My husband Dan is so frustrated that he cannot start any kind of Rehab Center in Ecuador! There simply aren´t ANY trained Rehab Counselors in the country!
Just a year before, Dan had received his Master’s in Rehab Counseling Diploma at renowned Hazelden-Betty Ford Graduate School of Addictions Studies. He was eager to apply his knowledge and 11-year experience in Counseling he had acquired in several Rehab Centers in USA: City Team, Bay area; New Life Center, Santa Cruz; Santa Barbara Rescue Mission; Boston Rescue Mission; Teen Challenge, Duluth. We moved to my homeland, Quito, Ecuador in January 2012 and Dan saw the need to establish a high-quality Rehab Center in Quito, the capital nestled in the Andes at 2900 meters above sea level.
2014 As months turned into two years of searching a proper team of professionals, he and I slowly started to turn our eyes elsewhere. “If we can´t set up a Center for and with Ecuadorians, let´s think about setting one up in English, with professional colleagues from USA who might want to come and treat clients from the USA.” People were already seeking medical treatment of sorts outside of USA boundaries: dental in Mexico; eye treatment in Colombia; even Cosmetic Surgery in Brazil,for a fraction of the cost than in the United States! “Why not Addictions treatment?” Dan asked himself. We started investigating but the cost of buying a proper place, preferably in the countryside, hiring a team of North American professionals, and managing a Center, was not realistic for us. It was too expensive to set up. Plus, the amount of bureaucracy for it to be approved as a Treatment Center, medical and operating requirements and paper work were interminable! So, we dropped the idea for a couple of years.
2016 We visited, just out of curiosity, a beautiful hotel in a quaint coastal city of Ecuador. It had been for sale for at least two years, without any luck. “It is also for rent”, the person in charge told us. “With EVERYTHING!” he added. Dan I looked at each other and thought, “Hmmm! Maybe….this could be a perfect place to set up a Center for foreign patients!” We explored the idea further. We thought long and hard about the pros and cons. The “cons” won.
2018 We put the thought on HOLD for another 2 years. In the meantime, we kept on serving the poor and underserved children of San Roque, Old Town, Quito, where we live and have taken care of 40-60 children daily by offering an after-school program at our beautifully restored, 100-year-old historical house, which we named Casa Victoria.
We have been toying with a new idea: to offer foreign visitors who are in their recovery path, a very different type of extended care: one that would take them on a personal journey of self-discovery, accompanied by professionals as they walk through the steps of the 12 Step Program, going to several places of Ecuador, during several weeks….
Just a year before, Dan had received his Master’s in Rehab Counseling Diploma at renowned Hazelden-Betty Ford Graduate School of Addictions Studies. He was eager to apply his knowledge and 11-year experience in Counseling he had acquired in several Rehab Centers in USA: City Team, Bay area; New Life Center, Santa Cruz; Santa Barbara Rescue Mission; Boston Rescue Mission; Teen Challenge, Duluth. We moved to my homeland, Quito, Ecuador in January 2012 and Dan saw the need to establish a high-quality Rehab Center in Quito, the capital nestled in the Andes at 2900 meters above sea level.
2014 As months turned into two years of searching a proper team of professionals, he and I slowly started to turn our eyes elsewhere. “If we can´t set up a Center for and with Ecuadorians, let´s think about setting one up in English, with professional colleagues from USA who might want to come and treat clients from the USA.” People were already seeking medical treatment of sorts outside of USA boundaries: dental in Mexico; eye treatment in Colombia; even Cosmetic Surgery in Brazil,for a fraction of the cost than in the United States! “Why not Addictions treatment?” Dan asked himself. We started investigating but the cost of buying a proper place, preferably in the countryside, hiring a team of North American professionals, and managing a Center, was not realistic for us. It was too expensive to set up. Plus, the amount of bureaucracy for it to be approved as a Treatment Center, medical and operating requirements and paper work were interminable! So, we dropped the idea for a couple of years.
2016 We visited, just out of curiosity, a beautiful hotel in a quaint coastal city of Ecuador. It had been for sale for at least two years, without any luck. “It is also for rent”, the person in charge told us. “With EVERYTHING!” he added. Dan I looked at each other and thought, “Hmmm! Maybe….this could be a perfect place to set up a Center for foreign patients!” We explored the idea further. We thought long and hard about the pros and cons. The “cons” won.
2018 We put the thought on HOLD for another 2 years. In the meantime, we kept on serving the poor and underserved children of San Roque, Old Town, Quito, where we live and have taken care of 40-60 children daily by offering an after-school program at our beautifully restored, 100-year-old historical house, which we named Casa Victoria.
We have been toying with a new idea: to offer foreign visitors who are in their recovery path, a very different type of extended care: one that would take them on a personal journey of self-discovery, accompanied by professionals as they walk through the steps of the 12 Step Program, going to several places of Ecuador, during several weeks….