March 20, 2017

Meet Ashley Dane of BLVD Treatment Centers in West Side and Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Dane.

Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2013 I was approached by a team who were looking to open outpatient rehabs. I had been tapped specifically because of my interest in making a sober lifestyle an aspirational one, instead of just one you come to on your knees and desperate. What if people actually wanted it, desired it, like anything that is branded well- they could see an amazingly cool lifestyle in their future if only they could get, and stay, sober? I also had a confluence of operational and marketing experience. We opened our flagship location in Hollywood and it blew people’s minds. It is full of eclectic and unique decor- lots of Moroccan rugs, crystal lamps and aviator style furniture. From the minute we opened our doors, we became the coolest place to get sober- and why not? Why can’t it be a cool experience, one that inspires, and one that makes you feel like someone cared about you before they even met you so that when you walked through the doors you felt embraced and accepted? Great environments do that, and it is the first thing that sets us apart. I would argue that it is even part of the treatment- setting the tone, creating a trauma informed environment that clients can feel safe in, and one that fosters the critical component to sustainable sobriety- community. Since then we have opened in West LA, San Diego, Orange County and Portland, with both outpatient centers and detox/ residential. Our clinical team utilizes evidence based practices and a variety of modalities in both one on one and group therapy. Our clients tend to play music in between groups, dancing and singing during lunch, and building long lasting friendships. Not a single one doesn’t feel the quality of life available to them if they open themselves up entirely to the process of recovery. It’s in every aspect of this business. If we can sell them on their own potential, their own best possible future through our fun loving, cool, hip and vibrant brand- then that’s half the battle.

Has it been a smooth road?
Oh wow, what are some obstacles and challenges? This business is rife with some really shady types. We do things by the book, and to compete with the dodginess of some people in this business has been a real challenge. And the insurance companies keep changing the game- reimbursement rates drop, suddenly a major provider goes in network…. But even without all of that, our clients come to us when they are at very low points in their lives. Some just are not ready for it, and to have them slip through our fingers is never easy. We see their potentials so clearly, and want it so badly for them. A life of substance abuse is a life of diminishing returns. A life in recovery is the opposite. To see someone choose that hard road is not easy. But so many do get it, and those make it all worthwhile, all of it.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with BLVD Treatment Centers – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
BLVD Treatment Centers has both outpatient and inpatient detox/ residential centers in West LA, Hollywood, Orange County, Portland and San Diego. We are a publicly traded company under our parent company, Convalo.

BLVD Treatment Centers promotes a joyful lifestyle of abstinence from mind altering substances by replacing negative belief systems with newly discovered self-esteem, balance, focus, creativity, self-expression, playfulness, community, service, mindfulness, and overall wellbeing.

We embrace the principles of creativity, self-expression, mindfulness, community, discovery and sustainable sobriety- it’s in what we teach, it’s in how we live, it’s in what we say and do at BLVD, and it’s apparent in design of the environment. We want all aspects of the BLVD experience to be inspired….and inspiring. It’s teaching the art of living by showing how it’s done, on every level.

We are not like all the others. We go above and beyond to create environments that most others skimp on. Research shows that setting the tone- through low lighting, thoughtfully composed seating areas for community building, great art on the walls- is really part of the treatment itself. We would all prefer an Ace Hotel experience to a Motel 6- but most treatment centers are Motel 6, and that doesn’t inspire anyone into a profound transformation.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I love best about LA…I love the variety, the different neighborhoods with their unique flavors- like the funky shops and cafes on Franklin or Vermont in Silverlake- or Cross Creek in Malibu- or the Grove for movies and the Farmer’s Market, Abbott Kinney in Venice, or shopping in Studio City on Ventura. There is a lot to choose from here. There are a lot of open minded people here, a lot of cultural diversity, and a strong recovery community.

What I like least- the traffic, of course.

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