Recovery Counseling Services

David’s responsibility is to compassionately assist any willing men, and their families, in their transition from the daily, often internalized, struggles of addiction, to embracing the newfound challenges involving recovery.
David’s counseling process is rooted in the most current information on addiction and recovery methods which recognize addiction as a threefold illness affecting the body, emotions, mind and spirit.
David and his client begin their work together with an assessment of the client’s strengths followed by an exploration of the negative consequences created by alcohol and drug use as a means of an individual’s recognition, admission, and eventual acceptance. Each area of the client’s life is explored in order to support the growing motivation for change.
The litany of challenges for the newly sober are best tackled alongside those with practical knowledge and related expertise. Designed to maximize recovery, nutrition education with an emphasis on natural supplements is provided along with exercise, relaxation, sleep hygiene and stress management techniques to assist with healing.
Clients are compassionately encouraged to identify and express feelings in the respectful, open and non-judgmental environment of the counseling office. As coping skills are strengthened, participating in negative behaviors becomes undesirable. Potential relapse triggers are evaluated and assessed throughout the counseling process. As emotional health progresses the quality of life for the client improves; but, the client’s commitment to participating in new practices is necessary to contributing and committing to a long-term recovery process promoting change.
The client’s core values and personal spiritual beliefs are clarified to create a structured set of principles to live a healthy balanced life without the use of drugs and alcohol. A referral to a psychiatrist, therapist or physician can be made based on the client’s need.
A referral to an inpatient treatment program is facilitated if it becomes apparent a higher level of care is needed. Additional referrals include self-help programs.
I highly recommend David Gust for those struggling with addiction.
The medical staff at Health Associates Medical Group including myself and our Physician’s Assistants have referred many of our patients and their families who are struggling with addiction to David Gust for counseling since 1995. The feedback has been excellent, the results gratifying. I highly recommend David Gust for those struggling with addiction.
David Gust is a leader and innovator in this field.
I am a clinical psychologist practicing in the Sacramento area for 30 years. I have a specialty in chemical dependency issues and strong ties to the addiction treatment/recovery community. David Gust is a leader and innovator in this field. I have had many opportunities to refer, collaborate, and consult with him. He has extensive knowledge and experience in the treatment of adolescent and adult chemical dependency. He developed a treatment and training program that today is a model in the community. He has superb Clinical Skills. He is dedicated to his clients and always adheres to the highest ethical standards. His reputation in the community is that of a trusted leader and mentor.
I have nothing but the highest regard for him.
I have known David since February 28, 1978, when we were both in Counselor Training in the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota. I have nothing but the highest regard for him. He was the youngest in our class, but handled himself in a professional and Mature manner. Over the years, I have been impressed with his accomplishments in the field, including his work with adolescents. As you know, there is a desperate need for adolescent treatment in the State of California; he not only worked directly with adolescents but created trainings for others in the field to help them work with this population. I visited his offices when I was the Director of the Department of Alcohol & Drug Programs and was pleased at the quality of services he offered.
Our time with David Gust remains a touchstone we celebrate together as a family.
We feel extraordinarily grateful to have David Gust as our son’s counselor. The crisis that brought us to David was incredibly painful. He was a vital part of the support system that got us through that crisis, and beyond it to healing and growth. He worked with us as an entire family while focusing on the needs of our son. He brought his exceptional expertise and years of experience to his work, helping our son recognize and realize his own capacity for growth. Many years later, our time with David Gust remains a touchstone we celebrate together as a family.
David Gust has helped so many individuals and families not only survive but thrive in recovery
David Gust's counseling is top notch! As a provider in the field I can attest that you and/or your family will be working with a highly experienced and respected professional in the field of addiction recovery. David Gust has helped so many individuals and families not only survive but thrive in recovery.
I will always be grateful.
What often gets overlooked when discussing addiction is the effect it can have on the addict's loved ones. I met with David Gust in 2016 in what felt like my darkest hour. My wife was battling alcoholism and I realized I needed help in dealing with her condition. David was phenomenal. He gave me a better understanding of the disease, and the tools necessary to cope while she battled to overcome her addiction. I will always be grateful.
If I, my family, or a friend called and wanted a referral I would recommend David Gust.
