Rehab Clinic Appoints New Chief

The Matrix Institute on Addictions has appointed Dr. Kenji Watanabe as clinical director for its Woodland Hills facility. The alcohol and drug outpatient treatment center currently has four locations in the Los Angeles area — in West Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, the San Fernando Valley as well as its Los Angeles Opioid Treatment facility. In 2007, Watanabe interned at the institute as a mental health therapist and now oversees three clinicians and two administrators in his new role. “In the short time he’s been on board, the tremendous value of Kenji’s broad-based experience, clinical knowledge and multi-cultural perspectives already is evident,” Matrix Executive Director Dr. Jeremy Martinez said in a statement. “We are confident Kenji is ideally suited to provide the leadership, energy and creative solutions needed to drive the growth and health of our Woodland Hills location while ensuring that our San Fernando Valley clients continue receiving the best services possible.” Watanabe has a master’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. He completed his undergraduate studies in religion at Vanguard University of Southern California in Costa Mesa.