Dr. Keith L. Marshall, PsyD, M.H.D., MAC, SAP, SUDCC-IV-CS, C.A.T.C-V, LAADC, CAMC, CAMS-II chronicling his harrowing journey from trauma and addiction to redemption.
From Dumpster to Doctor is a title that immediately stirs curiosity. It evokes vivid images, souls lingering on sidewalks, asleep on bus-stop benches, or lining freeway underpasses in major cities. For many, hope appears dim and a life turnaround seems nearly impossible.
Dr. Keith L. Marshall leads his audience down a profoundly personal and vulnerable road. The book reveals a traumatic past marked by childhood physical and sexual abuse, promiscuity, a twenty-three-year crack-cocaine addiction, abandonment, and homelessness. He recounts hiding shoeless and ashamed behind dumpsters, enduring imprisonment, and surviving multiple near-death experiences, including being shot point-blank in the head and stabbed several times.
Yet within these pages lies a powerful revelation—the silver lining of redemption and rebirth. Before unveiling his transformation, Dr. Marshall gently compels readers to examine their own lives, unearthing buried pain, fears, and unresolved wounds in need of healing. His extraordinary experience of surviving the unimaginable led him to a modern-day miracle, a spiritual awakening that shifted his perspective and illuminated how his deepest pain became the catalyst for his divine purpose.
Letting go of empty rituals, Dr. Marshall cultivated a genuine relationship with his Creator. Through accountability, education, and faith, he rebuilt his life from the ground up, earning his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, along with multiple clinical certifications. In 2015, he founded Dedicato Treatment Center, certified by the California Department of Health Care Services and accredited by The Joint Commission, placing it among the top treatment programs in the nation recognized for transparency and best practices.
His journey affirms that no matter how dark or hopeless life may seem, there is always a path toward renewal. Dr. Marshall reminds readers of a universal truth: though death awaits us all, the quality of the life we live today rests in our own hands. His story stands as living proof that self-forgiveness, redemption, and transformation are possible—so long as there is breath in the body, a sound mind, and the will to rise again.
Today, Dr. Keith L. Marshall is a nationally recognized clinician, author, and motivational voice. In 2023, he received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service, honored alongside luminaries such as Stellar and Grammy Award-winning Donnie McClurkin and Academy Award-winning Lou Gossett Jr. His story—rooted in pain yet lifted by grace—proves that where one starts in life does not determine where one finishes.
PsyD, M.H.D., MAC, SAP, SUDCC-IV-CS, C.A.T.C-V, LAADC, CAMC, CAMS-II
Dr. Keith L. Marshall, PsyD, M.H.D., MAC, SAP, SUDCC-IV-CS, C.A.T.C-V, LAADC, CAMC, CAMS-II is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology, CEO of Dedicato Treatment Center, and author. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Human Development, along with multiple certifications in addiction treatment and counseling.” His book challenges readers to reflect on their existence and the universal reality of mortality. He believes that self-forgiveness and redemption are within reach for anyone willing to face their struggles and embrace change.
By sharing his story, he reassures others that healing is possible and that as long as there is life, there is a chance to overcome past trauma and build a better future. In June 2023, Dr. Keith L. Marshall, PsyD, M.H.D., was honored with the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Services.
He received this esteemed recognition alongside renowned figures, including the late cultural icon and multi-Emmy and Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr., multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Pastor Donnie McClurkin, model and activist Michelle Roxan, political activist Jan Perry, and Angeles Echols Brown, founder of EYM. The event was moderated by Dr. George E. Holmes, a distinguished figure who has had the honor of serving five United States Presidents from 1996 to 2023.
“A brutally honest and inspirational story of a man turning his life around.”
“His descriptions of living ‘in an internal prison with a life sentence and no parole date’ are gripping.”
Clarion and Kirkus are among the most recognized and respected literary review authorities in the world for serious literary works, publishing credibility, rights acquisition, and screenplay or film adaptation consideration. Receiving professional recognition from both places Dr. Keith L. Marshall’s work in a rare class of independently authored books that have earned elite third-party validation for literary merit, market credibility, and adaptation potential.
Celebrated by the International Impact Book Awards
Dr. Keith L. Marshall, PsyD, M.H.D., MAC, SAP, SUDCC-IV-CS, C.A.T.C-V, LAADC, CAMC, CAMS-II received the Outstanding Literary Achievement Award for both of his books — From Dumpster to Doctor: A True Story of Perseverance from Fear to Freedom and Factors of Transformation: Be the Change You Want — at the Five-Star Gala in Phoenix, Arizona, hosted by the International Impact Book Awards.
Dr. Marshall has also been nominated for the October 2026 Author of the Year Award at the International Impact Book Awards, which will take place at a five-star Hollywood red carpet gala in October 2026.