As a counselor, the litmus test of exceptional treatment can be found by asking, “who would I send family members or friends to for substance abuse counseling?” My sister called and asked me this very question about my addiction troubled nephew. Without hesitation I emphatically said “David Gust.” Through David's skillful interventions and caring, my nephew is now 9 years sober. It is really as simple as this: If I, my family, or a friend called and wanted a referral I would recommend David Gust. It is not only his expertise, which spans decades, but also his creativity and kindness that create results that change lives.
He has always been my first choice for referrals
As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I have referred adolescents and adults with chemical dependency issues to David Gust for over thirty years. He has always been my first choice for referrals for young people and their families and I have greatly appreciated and enjoyed our collaboration. David fully appreciates the need to address primary mental health issues and the role of careful psychiatric treatment including appropriate medications for those dealing with substance use and mood, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. He is calm, caring, consistent, professional and personable, and is a very knowledgeable and skilled clinician.
His wisdom from the trenches is a great resource.
I have known David for over thirty years. When I began my private practice I immediately was confronted with the terrible burden of drug and alcohol related problems for my patients and their families. As I engaged the battle in our community David and I were providentially connected and he has continued to be my first line of intervention for these young men and women and their families. I have received outstanding feedback from all. I give him my highest possible recommendation and hope he will continue to fight the good fight for years to come. His wisdom from the trenches is a great resource.
I am always grateful for my time in counsel with David Gust
I had the opportunity to work with David Gust for a period of over three years. This was a very turbulent time in my life when I was dealing with addiction, divorce, alienated children, and full-time employment. Mr. Gust's professional skills, empathy and compassion were incredible in assisting assist me in seeing through the fog and finding my path to living a healthy, spiritual, and fulfilling life. Today I am on the cusp of celebrating seven years of sobriety, have an excellent relationship with my kids and am experiencing success in my career. I am always grateful for my time in counsel with David Gust and would recommend him highly.
His remarkable listening and questioning skills allowed us to better understand our past and future paths
On June 1, 2017, my husband had just come out of a thirty-day rehabilitation center for alcoholism. We were both feeling a bit nervous, yet very positive and open to any and all forms of maintaining his sobriety. Ron, my husband, received the name of someone who could possibly help him through his recovery, from a speaker he had met in rehab, and made an appointment with our soon to be counselor, David Gust. What a gift that recommendation would turn out to be! From that first day, three and a half years ago, both Ron and David began working and studying Ron’s disease inside and out. I soon became very involved in the weekly meetings as well. (more…)
David’s office has always been a safe place for me
How David has contributed to my life? Well, just to sum up 4 decades in 8 sentences. David’s office has always been a safe place for me to vent my frustrations, bounce my issues/problems off of, and has provided the roadmap to recovery. David has helped me through many trying times in my life starting as a young boy that was confused and angry that my family had continued addiction related issues. He continued to provide professional prospective as a grown man with my marital and children issues. David always provided me with the tools I needed to address the negativity in my life. David helped guide me through my parent's divorce, my relationship with my parents, my career, my addictions, my marriage and raising my kids.
Thanks to David Gust and my hard work, I will have 8 years clean and sober 3/26/21
David Gust has been a huge part of my new path, helping me with his guidance and development of life skills such as reconnecting with family and support in career choices, sober living environment ideas and and even providing me with guidance and support of personal choices regarding healthy living. During my sessions with David Gust, he was very much engaged in my path of setting goals and reaching them, ready to tackle whatever I had going on on my life. Thanks to David Gust and my hard work, I will have 8 years clean and sober 3/26/21
David was always there for both of us.
I want to express my gratitude for what New Directions and specifically, David Gust, has meant to my son and to me. My son has been on a multi-year journey which at times felt helpless and hopeless. But David was always there for both of us. His skill, knowledge, many years of experience, care, support, and dedication to his work and his clients, changes lives. My son now has over 8 years of sobriety and is doing well. Whatever the future holds for him, I know that David Gust has played a big part in his success, and has helped him understand and access the tools he needs to continue to succeed.
David Gust is directly responsible for saving my life, and myself and my family will never forget that.
