Employee Spotlight: Nick Gazzoli
Every day, Nick Gazzoli strides into his office at Horizon Health Services with great energy and passion to help his clients overcome their addictions and achieve recovery.
“For me there is nothing better than watching someone progress from the darkness of addiction into the peace of recovery,” said the Senior Addictions Counselor. “I call it watching the flower bloom. Seeing the turnaround is one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do, and knowing that it can happen to anyone and everyone is why I continue to love doing what I do.”
Since 2009, Gazzoli has been responsible for completing comprehensive diagnostic assessments, preparing person-centered treatment plans with clients that serve as their “recovery road map”, and providing both individual and group treatment. Because of his clinical acumen and unbridled energy, Nick was tapped to serve on Horizon’s online peer support “app” implementation team, and is one of the strongest proponents of its usefulness in clients’ recovery. His passionate work also led to his receipt of Horizon’s “Professional Excellence Award” in 2010 and 2012.
Gazzoli truly does love this work. Since earning a B.A. in psychology from Muhlenberg College and an M.A. in psychology from The New School University for Social Research, he chose to take the path to help those affected by addiction find recovery. It was only fitting that he pursued a career in substance abuse counseling at Horizon.
“Horizon Health Services is the best in the business because it hires the best people and builds them professionally,” he said. “Also, it offers its clients a wide array of services and goes the extra mile to make sure they can access them.”
Before working at Horizon, Gazzoli was a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor at Daemen College, a Directors Research Assistant at St. Luke’s Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Institute, and a Mental Health Counselor at Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program.
Some shy away from taking on the responsibility of being an addictions counselor. It is often a daunting job to lead people to recovery – but Gazzoli has embraced it.
“Every day we make a difference. Every day we give someone the opportunity to make a change and become what they want to be,” he said. “Every day we offer and instill hope. Every day we show up willing to be the compass for those who are lost in the storm.”
The Addictions Staff at Horizon Health Services is motivated to help you or a loved one in the path to recovery. Our team can help you reclaim your life. Please call 716.831.8100 for more information.