Search Recovery was built by Ellyn and Rob — bringing lived recovery experience and sector-insider knowledge into an ethical, AI-aware search strategy for addiction and mental health services.
We understand what happens inside treatment, and how what’s written online can either support it or undermine it.
I’ve been writing for the addiction sector for many years, but what truly shapes my work is that I’m also in recovery.
Lived experience changes how you understand things. It means I don’t just write for algorithms or admissions targets. I write with a clear understanding of what people in crisis, and their families, actually need to hear.
I’ve written thousands of pages for addiction and mental health services, but it wasn’t until I went through treatment myself that I fully saw the disconnect. The way addiction treatment is often marketed can be misleading or painfully generic. Empty promises and vague messaging don’t guide people to the right help; they create confusion at the worst possible moment.
That’s why building Search Recovery was so important to me. Having the opportunity to help clinics communicate clearly and ethically – and to support them in becoming genuinely excellent – is deeply satisfying.
For a decade, I’ve managed marketing strategies for addiction treatment services in the UK, Canada and the US, helping them to refine their messaging and wider business strategies. I’ve seen how difficult it is for families to make informed decisions and how vulnerable they can be to misdirection.
That’s why I helped co-found Search Recovery, to continue building on my approach to transparency, ethics and lived experience, designed to give individuals and families the clarity needed for better decisions.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at 14 and struggled with compulsive behaviour as a result of difficulties growing up. I am a strong advocate for neurodivergent-friendly messaging and recognise how often these conditions overlap with one another.
