Spero Health Clinical Insights

In Episode 31 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast, David Hayden is joined by co-host Dave Hoerman, Dean of Spero University, for a conversation about the powerful role connection, community, and culture play in recovery.

People struggling with addiction often enter treatment carrying more than substance use—they bring with them the routines, relationships, beliefs, and behaviors that shaped their addiction. Recovery requires more than stopping substance use; it requires building a new culture rooted in connection, purpose, and belonging.

David and Dave explore how treatment teams help create that culture through trust, consistency, healthy boundaries, and authentic relationships. They discuss why patients need to experience something different when they enter treatment and how teammates play a critical role in modeling the behaviors, values, and support systems that foster long-term recovery.

The conversation also highlights the importance of helping patients build recovery-focused connections outside the clinic. From community support groups and recovery meetings to reconnecting with personal values and healthy activities, patients need tools that help them replace old patterns with new opportunities for growth.

Whether you're a clinician, recovery professional, or someone interested in understanding what helps people sustain recovery, this episode offers valuable insight into how connection and community create the foundation for lasting change.

In Episode 30 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast, host David Hayden is joined once again by returning guest Tonia Goodrich, Spero Health’s Director of Clinical Services. With years of experience working across a variety of clinical settings—including within the judicial system—Tonia brings a unique perspective on how empathy and human connection can transform the recovery process.

Together, David and Tonia explore one of Spero Health’s core pillars of recovery: connection—and why empathy plays such a critical role in helping patients heal. They unpack the differences between empathy, sympathy, and validation, explaining how true empathy goes beyond simply feeling sorry for someone or acknowledging their experience. Instead, empathy requires curiosity, deeper understanding, and a willingness to step into a patient’s perspective in order to help them move forward.

This episode challenges clinicians to move beyond surface-level assumptions and truly explore the underlying struggles driving behaviors in treatment. Whether it’s missed appointments, resistance, or difficulty engaging, Tonia explains how these moments often reveal deeper layers of a patient’s experience—not simply a lack of motivation.

David and Tonia also discuss how empathy must be balanced with structure, expectations, support, and accountability in recovery. By creating safety and trust through compassionate care, clinicians can better collaborate with patients to identify barriers, build routines, and develop meaningful solutions together.

Listeners will gain practical insight into:

•  Asking more curious and intentional questions 
•  Avoiding assumptions and jumping to conclusions 
•  Helping patients feel seen, heard, and understood 
•  Building trust through connection and consistency 
•  Understanding that no two recovery journeys look the same 

This episode is a powerful reminder that showing up for patients isn’t enough—we must be willing to go deeper, understand the full person sitting in front of us, and create space for real healing to happen.

In Episode 29 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast, David Hayden sits down once again with Dr. Marie Dam for an important conversation on anxiety—why it’s more prevalent than ever and what we can do about it.

Building on her previous discussion around the pillars of health, Dr. Dam helps us reframe anxiety as the brain’s attempt to protect us. In small doses, it can motivate and sharpen focus. But when anxious thoughts begin looping—especially without healthy coping tools—our bodies stay in a heightened stress state that can feel overwhelming. For individuals in recovery, this cycle can be particularly risky, as unmanaged anxiety often drives a return to old behaviors.

Together, they explore how modern stressors—from social media and global uncertainty to poor sleep, nutrition, and overstimulation—fuel anxiety. Dr. Dam shares practical, accessible strategies for both prevention and in-the-moment relief, including breathwork, mindfulness, self-talk adjustments, improved sleep routines, exercise, and nutritional support. She also discusses the impact of caffeine, light exposure, and mineral deficiencies—particularly magnesium—and how correcting imbalances can make a meaningful difference.

This episode is full of real-world tools that empower patients—and all of us—to better understand our bodies, calm the stress response, and build resilience. Because when we understand what anxiety is signaling, we can respond with intention instead of reaction.

In this compelling episode of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast, host David Hayden welcomes back Dr. Mark Gold, a globally recognized expert in addiction medicine, neuroscience, and behavioral health. Known as the “Father of Addiction Medicine,” Dr. Gold is a Distinguished Life Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, with over 900 published articles, decades of research, and a deep commitment to advancing treatment and access.

