Built from experience. Expanded with purpose.
How Costa Rica Treatment Center became the foundation for a broader vision of addiction treatment in Latin America.
Where it started
Colombia Treatment Center did not begin as a business plan. It began with years of watching what happens to people before, during and after treatment, and noticing where conventional approaches fell short.
For Gernot Holtz, the lesson was that treatment has to be more than a short period away from substances. People leave treatment and return to the same pressures, relationships and routines. If that return is not taken seriously, much of the work done in treatment can fade.
From that came a simple conviction: good treatment combines professional clinical care with dignity, structure, accountability, individual attention, attention to physical and emotional health, a supportive environment, community, and real preparation for life afterwards.
Costa Rica: the beginning
The vision grew slowly and practically. It did not start as a large organization.
- 2016
The beginning
A sober-living home opened in Costa Rica. It showed first-hand what people leaving treatment most often needed: structure, accountability, stability, continued support and a sense of belonging.
- 2018
Costa Rica Treatment Center
The project grew into Costa Rica Treatment Center (CRTC), a full residential addiction-treatment program and the base on which the wider philosophy was developed.
- 2023
Riverside, Atenas
CRTC expanded with Riverside after buying the Atenas property and substantially redeveloping it.
- Next
Colombia Treatment Center
The same vision begins its next chapter in South America. No opening date has been announced.
Building CRTC
Running Costa Rica Treatment Center made it possible to learn what worked, what patients and families actually needed, where traditional models could be improved, and how much the setting shapes a residential stay.
Over time the approach moved beyond addiction treatment in the narrow sense, towards looking at the whole person: mental health, physical health, nutrition, sleep, exercise, emotional life, relationships, family, lifestyle, purpose and the care that continues after discharge.
Riverside: the setting becomes part of the thinking
Riverside was a chance to design a residential setting around the experience of recovery from the start: privacy, nature and quiet, comfortable living spaces, room to reflect, attention to physical health, community, and distance from harmful routines.
The setting does not treat addiction. It is designed to support the clinical and therapeutic work that does.
What we learned along the way
Years of running residential programs did not produce a perfect model. They showed that treatment has to keep evolving, and that addiction should not be treated in isolation.
Clinical care
Evidence-informed therapy and professional treatment stay at the centre.
Mental health
Substance use often comes with emotional and psychological difficulties that need proper professional attention.
Physical wellbeing
Sleep, food, movement and routine can support the wider recovery process.
Environment
People often engage differently when they feel safe, respected and away from the chaos of active addiction.
Human connection and dignity
A person in treatment is more than a diagnosis.
Individual attention
Treatment cannot be the same standard package for everyone.
Continuing care
A residential stay should prepare someone for what happens after they leave.
Burnout, seen from both sides
That experience includes burnout itself. Gernot lived burnout in large part due to the overwhelming growth of his projects, the stress, and the responsibilities that came with them. It is one reason the planned program gives executive burnout and wellness its own dedicated approach. Read the burnout and wellness page.
From Costa Rica to Colombia
Colombia Treatment Center extends the philosophy first developed at Costa Rica Treatment Center. It draws on years of running residential programs, working with patients and families, building clinical teams, improving living spaces, supporting international patients, refining admissions and strengthening continuing-care planning.
It is not a franchise, and it will not be a copy of CRTC. CRTC laid the foundation. CTC carries that experience forward, with its own identity, and is being developed specifically for Colombia and South America.
Why Colombia
Colombia offers strong professional talent, a developed healthcare sector in its major cities, good international access, a rich culture, a remarkable natural setting, and a central position in the Americas. Together these make it possible to create a distinctive residential program.
The aim is excellent value and a thoughtful setting, not low-cost treatment. Read more about why Colombia.
A broader vision for South America
Colombia Treatment Center is intended to be the start of a larger South American chapter, serving Colombians, people from elsewhere in Latin America, international clients, and families looking for high-quality residential care abroad.
The goal is not simply to open more centres. It is to build places where clinical treatment, mental health, physical wellbeing, hospitality and long-term recovery planning work together as one coordinated experience. No further locations have been announced.
Treatment should treat the whole person
“Over the years, one thing became increasingly clear to me: addiction rarely exists in isolation. If we want treatment to create meaningful change, we have to look beyond the substance itself. We have to look at the person—their mental health, physical health, relationships, environment, habits, purpose, and what happens when they return to everyday life.”
This is Gernot's personal view as a founder, not a clinical judgement. At Colombia Treatment Center, treatment will be provided by qualified professionals, and clinical decisions will be made by the clinical team. See the clinical model.
Separate organizations
Colombia Treatment Center and Costa Rica Treatment Center are separate organizations. Costa Rican licences and approvals do not apply in Colombia. CTC's licensing and legal status will be confirmed and published separately. CRTC's history, patients and results are its own and do not carry over to CTC. Colombia Treatment Center is currently in development and is not yet accepting patients.
The mission hasn't changed
The country may change and the programs will keep evolving, but the aim is the same: to create places where people struggling with addiction and related difficulties can step away from harmful patterns, engage seriously in treatment and start building a healthier life.