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Dedicated And Passionate

The Essence Healthcare Staff

A Team Of Caring Professionals

We have put together a team of professionals who will always put you first and ensure that the treatment model created for you is custom-made to exceed your unique needs.

All members of the Essence Healthcare team work together to promote the safety and education of our patients. We are passionate about the recovery process, and we aim to keep hope alive in the hearts of everyone who is on their sobriety journey.

We have pooled together many years of experience to not only help our patients trying to lead better lives but also assist their families as well.

You can rest assured that you are in safe hands when you allow us to handle your substance abuse and mental health treatment. Asides from being fully licensed to operate in the state of California, our staff have top-rated certifications and accreditations like ASAM, Ph.D., MD, RN, LMFT, LPC, LCDC, and Master’s Degree.

Meet Our Leadership Team

Shelly Sprague

Peggy, MA

Randall, CADC I

Case Manager

Jimmy Doyle, CADC II

About Essence Healthcare

We are a patient-first substance abuse and mental health treatment facility located in Los Angeles, California. At Essence Healthcare, we provide different levels of care from detoxification to drug rehab aftercare. Our major specialties include intensive outpatient program (IOP), detox, residential, and partial hospitalization program (PHP). Because we want the best for our patients, we skillfully blend different treatment programs to offer a unique recovery path for each and every one of them.
Rehab Essence Healthcare | Shelly Sprague

Shelly Sprague

Shelly Sprague is a certified chemical dependency counselor – certified addiction specialist working with the substance abuse population since 1997. With over 2 decades of personal sobriety, she is not only considered an expert in the field but also has experienced the process of addiction, rehabilitation and recovery herself. Shelly previously worked as the program director of Bel Air Treatment, Bel Air Valley Detox and CORE Treatment center. Shelly is directing the Casablanca OutPatient Program in addition to directing the Neuro Solutions Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic. Shelly is committed to supporting her team and creating the most formidable and compassionate treatment experience for their clients.

As an addiction specialist, she accepts the challenge and the honor of helping hundreds of addicts through the difficult process of recovery. Shelly was trained and mentored by Dr. Drew Pinsky appearing as Dr. Drew’s rehab assistant for 6 seasons on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew. Shelly is perhaps best known for her no nonsense but compassionate style of counseling and continues to dedicate her life to helping others. “I am grateful for Dr. Drew’s mentorship and genuine interest in my training. He was instrumental in my ability to develop a framework of knowledge to build the skills and ethics I continue to utilize in my work today.”

Shelly has been featured as a chemical dependency expert for KCBS News, she has appeared as a guest on Dr. Drew On Call, an HLN show covering addiction and related topics. Shelly has been a guest on Love Line radio show with Dr. Drew and Mike Catherwood on KROQ and has collaborated on several “This Life” podcasts with Dr. Drew and Bob Forrest. Shelly was featured in In Touch Weekly magazine in an exclusive piece about her experience with Celebrity Rehab.

Her non-televised resume also includes Program Manager of Aurora Las Encinas Hospital’s chemical dependency residential program. She was the co-founder of Hollywood Recovery Services with Bob Forrest. Shelly worked as a substance abuse counselor at Pasadena Recovery Center for 6 years before moving on to a position in March of 2016 as the Program Director of Bel Air Treatment and Bel Air Valley Detox. Both were consolidated into CORE Melrose. However, due to COVID 19, the facility was closed in March of 2020. Shelly was determined to continue providing Substance Dependence treatment during COVID 19, so she went to work and created a telehealth program for Casablanca Outpatient all via the telehealth platform for safety of clients and staff.

Shelly has recently embarked on a new project as the program director for Neuro Solutions Partners. She trained as a neuro technician and is now treating patients with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

As a Los Angeles native and Mother of a 21-year-old daughter, she sees the importance of promoting health and wellness for everyone in our community using inclusivity to create change by education and providing resources for those in need. “I would like to create programs and policies that promote positive outcomes and provide healing to people who are suffering from addiction and mental health disorders.”

Her life in recovery is defined by her dedication to helping others. On and off-screen, she wins the respect of people by her sincerity and compassion. Shelly continues to work towards new and innovative ideas to provide substance abuse and mental health services during these unprecedented times. Shelly sees her life as a beautiful journey towards developing greater empathy, compassion and integrity.

Rehab Essence Healthcare |

Peggy

I am dedicated to and passionate about helping my clients work through challenges and difficult life experiences by providing tools for personal growth and enhancement. Through a collaborative approach I help my clients recognize healthier patterns and behaviors to help them move towards a place of healing. My approach to therapy is humanistic, with integrative interventions tailored to client needs.
Rehab Essence Healthcare | Randall, CADC I Case Manager| Call us now

Randall Whittinghill (CADC)

Case Manager, values the incredible support provided to him at (name of company). It allows him to advocate for clients as they cope with the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of recovery. Pulling from his own struggles with addiction, Randall helps clients on a deeper level, allowing healing to build from trust. One of the great rewards of this work is witnessing another’s transformation–seeing the light turn back on. That is one of the many reasons why I love this work.

Rehab Essence Healthcare | Jimmy Doyle, CADC II

Jimmy Doyle, CADC II

Jimmy Doyle, CADC-II, has worked in the field of addiction treatment since 2010, and has been involved in the recovery community since 1988. A graduate of Pierce College’s Addiction Studies program, Jimmy works as a group facilitator for Casablanca Outpatient.