Yes—same tool, new name.

You may have heard me reference "Amber AI" in my YouTube videos or earlier content. The Recovery Practice Lab is exactly that, just renamed to better reflect what it actually does.

Here's why we changed it:

When we looked at how people were actually using the tool—rehearsing conversations, working through confusing situations, preparing for high-stakes moments, exploring different perspectives—"Practice Lab" described it so much more accurately than "AI."

"AI" focused on the technology. "Recovery Practice Lab" focuses on what you actually DO with it—and what you get out of it.

So if you're familiar with Amber AI, welcome back. And if you're new here, you're in the right place.

Same proven content. Same framework. Better name.

Great question—and an important one.

The Recovery Practice Lab is an educational practice platform. Counseling and therapy are clinical services provided by licensed professionals. These are genuinely different things, and here's what that means in practice:

In counseling or therapy:

• You work one-on-one with a licensed professional
• The therapist assesses your specific situation and applies clinical judgment
• Sessions are part of a therapeutic relationship designed to treat mental health conditions
• Everything is protected under HIPAA as clinical records
• The professional is legally responsible for your care

In the Recovery Practice Lab:

• You're accessing an educational practice platform
• You work through scenarios and practice applying recovery concepts
• It's a skill-building tool, not a treatment relationship
• Conversations are educational in nature, not clinical records
• It's available 24/7 at a fraction of the cost of clinical services

Think of it this way:

A personal trainer helps you build physical fitness skills through practice and repetition. They're not a doctor—they can't diagnose or treat a medical condition. But their guidance helps you build strength, develop technique, and get results through consistent practice.

The Recovery Practice Lab works similarly. It's your practice space for building recovery skills—not a substitute for clinical care when that's what's needed.

When should you consider actual counseling instead?

If you're dealing with a mental health crisis, need a clinical diagnosis, require treatment planning, or need crisis intervention—please seek professional help. You can visit our Services page for clinical services in South Carolina, or contact 988 for immediate support.

The Practice Lab is most powerful for people who want to build skills, practice strategies, and develop confidence in applying recovery concepts—alongside or between professional care, or as an educational resource in its own right.

Once you sign up, you'll receive login credentials by email to access the Recovery Practice Lab dashboard. It can be accessed on both desktop and mobile devices and your practice sessions are safe, encrypted, and stored so you can pick up where you left off.

The Recovery Practice Lab isn't just another AI tool. ChatGPT is like a library—it has information about everything but no specific expertise or consistent framework.

The Recovery Practice Lab is trained specifically on my courses, programs, and 20+ years of teaching recovery concepts. So when you're practicing a boundary conversation or working through a confusing situation, you're getting feedback aligned with my specific approach—not generic internet information.

The other key difference: ChatGPT gives you information. The Recovery Practice Lab helps you PRACTICE applying that information through scenarios, conversation rehearsal, and skill-building. It's active learning, not passive information delivery.

It even has access to all my online courses, including the Invisible Intervention and Rapid Relationship Repair.

The Practice Lab contains all the educational content from my career as an addiction specialist—courses, programs, videos, and 20+ years of working with families and people in recovery.

This includes:

• Boundary-setting principles and communication strategies
• Addiction dynamics and family systems concepts
• Relapse prevention and recovery principles
• Relationship repair and trust-building strategies
• Enabling patterns and how to recognize them
• Communication techniques grounded in influence psychology

Whether you're a family member or in recovery yourself, the Practice Lab helps you understand and practice applying these concepts to your real situations.

Great question—and honestly, the answer is broader than most people expect.

