves as both Substance Abuse Counselor and Nurse at Gold Bridge. Tricia is passionate about providing compassionate, trauma-informed care from a patient-centered biopsychosocial approach. She believes that a patient is much greater than their diagnosis, so each person must be treated holistically with open-mindedness, respect, and empathy. She believes in the potential for all people to change and promotes patient-driven resilience to overcome life’s challenges. Tricia also teaches about the neurobiology of addiction so people can gain a better understanding of their addiction on a biological level.

Morgan Bilyeu – Facility Nurse

Morgan is a Licensed Practical Nurse in Kansas and Missouri with over five years of experience in the field. Morgan obtained her Practical Nursing Certificate from Brown Mackie College and completed some of her course work at the University of Missouri, Kansas City as well as the College of Nursing in Kansas City. Morgan is passionate about providing high quality patient care and is skilled at communicating medical and health information with clients in a way that they can understand. Morgan approaches client health as a vital component of the treatment and recovery processes.