About Shine Wellness & Recovery
We are not a corporate treatment chain. We are a community-rooted program built for the North Shore, for the people of Saugus, Lynn, Revere, Malden, Chelsea, and the communities around us.
Who We Are
Built here. For here.
Shine Wellness & Recovery was founded with a single conviction: that everyone struggling with addiction deserves access to compassionate, clinically excellent treatment, regardless of their language, their insurance, or their circumstances.
We chose Saugus because we know the North Shore. We know what these communities have been through. We have watched the opioid crisis take lives in Lynn, in Revere, in Malden, in Chelsea, and in the neighborhoods we grew up in. And we believed that what was missing was not another treatment center, but a different kind of treatment center. One that felt human from the very first call. One that told people the truth. One that treated families as part of the process, not an afterthought. One that was clinically excellent and genuinely accessible at the same time.
That is Shine.
Our program is medically supervised by a medical director and psychiatric nurse practitioner. Our therapists are licensed and experienced. Our approach is evidence-based, trauma-informed, and built around the individual, not a one-size-fits-all model. And our team includes people who have walked this road themselves, because we believe lived experience is not a liability. It is a clinical asset.
Founded in Saugus
We are locally founded and community-rooted, not a franchise or a corporate chain. The North Shore is our home and the community we are accountable to.
Bilingual from the start
We built bilingual services into our program from day one, because the communities we serve speak more than one language, and their care should too.
Clinically led, humanly delivered
Our clinical team brings decades of combined experience in addiction medicine, behavioral health, and lived recovery, overseen by a medical director and psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Our Mission & Vision
Why We Do This
To meet every person who walks through our door exactly where they are, with evidence-based care, genuine human connection, and an unwavering belief that recovery is possible for anyone who is ready to take the next step.
What We're Working Toward
A North Shore where every person struggling with addiction has access to compassionate, high-quality treatment, regardless of their language, their insurance, or their circumstances.
What We Believe
Five values that shape everything we do, from the first call to the last session.
Compassion Without Judgment
We meet you where you are.
Addiction is a medical condition, not a moral failure. Every person who contacts us, regardless of their history, their circumstances, or how many times they have tried before, deserves to be treated with dignity and genuine care.
Radical Honesty
We tell you the truth, even when it's hard.
If our program is not the right fit for what you need, we will say so, and help you find what is. We believe trust is built on honesty, and we would rather lose a referral than mislead someone who is already vulnerable.
Trauma-Informed Always
Your history matters here.
We understand that addiction and trauma are almost always connected. Every interaction, every session, and every clinical decision at Shine is made with an awareness of the experiences that shape our clients.
Family Is Part of Recovery
Separate journeys, healing together.
Addiction does not only affect the person using, it affects everyone who loves them. We integrate family into the recovery process because healing happens in relationship, not in isolation.
Community Roots
Built for the North Shore, accountable to it.
We are not a corporate chain that opened a location in Saugus. We are a locally founded program built by and for the communities we serve, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Our Clinical Team
Licensed. Experienced. Many of us have lived it.
Our team combines decades of clinical expertise with something that cannot be credentialed, lived understanding of what recovery actually requires. Our therapists are licensed clinicians. Our psychiatric nurse practitioner brings expertise in addiction medicine and psychiatric care. Our case managers are experienced navigators. And many of our staff are in recovery themselves, because we believe that matters.
All care at Shine is overseen by our medical director and psychiatric nurse practitioner, ensuring clinical integrity across every program and every client interaction.
How We Treat, The Shine Approach
Evidence-based. Trauma-informed. Built around you.
At Shine, treatment is not a program you go through. It is a plan built specifically for you, informed by your history, your needs, your goals, and your life. We combine the most effective clinical tools available with genuine human connection and a whole-person philosophy that addresses far more than just the substance.
Evidence-Based Therapies
CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing delivered by licensed clinicians, the same approaches that decades of research have shown to be most effective in treating addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Our psychiatric nurse practitioner can prescribe and manage buprenorphine, Sublocade, Vivitrol, and oral naltrexone as part of a comprehensive treatment plan overseen by our medical director.
Holistic Programming
On-site yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are built into our programs, not referred out, not optional. We treat the mind and the body together because recovery requires both.
Family Integration
We invite families into the process, providing education, therapy, and support for the people who love our clients, on their own separate healing journey.
Why People Choose Shine
There are other programs in the area. Here is what makes us different.
We're Right Here
Located in Saugus, we are minutes from Lynn, Revere, Malden, Chelsea, Medford, and Everett, close enough to make treatment realistic for North Shore residents without the commute that keeps people from following through.
Medical Supervision Onsite
Not all outpatient programs have a medical director and psychiatric nurse practitioner onsite. Ours do, providing a level of clinical oversight that most outpatient programs in the area cannot match.
Bilingual Services
We offer bilingual English and Spanish services across admissions, therapy, group programming, and family communication, because the communities we serve speak more than one language.
We Tell You the Truth
If we are not the right fit, we say so and help you find what is. We do not oversell our program or minimize the complexity of what you are facing. Honesty is how we build trust.
Most Insurance Accepted
We accept most major insurance plans and verify benefits before your first appointment, at no cost and with no obligation. Cost should never be the reason someone does not get help.
Same-Day Assessments
We know that the window when someone is ready to ask for help can close fast. That is why we offer same-day clinical assessments and work to get people into care as quickly as possible.
Leadership & Founding Team
Rob G. Gonzalez·Founder | Program Director
Joe LaChance·Co-Founder | Managing Partner
Richard LeBlanc·Co-Owner | Investment Partner
Joseph Papa, LICSW, CADC-II·Clinical Director | Co-Owner
Most Insurance Accepted, We Verify Before You Start.
We'll reach out to your insurance company, explain exactly what's covered, and walk you through any costs before you ever start treatment. No guessing, no hidden bills , just clear answers up front.
We accept most major insurance plans.