The Recovery Practice Lab isn't just one thing. Think of it as your private practice space for anything related to navigating addiction and recovery. Here's what that actually looks like:

• If you're a family member, you might use it to:

  • Work through a conversation you've been dreading—figuring out exactly what to say and how to say it before you're face-to-face
  • Reality-check whether what you're doing is helping or enabling—using specific situations from your own life to test your understanding
  • Process a confusing interaction and figure out what actually happened beneath the surface
  • Explore how your words and actions might be landing differently than you intend
  • Prepare for high-stakes situations—holidays, interventions, difficult family dynamics
  • Identify patterns you've been too close to see clearly
  • Separate your emotional reaction from your strategic response so you can show up more effectively

  If you're in recovery, you might use it to:

  • Work through the challenges of rebuilding relationships and trust
  • Practice conversations about your needs without sounding defensive
  • Prepare for high-risk situations—social events, family gatherings, workplace dynamics
  • Process guilt and shame in a private, judgment-free space
  • Figure out which relationships are healthy to maintain and how
  • Learn how to set boundaries with people who knew you before recovery
  • Understand what healthy recovery actually looks like in real life

  What makes it different from just Googling or asking ChatGPT:

  Everything in the Practice Lab is aligned with my specific recovery education framework—the same strategies and concepts I teach in my courses and programs. So you're not getting generic advice. You're practicing with a consistent, proven approach.

   
   

  What ties it all together:

  Everything is aligned with my specific recovery education framework—so you're practicing with proven strategies, not generic internet advice.

  If it's related to addiction and recovery, you can work through it here. The Practice Lab is your private space to practice, prepare, and build the skills that create real change.

We understand the desire to share your membership with family members, especially when everyone is working together to support a loved one. However, we strongly recommend that each person have their own subscription. Here’s why:

1. Privacy: The Practice Lab stores your conversations to provide continuity. Multiple users on one account would have access to each other's private sessions.
2. Personalized Practice: Everyone's situations and learning needs are different. Sharing an account reduces the effectiveness for everyone.
3. Conflicting Scenarios: Family members often have different perspectives on the same situation—separate accounts ensure each person gets the most relevant practice experience.

    

That said, we want to make it easy for you to invite others in a way that works for everyone. After purchasing a subscription, you’ll receive an email with an exclusive offer to “gift a one-month trial” to someone else for just $29.99. This gives them the chance to experience the Recovery Practice Lab for themselves without committing to a recurring subscription. If they love it (and we think they will!), they can choose to continue on their own.

Having separate accounts ensures that each person gets the personalized, private, and effective learning experience they deserve.

You can cancel anytime, for any reason. We just ask that you let us know at least 3 days before your next payment is due.  

How does the software protect my privacy?

Your privacy and security are top priorities when using the Recovery Practice Lab. Here's how it's protected:

1. Data Ownership: All content used to train the Recovery Practice Lab is stored privately and securely. It is not shared or used to train any external models. Your interactions are strictly between you and the Practice Lab.
2. Encryption: Every interaction is encrypted with enterprise-grade security measures, ensuring your data stays safe and private.
3. Limited Access: Amber Hollingsworth and one team member have the ability to view conversations and occasionally spot-check them to ensure the Recovery Practice Lab is staying aligned with its educational purpose. This is not a review of all communications — only periodic quality checks.

Q: Are there any risks associated with using this technology?

While we've taken steps to secure everything on our end, it's also important that you protect your own devices. For example, avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive conversations and keep your devices locked when not in use.

Q: What steps can I take to protect my own privacy?

• Use a secure, private device when accessing the Recovery Practice Lab
• Avoid sharing sensitive information over public Wi-Fi networks
• Regularly update your passwords and use two-factor authentication where possible
• Be cautious about sharing your login information with others

Q: What happens to my data after I interact with the Recovery Practice Lab? Your data is used only to provide the services you've requested and to improve your experience. It is not sold or shared with third parties. If you have concerns about your data, contact us directly.

No Protected Health Information: The Recovery Practice Lab does not collect, store, or process protected health information (PHI). Conversations are educational in nature and are not clinical records.

A note about HIPAA:

HIPAA applies to healthcare providers and clinical services handling protected health information. Because the Recovery Practice Lab is an educational practice platform — not a clinical service — HIPAA does not apply to your conversations here.

The Practice Lab is a similiator that let's you practice conversations and help you apply the strategies Amber teaches in her online educational content, not treatment. That means your conversations are educational in nature, not clinical records.

Your privacy is still protected through:

• Enterprise-grade encryption on all conversations
• No selling or sharing of your data with third parties
• Limited access for quality purposes only
• Secure, private storage of all content

If you need HIPAA-protected clinical services, those are available through our licensed counseling practice for South Carolina residents. Visit our Services page.