The History of the Palm Beach Institute

The Palm Beach Institute was founded in 1968 by Ronald J. Catanzaro, M.D., a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and a board certified psychiatrist.

A pioneer in addiction treatment, he established the U.S. Army’s first inpatient treatment for alcoholics and developed “Familization Therapy,” the practice of treating the whole family. Dr. Catanzaro served as Director of the Florida State Drug and Alcohol Program, and as Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Universities of Missouri and Florida.

In 1968 he founded the Palm Beach Institute, Florida’s first private treatment center for alcohol and drug addiction. When he founded the Palm Beach Institute, his dream was to offer hope to people who suffered from the disease of drug and alcohol addiction. For over 40 years, the Palm Beach Institute has continued to live up to that dream. In the process, we have learned the most valuable lesson of all – with love, care and faith, everything is possible.