Together, they unpack the evolving role of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in recovery and challenge outdated ideas around abstinence and what “real” recovery looks like. From partial agonists to long-term medication use, Dr. Gold explains how these tools improve retention, reduce overdose risk, and offer stability—especially in today’s fentanyl-driven landscape.

This episode explores:

• The shift from abstinence-only thinking to long-term treatment planning
• How to support patient goals while using medications as a bridge toward recovery
• The need for early identification and pre-addiction intervention
• Why stigma, shame, and waiting for someone to “hit bottom” are doing more harm than good
• The rising trends in stimulant use and challenges in treating co-use with fentanyl
• How behavioral supports like contingency management work

Dr. Gold also draws parallels to chronic disease management, reminding us that addiction should be treated like any other chronic condition—with compassion, tools, structure, and long-term support. He advocates for increased education, physician training, and more research into how early drug exposure affects long-term recovery.

🎧 Listen now to hear Dr. Gold’s insights on where the field is headed—and how we can better serve those on the path to recovery.
🔗 Learn more about his work at www.drmarkgold.com

🎙️ Don’t forget to also check out his own podcast, The Gold Standard Podcast wherever you stream podcasts.

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast! In this episode, co-hosts David Hayden and Dave Hoerman come together for a calming, practical conversation on a powerful but often misunderstood tool in recovery: Meditation.

With years of experience practicing and teaching meditation and mindfulness, David and Dave walk us through how to simplify meditation, both for ourselves and the patients we serve. This episode breaks through the misconception that meditation has to be complicated or “done perfectly,” and instead introduces it as a flexible, approachable practice anyone can begin.

They explore what meditation truly is—a judgment-free space to build awareness, reduce distraction, and be present. You’ll hear how just a few minutes of mindful focus each day can help with emotional regulation, anxiety, self-awareness, and even managing cravings or triggers.

This is a perfect introduction for anyone curious about meditation, especially those in recovery or supporting others through it. Whether it’s focusing on the breath, observing thoughts without judgment, or simply learning to be still—meditation is a practice, not a performance—and it might just be the next step in your recovery journey.

Welcome to Episode 26 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, we’re joined by co-hosts David Hayden, LCADC and VP of Clinical Services at Spero Health, and Dave Hoerman, Dean of Spero University. Together, they unpack a phrase commonly heard in the field of addiction treatment: “Meeting the patient where they are.”

While this expression is widely used, it’s often misunderstood or oversimplified—leading to missed opportunities for deeper connection and growth. David and Dave challenge us to go beyond surface-level behaviors and consider what might be driving them. As they point out, what may appear as resistance or lack of motivation is often rooted in deeper, unspoken struggles. True engagement requires clinicians to look beneath the surface and understand the full context of a patient's experience.

This episode explores the importance of compassionate, ongoing assessment—not just at intake, but throughout the treatment process. David shares how clinicians can better support patients by revisiting goals, evaluating readiness, and recognizing when behaviors don’t align with a patient’s values or desired outcomes. The goal isn’t just to do what’s easiest—it’s to do what’s most effective in helping each patient move forward in recovery.

You’ll hear practical strategies for fostering deeper therapeutic relationships, identifying barriers to progress, and adjusting your clinical approach based on real-time needs. It’s a meaningful reminder that meeting patients where they are doesn’t mean staying there—it means helping them move toward who they want to become.

Welcome to Episode 25 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast! In this episode, host David Hayden sits down with Dr. Marie Dam, a Board-Certified Internal Medicine physician with over 12 years of experience in addiction medicine. In addition to her traditional medical training, Dr. Dam is extensively trained in functional and holistic wellness, offering a unique perspective that blends evidence-based medicine with natural, metabolic-based approaches to care.

Dr. Dam shares her personal journey of shifting from a strictly conventional approach to embracing functional medicine after facing her own health challenges. Her philosophy centers on wellness over disease, which has proven especially impactful in treating individuals in recovery.

