The structured outpatient program Robert helped build, for adults who need more support than weekly therapy.
PhD · LCSW-S · LCDC
Robert Hilliker
Founder and Chief Clinical Officer. For more than 20 years, Robert has worked across addiction and mental health care, building clinical programs, supervising clinicians, and co-founding The Lovett Center in 2014.
About
Two decades in addiction
and mental health care.
Robert Hilliker is driven by a deep commitment to serve others, and by a question that has shaped his clinical work for two decades: where hope and despair meet in treatment, and how care can hold both. Over more than 20 years across addiction and mental health, he has worked in private practice, supervised clinicians, and built and managed clinical programs from the ground up. In 2014 he co-founded The Lovett Center, and in 2018 its parent company, Lovett Behavioral Health Group.
Robert earned his Master’s degree from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, and his training includes a fellowship at the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies and a Postgraduate Social Work Fellowship at The Menninger Clinic. He has held long-standing leadership roles at The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, The Menninger Clinic, and The Daring Way, where he worked with Dr. Brené Brown and served as Chief Clinical Officer. Today he is Chief Clinical Officer of Lovett Behavioral Health Group, setting clinical direction alongside Lovett’s medical leadership, including IOP Medical Director Dr. Michael Sprintz.
His work has been recognized with a Menninger Clinic Pillar Award for Integrity, given for his role in the Professionals in Crisis Program, and the Houston Business Journal named him a 40 Under 40 honoree in 2018. In 2019, the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work honored him as a 50 for 50 Alumni for embodying its social justice vision. Robert lives in Houston with his wife, Maria, and their five daughters.
Areas of focus
Where Robert's work
centers.
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Addiction and recovery
As a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor whose early leadership took shape at The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, Robert has spent his career helping adults recover from substance use.
-
Co-occurring mental health
His work treats addiction and mental health together, recognizing how often the two are entangled and caring for the whole person rather than a single diagnosis.
-
Clinical program design
Robert has created and managed clinical programming throughout his career, including co-founding The Lovett Center and shaping how its programs deliver care.
-
Supervision and leadership
A supervising clinician and Chief Clinical Officer, he mentors Lovett's clinicians and sets the standards that guide how the team practices.
Where Robert works
Care connected across
Lovett.
The mental health and substance use conditions Lovett treats, often at the same time.
The therapies and clinical approaches our teams draw on.
Background
Education and credentials
Credentials
- PhD
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Supervisor (LCSW-S)
- Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC)
Training
- Master of Social Work, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work
- Postgraduate Social Work Fellowship, The Menninger Clinic
- Fellowship, Center for Psychoanalytic Studies
Recognition
- Menninger Clinic Pillar Award for Integrity
- Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40, 2018
- University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work 50 for 50 Alumni, 2019
Start the conversation
Find the right
clinician for you.
Whether you are hoping to work with Robert or simply not sure where to begin, our Houston-based admissions team will help you find the right clinician and the right level of care.
- Confidential from the first call
- In network with major insurance plans, plus self-pay
- Houston-based admissions team
Prefer to call?
(713) 589-5991In a crisis or an emergency? Call or text 988, or call 911. This form is not monitored around the clock.