David Lee, Co-Founder

Having worked in the field of addictions and mental health for approximately 20 years, my experience ranges from everything from working in a detox facility, program developer and director of a residential treatment facility, sober living director, founder of what became the largest intervention company in North America and currently founder and owner of Heartland Recovery Center, a non-traditional substance abuse and addictions outpatient treatment facility, owner of Heartland Behavioral Health, a mental health counseling center, and founder and owner of Intervention Services and Coaching. Throughout my career I have facilitated connecting over 10,000 clients and their families to treatment and recovery.

Although involved in traditional recovery at a personal level for almost 30 years, my personal recovery is a blend of nontraditional, clinical approaches and traditional recovery. Since I have had a Dual Diagnosis myself, I have firsthand experience in the difficulties of complex clients who may have many different things they are struggling with. As someone who spent many years and many treatments trying to discover “what was wrong with me”, I can say that for almost every client I engage with, I’ve sat in their seat in some form or another. Whether it is their first time in treatment, or their 30th
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I like to tell recovery coaching clients that one of goals for them by the time we’re finished is to learn what took me so long to discover…that there isn’t actually anything wrong with them. Sometimes the thing we struggle with can seem to erase all the unique and amazing qualities that we have. My job is to validate the person for who they are and where they are at. The second a client begins the treatment process is the second we start building their personal Hero’s Journey.

Since my passion is helping clients find what works for them, I’ve participated in and connected clients and families with everything from 12-step integration, Trauma informed recovery, Buddhist recovery, SMART recovery, celebrate recovery, meditation, shamanistic healing, wellbriety, traditional and non-traditional therapy, plant medicines, journey work and dozens of other healing and recovery approaches. I am currently on the advisory board to the Psychedelics in Recovery
non-profit.

My approach to clients and their families is that their recovery should be as unique as they are, and there is no “one size fits all” approach. I also know that addiction and mental struggles can affect the family in so many ways and helping to repair damaged relationships is one of the most powerful benefits of recovery. Seeing the needs of family members who did not know how to help someone in their addiction or their recovery I co-founded and facilitated The Elephant Group, which is a family support group that has been meeting weekly for almost 5 years. My approach with Family Recovery Coaching is in guiding families through all the complex emotions and barriers to wellness that can occur during the recovery journey, both from the one struggling and the different struggles connecting and embracing different levels of care.

Professionally I have spoken at major addiction conferences as a keynote speaker on topics such as avoidance coping, interventions, family systems, and PTSD. 

My personal philosophy towards addiction and what I’m best known for is that addicts aren’t really addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. What addicts and non-addicts are really addicted to…is avoiding uncomfortable feelings, things, and situations. The drugs, alcohol, or behaviors are almost always just a symptom. I’m always honored to connect with a new client and their family, and I look forward to meeting and starting an amazing new journey with you