The Basics
At Meridian Behavioral Health Avalon Center, men and women are offered outpatient substance abuse treatment programs with additional support for those with co-occurring disorders. Meridian Behavioral Health has a network of treatment facilities throughout Minnesota—in Brainerd, Eagan, Minnetonka, Pine City, Stillwater and St. Paul—which offer a variety of other treatment programs, including residential.
During treatment, clients are provided individual and group therapy along with educational lectures and films aimed to motivate, educate and facilitate recovery. Though 12-step participation is not mandatory, clients are highly encouraged to attend off-site AA/NA meetings. Outpatient programs are available with both co-ed and gender-specific groups.
Treatment and Staff
Upon admittance, clients undergo an initial assessment during which a clinician gathers all the necessary information needed to properly diagnose each individual. Clients in need of more intensive services are offered referrals to outside facilities. Off-site medication management services are available when needed as well.
Treatment at MBHAC consists of low and high intensity programs that lasts for 15 to 19 weeks depending on each person’s needs. Clients usually stay in the high intensity for the first seven weeks, during which they attend three group sessions a week for three hours at a time. For the remainder of treatment they usually transition into a lower intensity program that requires only two group sessions a week.
Sessions are available at all six facilities in the mornings and evenings, though some facilities only offer one or the other. Among the locations offering co-ed groups in the morning and evening are the Pine City and Minnetonka locations. Groups at Pine City meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to noon or in the afternoons from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The Minnetonka groups meet at 9 am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while afternoon groups meet on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The Minnetonka office is the only location with a weekend group which meets on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to noon. Stillwater and Eagan offer groups in the evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 pm. The Brainerd location only offers an afternoon co-ed group on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, though the facility also holds a women’s-only group on the same days at 9 am. Finally, the St. Paul location exclusively provides two women’s meetings at 9 am and 5 pm.
All sessions cover topics including the disease of addiction, anger management, personal relationships, self-acceptance, communication skills, family dynamics, co-occurring disorders and relapse prevention. All use education and discussions, lectures and movies. While the women’s-only groups discuss the same material as the co-ed groups, their main focus is to provide comfort to women with specific vulnerabilities towards men. Individual sessions are scheduled as needed but are typically provided once a week for an hour long.
Counselors at MBHAC use techniques like Motivational Interviewing (MI) and CBT. Though there are no 12-step groups at MBHAC, the program does support 12-step based recovery by offering referrals to community meetings upon request. Still, attendance is not mandatory. The staff at MBHAC consists of LADCs, CADCs and LPCs.
Extras
MCHAC also offers outpatient services to those currently incarcerated in Crow Wing County Jail and Ramsey County Correctional Facility. These services are similar to the general outpatient programs, consisting of group and individual therapy on a weekly basis. Clients who don’t complete a program while incarcerated can transfer into one of the community-based outpatient programs to complete treatment upon release.
In Summary
MBHAC offers structured outpatient services in six different facilities throughout Minnesota. Their programs provide evening and morning groups to easily accommodate each client’s schedule. MBHAC seeks to educate and support adults in recovery with a variety of co-ed and gender specific groups meeting a wide range of recovery needs.
Meridian Behavioral Health Avalon Center
550 Main St
New Brighton, MN 55112
Meridian Behavioral Health Avalon Center Cost: Varies by insurance. Reach Meridian Behavioral Health by phone at (877) 367-1714 or (612) 454-2014.
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