Durango Recovery Center

Dr. Dan Caplin moved to the southwest in 2000, for the amazing beauty, access to outdoor activities and for the outstanding climate. After completing his Bachelor of Science degree from Union College, he obtained his medical degree form Des Moines University, graduating in 1990. He then spent the next four years in post graduate training, completing his residency in Emergency Medicine, followed by three years of active duty service in the United States Air Force. Dr. Caplin engaged in a long career practicing Emergency Medicine in a variety of rural and urban settings, seeing the plight of addiction first hand. With few resources available to those suffering from addiction, and essentially no tools available to the emergency departments across this country to help people in desperation, Dr. Caplin took it upon himself to study the field of addiction, eventually obtaining his Board Certification in Addiction Medicine. He began his practice of addiction medicine full time in 2015, by opening an Opioid Treatment Program, in Durango, Colorado, Southern Rockies Addiction Treatment Services. Dr. Caplin spends his free time outdoors whenever possible, riding dirt bikes, skiing, hiking, bike riding, wakeboarding, boating, and enjoying time with his three children and two German Shepherds. He feels that physical exertion, and adventure, are healthy ways to release endorphins. Dr. Caplin believes physical activity is one of the best ways to stimulate the brain, and balance anxiety and depression. Becoming physically fatigued each day, through activity, improves sleep patterns, which improves general well-being and physical health. “Co-occurring disorders are present in over 90% of my patients suffering from the disease of addiction, and addressing these issues is paramount to long term sobriety,” explains Dr. Caplin. Medication assisted treatment has been proven to be the most successful treatment modality for the disease of addiction, and the team at Durango Recovery Center has created a program where we are able to integrate methadone, buprenorphine as well as other medications into the residential environment, integrating the best available modalities.

Ryan is an insightful, cultured, and compassionate individual with a drive to assist others on their journey towards self-actualization. As a lover of all that is wild, Ryan is passionate about the incorporation of the natural world into the therapeutic relationship. As a Nature Based Counselor and Wilderness Guide, he is eager to instill the values of a healthy and active lifestyle that is aligned with a stewardship toward all living things, and to get others outside, pushing themselves toward greater personal limits and higher altitudes. Ryan has experience working with individuals and their families struggling with substance abuse and utilizes a mindfulness based, relational/humanistic approach. Ryan earned his Master’s in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology: Wilderness Therapy from Naropa University. An eternal student, his curiosity has always led him to seek out new areas of learning and techniques. With a focus on whole person wellness, Ryan is extremely grateful to be a part of the Durango Recovery Center. After living and working across the country and traveling around the world, Ryan and his wife have returned to Colorado to raise their daughter in the Rocky Mountains and to cultivate a healthy professional community.