Sectors: Health and wellness
Year launched: 2023
Principals: From left, Dr. Michael Berry, Ewan Kirkaldy and Michael Walsh
Unique selling proposition: A 100-per-cent virtual program that tailors addiction treatment to each client’s needs.
Strategy: Clients are matched with a certified recovery coach for an immersive and engaging virtual self-help experience.
Website: homebasedrecovery.ca
Recovery coach Michael Walsh, clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Berry and social worker Ewan Kirkaldy recognized an opportunity: Since life happens at home, recovery from addiction can happen there, too.
They saw that traditional intensive outpatient programs aren’t right for everyone. But they didn’t believe that should be a barrier to accessing help. With the rise of telehealth and online resources, their goal was to create a cost-effective, custom strategy for each client, whether seeking moderation or full abstinence.
Since overcoming addiction is not a one-size-fits-all process, Home Based Recovery built a virtual program that reflects the many pathways of recovery. By customizing the program to fit various budgets and lifestyles, they aim to set clients up for success in the real world. HBR can be utilized on its own or combined with ongoing therapy and other professional support.
The program is designed to be flexible and supportive, providing clients with daily online educational content and learning modules that fit their unique needs and schedules. Clients are also matched with a certified recovery coach, a.k.a. sober coach, from the start with multiple one-on-one sessions per week and then weekly sessions for six months after the core program ends.
They have assembled a specialized team of mental health, substance-use and addiction experts to provide education, encouragement and practical tools for recovery throughout the program.
Each client is pre-screened for admission to the program by a qualified addiction therapist. Unlike many conventional programs, they have no waitlists and onboarding can happen quickly.
There are some 60 videos of content, on everything from the neuroscience of addiction to rebuilding relationships. Says Walsh: “The first step to real change is acceptance, the second is seeking the right help and following through.”
