Today we’d like to introduce you to Toni Whitworth.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2010, I was asked to develop a new division within a privately owned national physician-recruiting firm. The mission was to identify hiring institutions willing to consider physicians whose careers had been impacted by substance use concerns and who were enrolled in a state-mandated, highly monitored five-year health program for impaired physicians.
This work introduced me to the world of residential recovery programs and professional interventionists across the country. Beginning in 2012, I completed multiple trainings and started working directly with families—supporting them through difficult transitions while encouraging their loved one to begin their recovery journey in a residential setting.
By 2016, I expanded into treatment placement for compliant individuals seeking help, continuing to collaborate closely with interventionists nationwide. Since 2018, my focus has shifted to the greater Kansas City area, where I have been dedicated to building professional relationships and fostering collaboration between a local acute-care hospital and the broader behavioral-health community. This includes medical providers, psychiatric and psychological professionals, and residential programs treating both mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
Through this work, we are able to connect individuals with local and national treatment options tailored to their needs—providing medical detox, mental-health stabilization, and a supportive foundation from which they can begin their recovery journey. My goal is to equip each person with the tools and resources necessary for long-term success.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Naturally, there have been very challenging and heartbreaking outcomes over the years. Family interventions are always called together out of love, yet they often involve overwhelming emotions rooted in fear, frustration, and anger—feelings that exist because people care deeply. When these interactions are guided with respect and dignity for everyone involved, the process can unfold more smoothly.
However, it is not uncommon to navigate volatile exchanges, and it is essential to know how to manage those moments when they arise. When the gift of recovery is not accepted in the moment, it can feel like a profound loss. Still, the opportunity can often be revisited later, when the individual is more willing or able to begin the healing process.
That said, I have also witnessed many lives lost too soon because of untreated alcoholism, addiction, and mental-health disorders. These experiences continue to reaffirm the urgency, importance, and purpose of this work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Cottonwood Springs is an acute care hospital providing comprehensive treatment across all levels of care for mental health and substance use disorders. In my role, I am responsible for building and maintaining relationships within the community—working closely with medical providers, psychiatric and psychological clinicians, families and individuals —to help access the most appropriate level of care and the program that best fits their needs and resources. I excel in collaborating with other professionals, creating strong connections between programs and the individuals we serve. Our hospital is uniquely designed within the Kansas City area. We physically separate four distinct treatment populations of 24 inpatient beds, allowing us to tailor care based on each patient’s specific mental health or substance use needs and level of acuity. We also offer 5 days a week, a 6 hour per day and a 3 hour per day outpatient programing, again for mental health and substance use disorders.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
It is important that I incorporate my many years of experience working with families in distress—identifying needs, understanding concerns, and gathering the collateral information necessary to determine the most appropriate treatment options. My work centers on listening, understanding, and communicating clearly, while translating complex information into language that everyone can grasp, especially during highly stressful moments.
I rely on my knowledge of programs and providers to match individuals with the resources best suited to their needs. At the same time, I maintain the humility required to recognize when a situation is outside my scope of practice and to bring in additional professionals who can better support the individual. Collaboration remains at the heart of my approach, ensuring that each client or patient receives the most effective, compassionate, and informed plan of action.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cottonwoodsprings.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonibernardwhitworth
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toniwhitworth/
