About RCA
Recovery Coaches Alberta offers empathic support to people who need and want their services. With the help of RCA coaches, clients choose their pathways of recovery. The coach may provide information, help overcome barriers, and connect clients with services and other resources in their community to strengthen their recovery journey.
Recovery coaches connect with potential clients anywhere they are needed. This includes emergency rooms, doctor's offices, schools and universities, police and corrections facilities, treatment programs, community outreach, or at the workplace through unions and employee assistance programs.
Call us if you would like help with a problem related to substance use. You can talk with a coach today and begin your recovery journey. To connect with a coach right away, call 587.358.2999 or email info@recovery-coaches.ca
Our
Story
Recovery Coaches Alberta was founded in Calgary, Alberta in Spring 2021, this program is funded by Alberta Health to provided a new way of looking at recovery across Alberta.
Over the last 20 years, Dr., Ray Baker has researched and created a sound theoretical foundation for the training of Recovery Coaches.
Steven Gaspar and Dan Apagi are helping to take action on Dr., Baker’s research, which includes necessary knowledge on addiction, types of treatment, varieties of recovery pathways, cultural diversity, boundaries, working with families, trauma-informed care and post-traumatic growth.
Our Mission
To Remove barriers to recovery through meeting the client at whatever point they find themselves along their recovery journey.
Be a recogonizable support within the communities of Alberta, while being innovative about the approach to individual pathways of recovery.
Our Vision
OUR TEAM
Director
Steve Gaspar is a practicing and certified recovery coach under the tutelage and mentorship of Dr. Ray Baker. He is a person in long-term recovery (24 years) and originally from Surrey, BC. On his recovery journey, Steve obtained a BSc. in Kinesiology and MSc. in Public Health both from Simon Fraser University. It was during his academic venture he became interested in community health approaches to addiction. Where, as an undergrad, he was a student researcher investigating the effectiveness of the InSite; North America's first medically supervised injection site.
After university Steve moved to Calgary and for 10 years helped lead and develop housing-first programs for those experiencing homelessness, addiction, and severe and persistent mental health challenges. These programs have helped hundreds of individuals receive the necessary support to face their challenges. Steve also traveled across Canada presenting his work at conferences and organizations looking to establish similar initiatives.
Today, Steve brings these experiences to Recovery Coaches Alberta and is responsible for bringing this initiative to any Albertan (18+) in active addiction or any stage of recovery.
Meet the Team
Director of Community Engagement
Dan Agapi is the Director of Community Engagement at Recovery Coaches Alberta. He is also a very active Recovery Coach with the organization. With over 34 years of recovery, Dan has been involved with the recovery community in several capacities including executive positions with local treatment centres, volunteer roles, and peer support.
Dan worked for Canada Post for over 20 years, while running a successful small business called Waterleaf Massage & Wellness. At Canada Post, Dan was chosen to lead the development of a new initiative called Prairie Wings, which aimed to celebrate and support Indigenous culture within the corporation.
After leaving Canada Post, Dan began working in addiction and mental health, taking on the role of Executive Director of Recovery Acres Calgary Society.
As the ED, Dan’s focus was on building strong external relationships, fundraising and revenue diversification, and making the facility welcoming through a number of renovations. As the Director of Programs at Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center, Dan provided critical leadership to the staff team during the pandemic and helped to ensure youth and family treatment continued through the unprecedented times.
From a rich and diverse ancestry, Dan is Ojibway and a member of the Wahnapitae First Nation located in Northern Ontario. Dan has an entrepreneurial spirit and a "can do" attitude. Dan is passionate about helping others and believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy and happy life in recovery.