Executive Director / COO A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP
Tom Horvath was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. He earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland, in 1975, and a Ph.D. from the California School of Professional Psychology at San Diego, in 1981. From 1981 to 1984 he served as an active duty Navy psychologist. In 1984 he entered full time independent practice. In 1985 he founded Practical Recovery, which offers an alternative to 12-step and disease-oriented addiction treatment programs. He became a board certified clinical psychologist of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in 1990. In 2006 he founded Pyrysys Psychology Group, Inc., which includes over ten divisions, including Practical Recovery, Supporting ME (Moderate Eating), and the Center for Cognitive Therapy La Jolla.
Dr. Horvath has been active in professional psychology and behavioral health at the local, state, national and international levels. He is a Past President (1990) and Fellow (1993) of the San Diego Psychological Association and a Past President (1988-1990) of the San Diego Phobia Foundation. He is the Volunteer Advisor for SMART Recovery San Diego. In 1992 he was appointed by Speaker Willie Brown to the California Controlled Substances Prescription Advisory Council, which produced recommendations regarding California’s triplicate prescription program for controlled substances.
At the national level, he was the Secretary-Treasurer (1995-98) of the American Psychological Association’s Division on Addictions (Division 50), and served as President from 1999-2000. The Division has over 1200 members and is the world’s largest organization of addictive behavior psychologists.
From 1995-2008 he was President of SMART Recovery, Inc., an international, non-profit network of free, self-empowering, science-based support groups, face-to-face or online, for abstaining from any type of addictive behavior, substances or activities.
Since 2000 Dr. Horvath has been an adjunct faculty member at the Leadership Studies Program, School of Education, University of San Diego, where he helps leaders in all fields develop their leadership and executive potential.
Dr. Horvath’s publications, media interviews, and presentations to professionals are helping to change how individuals, professionals and societies understand addictive behavior. PSY7732
Additional Staff of AToN Center through Practical Recovery: