One-to-one recovery coaching in Morgan Hill, California, and by telehealth statewide. Led by Dr. Meenu Vaid, MD — board certified in Addiction Medicine (ABPM) and an ICF Certified Wellness Coach.
Quick answer: Recovery coaching at Savera is one-on-one support for staying sober after treatment, led by Dr. Meenu Vaid, MD — board certified in addiction medicine and an ICF certified wellness coach. Sessions focus on relapse prevention, coping skills, and rebuilding daily routines. Available in person in Morgan Hill, California, and by telehealth statewide.
A sober coach — you will also see “recovery coach” or “sobriety coach” — is someone who works with you one-on-one on the practical business of staying sober. Not therapy. Not detox. The day-to-day work: spotting a trigger before it becomes a craving, planning for the wedding you are dreading, rebuilding a morning that does not revolve around a substance.
Most sober coaches are peer support workers. That means they have lived through recovery themselves and are trained to use that experience to help someone earlier in the process. SAMHSA describes the role and its training pathways in its guidance on peer support workers in recovery. It is a real and well-supported model, and for a lot of people it is exactly the right fit.
Savera offers something different. Not better — different, and worth understanding before you choose.
Recovery coaching here is led by Dr. Meenu Vaid, MD. She is board certified in Addiction Medicine (ABPM), Internal Medicine (ABIM) and Infectious Disease (ABIM), and separately holds an ICF Certified Wellness Coach credential. She is not a peer recovery coach and does not hold a peer certification such as CRC, CPRS or CADC. Those are different credentials for a different model.
What that changes, practically: coaching conversations can sit alongside medical care in the same practice, with one physician who knows your whole history. If medication for addiction is part of your treatment, the person coaching you on Tuesday is the person who understands your prescription. Nobody is handing your file between departments.
You always see Dr. Vaid herself. Savera is a solo practice, not a rotating team.
Sessions are one-on-one and built around what you are actually facing this month, not a fixed curriculum.
| Focus | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Motivational Interviewing | Drawing out your own reasons for change, rather than being told what to think |
| Relapse prevention planning | Naming your specific high-risk situations and deciding in advance what you will do |
| Trigger and craving work | Recognising the early signals and having something to do with them |
| Routine and lifestyle rebuilding | Sleep, structure, movement, food — the scaffolding sobriety sits on |
| Mindfulness and stress skills | Practical techniques for the moments that used to end in use |
| Relationships and communication | Rebuilding trust, setting boundaries, asking for what you need |
A first conversation is mostly listening. Dr. Vaid will want to hear what you have already tried, what worked, and what did not — including the things you would rather not repeat.
It tends to fit people who have finished treatment and want to hold onto it; people in early sobriety who need structure between appointments; people maintaining long-term recovery who have hit a harder stretch; and people working on a behavioural addiction such as gambling, gaming or food.
It is not the right starting point if you are:
Coaching complements medical treatment and therapy. It does not replace either.
If any of the above describes where you are right now, that is not a door closing — it is a different door. Medical treatment for addiction is available at Savera, and Dr. Vaid will tell you plainly which one you need.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health or substance use crisis, call or text 988 — it is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
Coaching works well remotely. Many people prefer it — no drive, no waiting room, and it is easier to keep a standing appointment when it does not cost you an afternoon.
Telehealth sessions are available to patients anywhere in California. In-person sessions are in Morgan Hill, serving San Jose, Gilroy and the surrounding South Bay. Many people mix the two.
Savera is out-of-network and does not bill insurance. That is deliberate, not an oversight.
Insurance participation is what produces the fifteen-minute appointment. Working outside it means sessions run as long as they need to, decisions are made between you and your physician rather than shaped by what a plan will authorise, and your record stays private.
HSA and FSA funds are accepted. Cost is discussed openly on the first call, before you book anything.
Recovery coaching is generally not an insurance-covered benefit anywhere, since it is a support service rather than a billable medical treatment — so for most people this is not the difference it first appears to be.
A sober coach provides one-on-one, non-clinical support for staying sober day to day — building routines, spotting triggers early, planning for high-risk situations, and keeping you accountable between medical or therapy appointments. Coaching is not detox, diagnosis, or psychotherapy. At Savera, coaching is delivered by Dr. Meenu Vaid, MD, who is also board certified in addiction medicine.
In everyday use the two terms mean the same thing, and many people also say “sobriety coach.” All three describe ongoing, one-on-one support for maintaining sobriety. The meaningful difference is not the title but who provides it — a peer with lived recovery experience, a certified recovery coach, or, at Savera, a board-certified addiction medicine physician who is also an ICF certified wellness coach.
Savera is an out-of-network, direct-pay practice and does not bill insurance for recovery coaching. Pricing is shared upfront before you book, and HSA and FSA funds are accepted. Recovery coaching is generally not an insurance-covered benefit anywhere, since it is a support service rather than a billable medical treatment.
No. A 12-step sponsor is an unpaid peer within a fellowship. A therapist provides licensed psychotherapy for mental health conditions. A recovery coach provides paid, structured, forward-looking support for the practical work of staying sober. Coaching complements sponsorship and therapy — it does not replace either, and it does not replace medical treatment for a substance use disorder.
At Savera, yes. Dr. Vaid provides both recovery coaching and outpatient addiction medicine care, including medication-assisted treatment, so coaching and medical care can be coordinated by one physician who knows your full history. Whether both are appropriate for you is decided together at a consultation, not in advance.
If you are weighing this up, a first conversation costs you nothing but the time.
Call: +1 (669) 270-2142
Visit: 16433 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Not sure yet? The recovery readiness assessment is a lower-stakes place to start.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Meenu Vaid, MD, Board-Certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease and Addiction Medicine, and an ICF Certified Wellness Coach. Last clinically reviewed on August 2, 2026.
This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. For emergencies, call 911. For crisis support call or text 988. Read our full medical disclaimer.