Philosophy
WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
We meet you where you are in your addiction.
We view the treatment process as a partnership within the community. Each individual has the capacity to affect change in their own life as well as the lives of others. Within this partnership, we incorporate the values of open, honest, and direct communication; responsibility for one’s choice; accountability to others and willingness to hold others accountable; respect for oneself and others; and inclusion of all members. Practicing these values creates the treatment culture that we strive for in our program. This culture will contain structure, consistency, and adherence to boundaries, while confronting destructive interpersonal dynamics and promoting physical and psychological safety. We will work with you in gaining insight into your addiction and related issues. The staff is not able to do the work for you; however, we will work with you.
The Fernwood House staff firmly believes that treatment works and that recovery from addiction is always possible if it is understood that “one size does not fit all.” Rooted in the principles of 12-step recovery, our program expands on this groundwork to include a variety of therapies. Chemical Dependency involves more than substance abuse, and our program encompasses any and all issues that contribute to the addictive lifestyle. These may include, but are not limited to, relationship problems, anger/rage, self-esteem, medical, dual diagnosis, trauma, and family of origin issues. All of which are addressed in the environment of serenity that our tranquil setting provides.
Fernwood is more of a way of being with people than a place; although it is a very beautiful, peaceful place. We want to do what works. We expect our residents to be unsure about changing anything until they begin to experience some semblance of a sense of safety. The most effective treatment is viewed as a process rather than a series of events, and it is collaborative rather than confrontive.
Fernwood is more of a home than a house; although it is a very beautiful house. When people are lonely they are never just lonely for people, they are lonely for people they can relate to. A community without people is a ghost town. People without a community are people with little purpose.
At Fernwood, our staff believes in accountability. If one of our residents returns to CORD (compulsive, obsessive, repetitive, destructive) behavior, we will assess and provide clinical redirection. We understand that people often make choices that we would not choose for them as they work to change their CORD behaviors. And, those choices are still the individual’s to make. We collaborate with you to decide what goals you are interested in achieving. If you do not have any in mind, we can help you to identify them. We utilize a holistic approach to incorporate healing the mind, body, and spirit into each of our residents individualized treatment plan.
Recent scientific research indicates that the most important factor in changing any behavior is “client self-efficacy” or the individual’s belief that they can make a change. Using the Stages of Change Model (Prochaska and DiClemente), we understand that people enter treatment at any one of the stages: Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance. Knowing the Stages of Change, as we do, we are able to meet the individual where they are. We will ensure a safe and comfortable period of stabilization and provide tools needed to break the addictive cycle.
