Shelly Sprague, perhaps best known as the no-nonsense resident technician on VH1's Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, or occasional chemical dependency expert for KCBS News, is herself a recovering addict. Her life in sobriety is defined by her dedication to helping others avoid or escape the same plight. On and off-screen, she wins the respect of her patients by her sincerity and candor. Shelly has been there and done that: from mental health patient to mental health worker, plus everything in between; including, dancer, hairdresser, singer, teacher's aide, wife and mother. 

Currently opening a private outpatient program, her non-televised resume also includes Program Manager of Aurora Las Encinas Hospital's chemical dependency residential treatment unit, followed by a brief stint as Assistant Program Manager at Pasadena Recovery Center. Shelly arrived by a long, twisting path from her first job in treatment back in the mid-nineties. After just two years in the field, Shelly left her position as counselor at Spencer Recovery Center– where she herself had been for treatment years earlier–to return to school and start a family with her husband. 

As a new mother, Shelly soon went back to work–as a receptionist, personal assistant, stylist, hairdresser, even nightclub cashier, volunteering to help open the Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts, all while taking college courses online. Before joining the staff at Las Encinas, her last job was at an elementary school, working primarily with five to seven-year-  olds with behavioral issues–a perfect segue into Celebrity Rehab. 

Shelly had decided early in her own recovery that she wanted to work in the chemical dependency field, inspired partly by her respect for Dr. Drew, as a longtime fan of radio's Loveline. Though she's since moved on from her mentor's side, Shelly's still studying, still learning, still dedicated to giving her patients a fighting chance against their disease.