When I met David it was on my 40th birthday. At that point in my life it felt impossible not to drink and use drugs on a daily basis. I had gotten to the point where the momentum of my disease was threatening to end my life, and I was terrified and helpless. David had helped a couple of people I knew, and I reached out to him. Through my journey of discovery of into what I was contending with, David shepherded me in a way that was comprehensive, knowledgeable, and consistent. After a 30 day stay at a treatment center I began meeting with David on a weekly basis. (more…)
I am extremely grateful for meeting David, as he changed my life in many ways.
From an addict/alcoholic, to a new man. I was 16 years old when I first went to see David. I came in high on marijuana of course, and we chatted. I instantly felt a connection. He asked when the last time I got high was, and I said last week. He just looked at me, and continued with his questions. 20 mins later, he asked me again, and I said last week. But when he asked me a third time, I knew he obviously knew something or could tell, so he smiled and said “Thank you Trace, I know.” I started counseling twice per week (one on one and then a group session). I was wanting to get clean, but I was addicted, and still hanging out with my old friends. I ended up purse snatching again, while going to counseling, and got caught. I ended up in juvenile hall (more…)
He made me feel like sobriety was possible and that I deserve it
I'm 33 years old, and my clean date is 3/10/2019. At first, I came to my sessions with David Gust begrudgingly and at the request of my parents. But I quickly came to look forward to my appointments with him upon learning that his office was a place free of judgments; a place where I could talk honestly about issues surrounding my relationships (with both people and drugs), my family life, and my mental health. Through my sessions with David I learned that I was angry about being an addict and that I was scared of the work I knew I needed to put into recovery if I wanted to stay clean. Once David helped me come to this conclusion about myself, he helped me lay the foundation for my recovery- which I eventually dove into by working a 12 step program with a sponsor. David is kind, intelligent, and very easy to talk to. He made me feel like sobriety was possible and that I deserve it- which I now know I do.
It was “People Reaching Out” that introduced me to a young counselor, David Gust; He became my lifesaver.
Once I realized the acting-up behavior I had been witnessing for the past three years was not a normal teenage rebellion. We had a problem, not only did he have a problem, but I had one as well. I was in foreign territory. As the shock subsided and the problem started to be in clear focus I began working on myself. It was “People Reaching Out” that introduced me to a young counselor, David Gust; He became my lifesaver. At the same time as our meeting, my son was sentenced to Juvenile Hall. Now what? David visited my 15 year old son at the Juvenile Hall. David was successful in this meeting and spent some valuable time with my son. On his release my son left home. (more…)
David Gust has helped our family in so many ways
David Gust has helped our family in so many ways over the years, with compassion, understanding, caring, insightfulness and at times a very great sense of humor. We have known David since 1999. He initially contributed to our understanding of addiction- how addiction works, the family dynamics, and what we needed to do as parents to stop contributing to the problem by being codependent. Over the years, David has also helped us deal with mental health issues of another family member and educated us on how nutrition plays a role in recovery. David has guided us with referrals for friends and family, some in different counties and even out of state. We were very happy with his referral for inpatient treatment as well. David has always been available. We have referred our friends to him and his associates and will continue to do so.
We cannot recommend David highly enough.
We first met David Gust in 1998. He came highly recommended by someone we trusted as we were dealing with a son who had drug addiction issues. We are so thankful to have met David as he significantly impacted our family in such a positive way. Recently, this December 2020, our son, who David worked with and counseled through his addiction, said that no one impacted his life like David did when it came to his drug addiction. My son’s actual words were “David saved my life”. What greater testimony can one have about someone in David’s profession? To me, I saw as David’s key purpose for his work was to help the individual see the destruction their addiction was having on their life, and the impact it was having on the life of those who loved and cared for them. David not only helped our son (more…)
David Gust was absolutely instrumental in my recovery
David Gust was absolutely instrumental in my recovery from active alcohol addiction. A significant part of the treatment he provided was assisting my wife and me in reassembling our badly damaged marriage. David gave us hope that walking away from drinking was possible, that returning to a fruitful life, having a loving and trusting marriage and rediscovering normalcy in life was not only possible, but was ultimately achieved. Thank you David for sticking with me through the ups and downs of recovery and guiding me back onto a track that will be with me for the rest of my life. I give David my highest possible recommendation...