
Recovery Centers of America
Saving Lives, One Patient at a Time
Addiction is a complicated disease, serious and deadly. Individuals suffering from a substance use disorder (SUD) come from all walks of life. There’s no single face to addiction — it’s our mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers, neighbors, co-workers. Each have their own experiences, their own histories, their own backgrounds, which is why a cookie-cutter addiction treatment program simply won’t work. Effective treatment needs to meet the person where they are and address every aspect of the disease: physically, mentally, and spiritually.
That’s the Devon Difference at Recovery Centers of America.
Specialized programs for individualized treatment
Recovery Centers of America at Devon offers several different specialized programs that focus in on a patient who may be suffering from trauma, chronic relapse, and more.
Each program has its own “neighborhood,” where program participants live in the same area of the facility. Research has shown being in treatment with like-minded individuals yields better results. Each specific program also has designated therapists who have specialized skills relevant for that program and who follow an evidence-based curriculum for treatment.
Here are some of the key treatment programs RCA at Devon offers, which we’ve designed using the strongest clinical and evidence-based practices:
PRISE: A program for patients who have relapsed
Patients who have been through treatment more than once need a different type of treatment, and that treatment is PRISE — Promoting Recovery through Intensive Support and Education. For some, it takes multiple attempts at recovery, and with each passing attempt they may feel less optimistic about their future.
PRISE not only restores that hope, but also focuses on what has worked in their recovery and expands on that. PRISE participants will have a strong support system unlike they’ve ever had before, community involvement, alumni mentors, and three models of treatment: acceptance commitment therapy, narrative therapy, and positive psychology. Patients focus on what went right and what worked for their recovery, and learn from what went wrong.
Breaking Free: A program for patients with trauma
Research shows a direct connection between people who have suffered a trauma (whether it was during childhood or adulthood) and addiction. In fact, about 75 percent of people suffering from addiction have faced some kind of trauma. That’s why both trauma and addiction need to be treated hand in hand. After all, if a trauma is causing a person to use drugs or alcohol to numb the past, how can that person achieve recovery without addressing the chokehold trauma has on them?
Trauma is tricky, because what is traumatic for one person may not be traumatic for another, and people don’t always know they’ve experienced trauma. This can be problematic for a few different reasons, including when the trauma fuels the addiction. Because of this, Breaking Free treats the addiction and the trauma. Breaking Free isn’t just about trauma — it’s about understanding and learning to cope with emotions, behaviors, reactions, and past experiences.
We start by training all of our staff members to be trauma-informed. Then patients partake in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), rather than being exposed to the trauma over and over again, as is often the approach elsewhere. They’re also provided a Breaking Free Manual, which offers helpful pointers on staying in the moment, relaxation tips, anchors to reduce triggers, how to defuse anger, addressing negative thinking, and examining core beliefs. It’s a useful go-to guide for both during and after treatment.
First Responders: A program for police officers, firefighters, EMS, military/veterans, and more
First Responders suffering from addiction have specific needs due to the intensity of their careers. RCA’s First Responders program is tailored to address the difficult obstacles often encountered by this group of professionals, such as work-related traumatic events, guilt from breaking public trust, depression and anxiety, drinking culture, difficult asking for help, and fear of losing their jobs or pay. These obstacles will be addressed in group therapy formed exclusively of their peers, and many of the counselors are or were first responders themselves.
Evolutions: A program for older adults
As we age, bigger and bigger transitions occur, such as retirement, becoming an empty nester, or reaching the ceiling in a career. Older adults often ask themselves, What’s next?
Evolutions helps its participants answer this question as they establish sobriety. Patients will learn new hobbies, wellness activities, participate in volunteer efforts, and other activities to increase feelings of self-purpose.
Everything in this program is designed to keep its participants comfortable, from a curriculum that is centered around this distinct stage of life to thoughtful logistics, like brightly lit living areas and having a nurse’s station nearby.
Because other Evolutions patients are in the same life stage, participants will draw strength from each other as they navigate treatment together.
Our specialized programs are just one part of a patient’s individualized treatment plan. That plan is based around a full continuum of care, starting in inpatient, transitioning to Outpatient, and staying with our Alumni Association. You can see previews of each program curriculum at recoverycentersofamerica.com/curriculum. If you or a loved one is struggling, call 1-800-Recovery today.
Learn more about Recovery Centers of America at Devon, including the steps we’re taking to keep patients and staff healthy and safe from COVID-19, by calling 1-800-Recovery today or by visiting RecoveryCentersofAmerica.com/devon.
Photograph courtesy of Recovery Centers of America
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, December 2020