Influential Woman · SUD counseling
Saphire Lee
Lead MAT Counselor at Wesley Healthcare, Wesley Healthcare
Los Angeles, CA
Her Story
About Saphire
Saphire Lee serves as the Lead MAT Counselor at Wesley Healthcare. In this role, she assists clients working to cease using substances such as opiates, stimulants, and alcohol through Medication Assisted Treatment. She has five and a half years of experience in the substance use disorder counseling field. Lee began her career as a tech in a residential treatment center, progressed to a care coordinator position involving case management, and advanced to her current counseling role. A person in recovery for ten years, she leverages her lived experience to connect with and support clients. She recently graduated from a counselor training program this semester and is pursuing CCAP certification with the California Consortium of Addiction Professionals, requiring only her state board test for completion. Lee emphasizes the importance of entering the field for the right reasons to avoid burnout and maintains professional boundaries by leaving work at work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Saphire
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people around me in my life and in my work. The support of my Husband through my journey with school and recovery and my Supervisors (both past and present) who have mentored and trained me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Make sure to keep a good work/life balance. Leave work at work.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Make sure you're coming into this field for the right reasons. A lot of people try and come into the field because they think it's gonna make them a lot of money, and that's just not the case. So you want to make sure your heart needs to be in the right place, or you're going to burn out very quickly, because the burnout for counselors that comes on fast is a very, very, very big struggle with people in the counseling field.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, honesty, dedication, commitment.
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