Twin Lakes Center Review
Somerset Hospital’s residential treatment facility, Twin Lakes Center, has been providing substance abuse services since 1983 from its main campus, located on more than 30 acres of land in rural Somerset County, the high point of Pennsylvania. “High” refers only to elevation, of course, because it provides a tranquil setting for a full range of treatment services from detox to outpatient treatment, prevention and DUI classes.
Accommodations and Food
Twin Lakes Center’s residential treatment center is coed, serving adults ages 18 and over. Men and women are housed in separate cabins, which can each accommodate up to 12 residents, three or four to a room depending on the census. Small but homey, each room has twin beds with a shared dresser and closet. There is one large, dorm-style bathroom with separate showers per cabin. Sleeping quarters are located on the second floor of each unit, leaving the ground floor for community dining and a TV room.
Food is served buffet-style in the kitchen, located on the ground floor of the men’s cabin. Staff prepares all food, and the basic food groups are provided at each meal. Special dietary requests are possible, but must be discussed during intake. Weather permitting, lunch and dinner are served outside under shady trees at picnic benches. All counseling offices and therapy rooms are located on the first floor of the women’s house, along with the nurses’ station and a small detox unit.
Treatment and Staff
Twin Lakes provides a medically managed detox, administering Suboxone and Subutex if needed. The six-bed detox unit is supervised 24 hours a day and overseen by a registered nurse. Typically clients are in detox from three to seven days before transitioning into the inpatient program.
The inpatient program is 28 days, with three levels of step-down treatment options at discharge. The program provides group and individual therapy, daily 12-step meetings, grief and loss counseling, family support and education, and specialized therapy for clients with co-occurring disorders. During the intake and assessment process, each client is assigned a therapist and given a treatment schedule.
Days begin with breakfast at 7 am and the first group starts at 8:30 am. Schedules vary depending on the client, but all residents have a full day with lunch served at noon and free time before dinner from 4:30 to 6 pm. Groups are facilitated by one of the therapists and topics change weekly. Clients go to outside 12-step meetings three nights per week, with one night reserved for an in-house meeting led by one of the residents.
Twin Lakes Center also offers three levels of outpatient substance abuse counseling. The Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is the highest level of outpatient care. Clients receive a total of 14 hours of treatment per week, including four groups that are three hours in length and two individual sessions that are one hour in length. PHP is a secure step down for someone who is leaving residential treatment and is also ideal for clients who are employed or otherwise unable to stay at the facility. The curriculum is based on DBT and 12-step fundamentals. Most clients spend eight weeks in PHP.
The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) level of care is a total of seven hours per week, consisting of two groups, which are three hours in length, and one individual session, which is one hour in length. The program focuses on relapse prevention as well as recovery topics that are chosen by the group. It is typically six weeks long, but can vary based on the counseling assessment.
Lastly, the outpatient level of care consists of five or less hours per week of individual and group therapy. Outpatient services are located off-site in three neighboring cities: Bedford, Ebensburg and Johnstown. Clients meet with the same counselor every week and create an individualized treatment plan. It is recommended that clients commit to at least eight sessions. This is the only option that is also offered to adolescents and parental involvement is required. Parents must attend at least two individual therapy sessions and one family group per month. All outpatient locations facilitate groups in classroom settings, with comfortable seating, plenty of natural light and a snack bar. Individual therapy sessions are conducted in a private counseling office.
There are six Master’s-level therapists on staff at the main campus, making for a client-to-staff ratio of two-to-one in the residential program. Twin Lakes Centers employs a total of 30 staff members, a combination of Master’s-level therapists, addiction counselors, prevention specialists and medical support staff.
Extras
Twin Lakes Center offers a comprehensive prevention program, including Project Towards No Drug Abuse for high school students, which was developed at the University of Southern California. They also run a Life Skills program partnering with United Way.
In Summary
Twin Lakes Center has been providing solid, evidence-based recovery for more than 30 years. Its notably wide range of services include an adolescent outpatient program in which parents are required to take an active role and a prevention program.
Twin Lakes Center Location
224 Twin Lakes Rd
Somerset, PA 15501
Twin Lakes Center Cost
$4,700 (28 days). Reach Twin Lakes Center by phone at (814) 443-3639 or by email.
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Photo courtesy of By Bonnachoven (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons (resized and cropped)
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