Together, David and Dr. Dam explore key pillars of wellness—nutrition, sleep, and lifestyle—and how each can play a transformative role in supporting recovery. From the importance of fueling the body with real, whole foods to understanding the long-term effects of processed foods, Dr. Dam offers practical insights on how even small changes can lead to better physical and mental health.

They also dive into the vital role of quality sleep—how it supports hormone regulation, reduces inflammation, and allows the body to truly heal. Dr. Dam shares useful strategies and guiding questions providers can use to help patients begin making positive lifestyle shifts.

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast! In this special episode, we flip the script—Dave Hoerman takes over as host while David Hayden, LCADC and Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at Spero Health, steps into the guest seat. With over 25 years in behavioral health and more than a decade at Spero Health, David brings a powerful perspective shaped by his early work as a counselor and his continued focus on breaking down barriers to increase access to quality care. 

This conversation explores the often misunderstood role of spirituality in recovery—what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters. David shares how spirituality differs from religion, emphasizing that spirituality is about discovering internal purpose, restoring hope, and finding connection to something greater than oneself.

Together, David and Dave discuss how spirituality helps people regain clarity, build insight, and reestablish a sense of belonging—critical elements for healing in a disease rooted in disconnection. They also explore how spiritual growth can lower anxiety, increase optimism, and help individuals rediscover meaning as they move through recovery.

For providers and treatment teams, this episode offers practical ways to support the development of spirituality in treatment—by helping patients recognize their progress, practice gratitude, build confidence, and feel connected to something bigger than their addiction. Whether you're a clinician, a person in recovery, or simply someone seeking a deeper understanding of the human side of healing, this episode offers thoughtful guidance and encouragement on the journey to wholeness.

Welcome to Episode 23 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast! In this powerful episode, host David Hayden is joined by Rebecca Campbell, a Clinical Services Specialist at Spero Health. Rebecca is a Licensed Professional Counselor  and brings a wealth of experience to the conversation as they explore how substance use disorders impact the family—and the family’s critical role in recovery.

Addiction doesn’t just affect the individual—it alters the entire family system. Rebecca breaks down how family members often take on unintentional roles to cope with a loved one’s substance use, sometimes enabling the very behavior they’re trying to protect against. From children struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges to spouses and parents battling guilt, shame, and grief, the ripple effects of addiction run deep.

This episode focuses on the path to reconnection and healing once a patient makes a personal commitment to recovery. Rebecca shares how motivational interviewing can help patients recognize their impact on family relationships, and how group counseling can provide connection and perspective. She also discusses when and how to involve family members in the recovery process, and why timing and readiness are essential.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into how to help patients take responsibility, rebuild trust, and truly listen to the perspectives of those they’ve hurt. Recovery is not just about sobriety—it’s about restoring relationships. This episode is a meaningful guide for clinicians, families, and anyone navigating the complex intersection of addiction and family dynamics.

Welcome to Episode 22 of the Spero Health Clinical Insights Podcast! This week, host David Hayden is joined once again by Tonia Goodrich, Spero Health’s Director of Clinical Services. Tonia brings a wealth of clinical experience and a deep commitment to helping patients build meaningful connections through group counseling. You may remember her from Part 1 back in January, where we explored the foundational impact of group counseling and how finding the right fit can be life-changing. In Part 2, we take the conversation even further.

This episode dives into why group counseling can be a truly transformative part of recovery—and what it takes to help patients get the most out of the experience. Tonia and David discuss the steps clinicians can take to build trust and rapport, helping patients feel safe, seen, and heard. They explore how to engage those who may be hesitant at first, and how observing before participating can ease the transition into group.

We also take a closer look at the variety of group types available, and how tailoring the experience to each individual’s needs can make all the difference. Most importantly, this conversation highlights the power of collective healing—how patients don’t just receive support, but also give it, offering hope and encouragement to others walking the same path.

Whether you’re a clinician looking to enhance your approach or someone curious about how group counseling works, this episode is full of practical insights on creating connection, building trust, and fostering lasting change through the group experience.