Lee Fitzgerald founded the Strathmore House’s East Coast Recovery in 2014 and remains a co-owner of the center to this day. East Coast Recovery is a transitional sober living center for men in the Boston area. Along with being the founder and co-owner of East Coast Recovery, Fitgerald also works with other recovery and treatment groups. She is the Alumni Program Manager at McLean Hospital, an interventionist, CEO of Drisit Nepal, and co-owner of Circle City Sober Living. Lee Fitzgerald wears many hats in a fully rewarding career helping individuals with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Lee Fitzgerald has been a leader in substance abuse and mental illness treatment since 2004. She gained an Alcohol and Drug Counseling certificate from UCLA in 2005. Shortly thereafter, lee Fitzgerald became a Board Member of the Association of Intervention Specialists and managed interventions for more than 15 years. Fitzgerald has held many high-level positions in the recovery field since beginning her career. For four years, Fitzgerald was Executive Director at Caron Treatment. In addition, she was the Executive Director at Promises Treatment in Los Angeles for 10 years.
As a professional in the recovery and mental health sector, she has trained in the Johnson, Arise, Storti, and Invitational Models of intervention. In addition to being an experienced interventionist, Lee Fitzgerald has more than 15 years of experience in family therapy.
As a well-known interventionist, Lee Fitzgerald uses the Johnson Model, a direct confrontation approach. It is deployed after considerable interviews and preparation has been conducted with the addict’s friends, family, and caregivers. Fitzgerald’s method guides clients to sobriety and emphasizes the elimination of negative effects caused by addictive behavior. This occurs by shifting the focus to positive elements in each person’s personality. The success of each intervention depends on the group of individuals who support the recovery process and reinforce the positive attributes.
Fitzgerald’s career in recovery and treatment began when she became sober. For much of her adult life, Fitzgerald has been in recovery. This gives her an insight into addiction and the experiences of clients. She uses a style of therapy that is unique to each person. It is a step away from the cookie-cutter, one-size fits all methods of many large organizations.
One of the projects that is near and dear to Fitzgerld’s heart is Dristi Nepal. It is a non-profit in Nepal that works with women and is the first ever Women’s Narcotics Anonymous meeting in Kathmandu. The creation of this non-profit organization not only makes Fitzgerald a pioneer in the sector, but it helps an area of the world’s population overlooked when it comes to substance misuse.
Like many people who work in the world of recovery and treatment, Fitzgerald had her own substance misuse issues. Between 1990 and 1998, she worked in events, marketing, and management for various companies. It was a time in which Fitzgerald suffered from substance misuse issues. She got sober and thanks to a chance encounter with Richard Rogg from Promises Treatment Center, Fitzgerald began her career in recovery.
