Rimrock Foundation Review
In operation for 40 years, Rimrock Foundation treats the gamut—chemical dependency, eating, gambling and co-occurring disorders, sex addiction and codependency—beneath the rims of Billings, Montana. This is Big Sky Country.
Accommodations and Food
Located in the healthcare corridor of Montana’s largest city, the huge hospital-like building is on the corner of 29th street, on the doorstep of Montana State University campus. Everyone has a roommate and the rooms look a lot like a Days Inn: muted blue carpeting, white painted walls, with beds separated by a simple, light wooden desk. Some clients bring the fixings for a twin bed from home, but Rimrock provides everything necessary.
The diet is Goldilocks in nature: not too strict, not too lax. Caffeinated coffee is available in the mornings, but caffeinated soda is not available at all. There’s dessert with lunch and dinner, but very little sugar. Vegetarians are accommodated, but there’s no specific vegetarian option. Special food arrangements can be made: not for bringing in Twizzlers, but for things like protein bars.
Having cash is not encouraged, but clients may bring checks to cash and cards, because they will have ATM access. Rimrock recommends allocating $45 a week for adults and $25 for adolescents. Clients will have the opportunity to buy cigarettes and pop (East Coasters, this is soda) during recreational outings Smokers can bring their own cigarettes, but packs must be unopened.
Good wholesome dress is also called for: no tank tops, nothing too tight, no shorts above the knee—although given a) air conditioning and b) Montana’s weather most of the year, this dress code is not too crazy. Also, don’t pack trigger clothes: shirts with marijuana leaves or rap starts blowing smoke will be confiscated.
Treatment and Staff
Rimrock treats both adolescents and adults, and offers an appropriate starting point for anyone in recovery: medical detox, inpatient treatment, day treatment, outpatient and sober living, with the intensive residential treatment program lasting for 30 days.
Rimrock prides itself on its treatment of substance abuse and co-occurring disorders, like post-traumatic stress, bi-polar disorder, depression and anxiety. The professionally licensed staff ascribes to 12-step philosophy and CBT based therapy. Clients are introduced to the first five steps in treatment, and attend both on and off-site AA meetings. Meditation and “stress management” (read: exercise) are important components of the day. Some form of exercise is offered five days a week before dinner. In winter months, exercise is limited to the indoors, for the most part—yoga, cardio dance, or the gym—although once in a blue moon clients bundle up and go sledding.
All treatment is gender-specific. Clients have a core group of their peers and a primary counselor, and these core groups meet for two to four hours every day. Twice a day during the week, clients have specialty groups where they discuss particular challenges around recovery and learn about how to cope with their addictions and prevent relapse. They meet with counselors at least once a week individually. There are spirituality sessions and art therapy groups, even a bimonthly class on human sexuality education (whose purpose, it seems, is the same as every high school health class: scaring its population into good behavior).
Adolescent inpatient clients receive similar treatment, with some differences. Their specialty groups have more to do with the construction of life skills. There is canine therapy. They are offered a “Youth Stewards” program: community service where they adopt a park or a roadway to clean up. And they stay for a minimum of 35 days.
Families are invited for a week of therapy during treatment. Apart from family week, clients can have friends and family visit for three hours on Sunday afternoons, and there is time every day for clients to make phone calls from a landline.
Extras
Canine therapy, yoga, an on-site gym, dance groups, art therapy, hiking and sledding excursions are some of the extras offered at Rimrock.
In Summary
There are practically no photos of campus on the Rimrock website, because “campus” is just one really huge building. That said, Rimrock is set in a place of absolute natural beauty; in the summer, when outdoor activities would be most frequent, this would be an ideal treatment facility for people who don’t want to compromise either nature or city environs. Folks concerned about money should speak to admissions about scholarship and, if insured, what benefits they may have.
For potential clients, reading Rimrock’s articulate “View of Addiction” may be helpful. Clients with particular issues around gambling, eating, or sex who also suffer from co-occurring disorders will find spot-on treatment here.
Rimrock Foundation Location
1231 N. 29th St., Ste 103
Billings, MT 59101
Rimrock Cost
$12,000-$14,000 (30 days). Reach Rimrock by phone at (406)-248-3175 or by email at tstapleton@rimrock.org. Find Rimrock at Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
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Photo courtesy of (WT-shared) Mikepenn at wts wikivoyage [CC BY-SA 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)], via Wikipedia Commons (resized and cropped)
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