Addiction Treatment for Professionals in San Francisco

We Understand the Complexities of Being a Professional

You've spent years building your career. You're capable, intelligent, and resourceful yet these strengths can make it harder to ask for help. The fear of licensing consequences or tarnishing your reputation are real concerns that need to be handled carefully.

Addiction is a progressive disease that doesn't discriminate. Professionals in a helping role or in high-stakes careers face unique barriers to recovery due to workplace demands:

• Work/life balance challenges

• Demanding obligations

• Professional culture of drinking or using substances

• Moral injury

• Burnout and compassion fatigue

• Access to controlled substances

• Unrealistic expectations upheld by our professions

Our program offers specialized, addiction recovery for health care professionals (physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, therapists) attorneys, and executives.

What Makes This Different

Your Privacy Is the Foundation, Not an Afterthought

Generic treatment settings can feel risky due to concerns about a breach of confidentiality or a trail that leads back to your employer or licensing board. These fears often cause professionals to wait too long before getting help or prevent them from seeking treatment at all. General treatment centers may not fully understand how the culture of medicine, law, or business shapes your relationship to substances. The chronic stress, access, and identity wrapped up in being the one who holds it together are all triggers for misuse. The result is treatment that can feel irrelevant at best and alienating at worst.

Our graduate-level clinicians bring specialized training in addiction and deep familiarity with the worlds high-stakes professionals inhabit.

• Strict confidentiality. Therapy records are protected under HIPAA and nothing is shared without your explicit written consent.

• License-aware treatment. We are contracted by multiple California licensing boards to assess Substance Use Disorders. This gives us a unique understanding of state Boards’ licensing requirements and bar association guidelines.

• A therapist who gets it. High-achieving, high-pressure careers come with specific stressors, cultures of silence, and barriers to care that generalist providers often miss.

• More than behavioral support. Our graduate-level clinicians assess and treat the anxiety, trauma, and burnout that often underlie substance use. Lasting recovery requires treating the whole person, not just the symptoms.

High-Functioning Addiction Isn't Functioning Anymore

We use a biopsychosocial approach to substance abuse counseling with includes assessment, individual therapy, group support, and coaching with family members. When your attempts to cope with drugs or alcohol isn't working anymore, our recovery program for professionals can offer relief.

Treatment is tailored to your life, your profession, and your goals. Common areas of focus include:

• Alcohol use and dependence

• Prescription medication misuse (opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants)

• Burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury as drivers of substance use

• Shame, identity, and the "healer who needs healing" experience

• Navigating licensing board requirements while in treatment

• Relapse prevention and long-term recovery planning

• Co-occurring anxiety, depression, or trauma

Who We Are

You Deserve a Therapist Who Understands Your Needs

Our practice is led by Dr. Jennifer Fernández, a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has specialized in addiction treatment since 2009. Trained by leaders in the field, she has assessed and treated hundreds of professionals and regularly trains other mental health providers in effective addiction counseling.

Dr. Fernández understands this population not just clinically, but personally. Over the course of her career she has seen firsthand how the cultures of medicine, law, and other high-stakes professions breed silence, where asking for help feels like a threat to the reputation and career you have spent years building.

FAQs

Will my employer or licensing board find out I'm in therapy?

No. Your treatment is confidential under HIPAA. We will not share any information about your care without your written consent, with narrow legal exceptions (imminent safety concerns) that apply to all therapy. Voluntarily seeking therapy is very different from a mandated report.

Could getting therapy affect my license?

In most cases, proactively seeking treatment actually protects your license. Many licensing boards look favorably on voluntary treatment. We are familiar with many licensing Board requirements and can help you understand your options. That being said, we always recommend consulting a healthcare attorney for license-specific guidance.

Do you offer telehealth?

Yes. Telehealth sessions are available and offer an additional layer of privacy — no waiting rooms, no commutes to an identifiable office.

Do you accept insurance?

We do not accept any insurance plans but can offer a superbill for reimbursement. Many professionals prefer to self-pay as this avoids any insurance-related documentation trail.

What if I'm not sure I have a "real" problem with subtances?

You don't need a diagnosis or a crisis to reach out. Many professionals we work with come in because something feels off about their substance use, which is exactly the right time to talk.

Taking This Step Is a Sign of Strength, Not Failure

You've helped countless people through hard things. Let this be the place where someone helps you.

All inquiries are strictly confidential.