• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Choosing a residential program

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

spottedzebra

I am currently in php and my team is recommending a trauma focused residential program. I am currently looking at River Oaks in New Orleans, Recovery Ranch in Tennessee, and potentially Life Healing Center in New Mexico. Does anybody have experience with any of these programs? I have done a search on this site and found some info, but I'd love to hear more!

I have also considered The Meadows (don't take my insurance), Timberline Knolls (ED/ substance focus), Sheppard Pratt (only do phase 1 work), and McLean. Are there any other programs you would recommend looking into?
 
First question would be are you looking for a residential or inpatient program? I have done inpatient at River Oaks and considered residential at Life Healing Center. They are very different programs and your insurance company will have different criteria for whether or not they will authorize admission. In a program like River Oaks while being very trauma focused and was very helpful for me is like being inpatient in other psych hospitals. You are in a locked program, limited in access to going outdoors, limited in access to the outside world such email, internet, tv, news and other outside reading material. I also found it difficult as the trauma program and the eating disorders program are both located in the same unit. This led to frustrations between patients in the two programs as the ED patients were permitted freedoms that the trauma patients were not. Life Healing Center is a residential program, trauma focused yes but with significantly more freedoms, access to the outside world, communications etc. I would talk to your php program team and ask them which they feel would be the best for you.

I would be happy to answer questions that you have specifically about River Oaks, it has just been a year since my last discharge from there so some things may have changed but I think the basics will be the same.
 
@FauxLiz thanks so much for your reply! At this point my team and I are looking at both inpatient and residential. I would prefer a residential program due to many of the factors you mentioned (especially lack of going outside). These programs are so limited so I'm trying to be open to all options. In regards to insurance, I have decent coverage at The Ranch and River Oaks. Life Healing should be letting me know what the financial situation looks like on Monday.

At River Oaks, how much Phase 2 work/ processing did you or other patients do there? I'd really like to dive into that type of work wherever I end up. I didn't know the ED program was in the same unit. That is good info to know, especially if expectations and rules are different. How long would you say most people were there? They told me average is 2-5 weeks, which is a pretty large range, especially for inpatient.
Also, I haven't been able to get a clear answer from Life Healing in terms of what types of therapies they do. They emphasize the many holistic modalities they offer- which is great- but what about more traditional therapies like DBT, CBT, ACT, etc.?
 
Not sure what you mean by phase 2 work but the program at River Oaks has two trauma focused tracks stabilization and processing. My first time I did stabilization the second processing and that is decided between you and your assigned therapist. There is also additional work that can be done on compulsive behaviors such as self harm, suicidal ideation, and substance/alcohol use disorders. The average time does vary by person, mostly controlled by two factors the patient and their insurance company. The staff will fight to have you stay as long as you need but sometimes (especially if you can't afford the out of pocket costs) your insurance company will make the decision. My first stay was 23 days which was a lot shorter than some of the patients but I found that having private insurance was a negative in terms of how long I got to stay, those on Medicare/Medicaid had a much easier time getting approved for longer stays. My second stay was expected to be 25 days but I ended up leaving after 17 due to personal issues that I had to return home to deal with.

It is my goal to return this fall for another stay this fall. I have been saving up vacation time as my current employer does not have STD that will cover mental health issues and my health insurance is not exactly great. I know that I have a lot more processing to do and due to my challenges in being able to actually process while outpatient as I have not been able to maintain the ability to function at work or in general life while doing processing work. My goal is that after my son returns to college in the fall I will take an extended vacation from work and return to RO.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top