Nearly ten years ago, Ward Blanchard found his life’s passion – working in the field of mental health and addiction. Growing up in a small coastal town on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Ward’s desire for helping others was cultivated through the “small town” values of service, hard work, and volunteering. Ward’s professional career began in business as he represented the third generation to work at Kellogg Supply Company, a building supply and lumber chain founded by his grandfather. Working in an established family company provided Ward with the opportunity to understand the value of relationships, communication, and integrity.

Although Ward thoroughly enjoyed working in business and with his family’s company, the field of Psychology and the “helping profession” were careers always close to his heart. Coachella Valley in Southern California provided Ward an environment where he could continue furthering his education while also working alongside some of the world’s most well-known addiction and mental health treatment centers like, The Betty Ford Center, Michael’s House Dual Diagnosis Center, and Foundations Recovery Network. Ward moved to Palm Desert, California and went back to school in 2008 to receive his Master’s Degree in Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy. Specializing in addiction, Ward obtained his advanced addiction counseling education and credentials through California Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC-II) which required a minimum of 8,000 hours of supervised counseling experience. Ward is a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS) and has worked in all facets of addiction treatment: interventions, admissions, business development, therapy, continuing-care, and operations.