Recovery Friendly Workplaces

Practical training and consulting that helps employers respond to substance use and mental health concerns with clarity, care, and consistency.

What a Recovery Friendly Workplace looks like

A Recovery Friendly Workplace is one where substance use and mental health concerns are addressed early, consistently, and without panic. It does not mean lowering standards or turning managers into clinicians. It means giving leaders clear guidance, practical tools, and defined pathways so issues are handled before they become safety incidents, performance problems, or crises.

  • Managers know what to say and what not to say

  • Employees understand where to turn for support

  • Support happens earlier, not after something goes wrong

How we help

We help organizations move from reactive responses to clear, practical readiness. The work focuses on giving leaders confidence, aligning policies with real situations, and building simple systems that support people before issues turn into safety incidents, performance problems, or crises.

  • Practical training for managers and leaders

  • Clear guidance for real world conversations

  • Policy and practice alignment that actually holds up

  • Recovery Friendly culture and event support

  • Guidance for peer and employee resource groups

Who is this work for?

Recovery Friendly Workplace work tends to matter most in these situations.Managers know what to say and what not to say

  • Leaders worried about safety, performance, or attendance issues

  • Managers who know something’s off but aren’t sure what to say

  • Employees in recovery trying to succeed at work without hiding

  • Coworkers concerned about a teammate or a family member

  • HR and safety teams tired of reacting after something goes wrong

Ways to work together

Engagements range from focused conversations to hands on workshops and rapid consulting, depending on how quickly change is needed.

  • Short talks
    One to two hour sessions for leaders, teams, or safety meetings that build awareness and practical readiness without overwhelming people.

  • Workshops
    Three hour, half day, or full day workshops focused on real scenarios, manager response, peer support, and next step planning.

  • Recovery Friendly Workplace consulting
    Deeper consulting to help organizations move quickly from concern to clear Recovery Friendly practices, policies, and pathways.

Logo of Washington State Governor's Industrial Safety & Health Advisory Board, including icons of an anchor, hammer, tractor, and gear, with the slogan 'Educating Washington's Workforce Since 1949'.
Logo of the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences with the text 'Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences' next to it.
Logo of ABC Associated Builders and Contractors with an American flag-themed design, and the text Western Washington in red.
Logo of the Associated General Contractors of America, Washington Chapter, with a red and black circular emblem featuring the letters A, G, and C, and text in black and gray that reads 'Washington Chapter, The Construction Association.'
Rotary Club of Bellingham logo with the Rotary gear symbol and text
Logo of Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC featuring a mountain, trees, and the Space Needle
Recovery Ways logo with stylized human figure and text
Rotary Club of Yakima Team Rotary shield logo for 2025-2026.
Brand logo with text 'ARDÁN' in green on a white background, bordered by a green line.
Project ECHO logo with red background and black oval outline around the text.
The logo for Wellbeing Works, with 'Wellbeing' in green and 'Works' in blue.
Logo of the Oregon Columbia Chapter of the AGC, with large red letters 'AGC' and smaller black text beside it.

Testimonials

  • Cal Beyer - Senior Director at SAFE Project

    "Reach out to Brett and learn how your organization can unleash the power of workplace supported recovery. You’ll be glad you did!"


    Cal Beyer
    Senior Director, SAFE Workplaces
    Total Worker Health Pioneer

  • Brian Zollweg photo - head of HR - Ardan

    “Partnering with Sober Curious Consulting for our Dry January initiative was a fantastic experience and one of the most positively received wellness initiatives we've done.”

    Brain T. Zollweg
    Head of People and Culture
    Ardán

  • Monika Whitfield photo - Executive Director for Washington Recovery Alliance

    “Brett Lovins has been a thoughtful advisor to our Recovery Friendly Workplace programming, bringing both lived experience and a practical understanding of workplace culture."

    Monika Whitfield
    Executive Director
    Washington Recovery Alliance

If you want to talk through what this could look like for your organization, let’s start with a short conversation.

Schedule a conversation