Seeking Treatment is Important, Proper and Unique Care is Vital

SEYMOUR, Tenn.-(Business Wire)-September 2, 2009 - An estimated 22 million Americans suffered from substance dependence or abuse, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2002. September is National Recovery Month and Brookhaven Retreat, a multidisciplinary treatment facility that helps women overcome emotional trauma and addiction challenges, is working to raise awareness about one of the nation’s biggest health crises: substance abuse and how recovery is essential to regain the balance a person once had over their life.

More than 23 million people aged 12 or older needed treatment for a substance use disorder in the United States in 2007, according to SAMHSA, and as many as 20.8 million people nationwide needed but did not receive treatment at a specialty facility.

Jacqueline Dawes, the founder and owner of Brookhaven Retreat, believes the initial, critical step is finding a treatment center that is aligned with you or your loved one’s recovery goals.

“It is of extreme importance to find a treatment center that meets your innermost needs in order to have a successful recovery,” said Dawes.

Brookhaven Retreat allows each person to receive individualized attention, administered by a highly-trained female staff in order to facilitate long-term recovery. This recovery grows from an introspective journey to define emotional breakage, followed by the development of life skills that allow lasting maintenance of emotional wellness. The program goes on to continue once recovery has been obtained through an after-care program whereby staff can still be reached and are available to offer help when past clients are in need.

“Brookhaven Retreat may or may not be the right treatment center for your personal needs. However, there are a series of questions you should ask yourself before committing to any treatment center,” said Dawes. “If you have reached the point where you are going to seek treatment, you only want to do it once. So make the right choice the first time,” suggests Dawes.

What type of treatment center will best suit your loved one or yourself? Here are some questions to help you decide:

1. What is the staff to client ratio? More staff and fewer clients equal more care specifically for you.

2. Do they have contract staff that work there (i.e., psychiatrists and/or therapists)? Contract staff is only at the facility for a brief window of time in the day/week/month and are unable to have a close relationship with clients because of the lack of time involved at the facility.

3. How often are clients able to see the psychiatrist or nurse practitioners?

4. Are there services to address physical illness on site?

5. Are the therapists licensed, and if so, what are their credentials?

6. How often do clients see their therapist? Will it be individual, family, or group sessions? You want to have enough individual sessions to develop a good relationship with your therapist; however, you don’t want to become dependent on them.

7. Is the facility licensed for both substance abuse and mental health treatment? Many people who struggle with addiction of substances, alcohol, spending, gambling, relationships, etc. also have emotional and/or mental health needs that should be addressed as well in order to properly help them with their needs.

8. What are the licenses that the facility holds? If a treatment center states they are a dual-diagnosis facility, ask them what particular licenses they hold. A true dual-diagnosis facility would hold licensing for mental health and substance abuse within the same facility and program so that both diagnoses are treated simultaneously.

9. What different types of therapy are provided?

10. Is the facility credentialed through a regulating body like The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)? The Joint Commission is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™, an organization must undergo an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years.

11. What are the different creative treatment modalities used in therapy?

12. What are the specific rules or guidelines new clients need to know?

13. Do they provide a full medical detox?

14. Is it a coed facility? Women are more likely to succeed in a facility that is designed specifically for their unique needs.

15. Do the clients have to detox before admitting?

16. Can the facility accommodate a client with suicidal thoughts or ideations or would the client be asked to transfer to another location? What is the facility’s protocol for clients in this situation?

17. What are the policies for correspondence with outside friends and family? Can the clients use phones or internet?

18. Does the facility provide aftercare? Is there an additional charge?

19. Does the facility provide family or couples therapy? Is there an additional charge?

20. What are the restrictions for clothing and personal items being brought with the client? (i.e., can they have shoe laces?)

21. What is the structure of a usual day at the facility?

For more information about the importance of seeking treatment and to learn more about Brookhaven Retreat, visit www.brookhavenretreat.com or call 877-817-3422.

About Brookhaven Retreat

Brookhaven Retreat is a unique, voluntary residential treatment facility specially designed to help women overcome emotional trauma or addiction challenges. The fully accredited and certified dual-diagnosis center is America's premier treatment center for emotional trauma and addiction and offers female-specific treatment. Brookhaven Retreat carries the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™. Located on 48 beautiful acres in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, it offers modern, holistic care with compassion and respect from a highly trained expert staff of licensed therapists, physicians, registered nurses and nurse practitioners. Visit www.brookhavenretreat.com for more information.

About National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month

This September marks National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month)’s 20^th anniversary. This year’s theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Learn, Together We Heal.” For 20 years, Recovery Month, supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, through its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, has celebrated people in recovery from addiction and the treatment providers who help them. It applauds their achievements and encourages access to treatment services for all those in need. By alerting people to the recovery services available, we can help community members and their families find a path of recovery and lead productive, healthy lives once again.