The Basics
Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center (SACMHC) has been helping people with substance abuse problems for over 40 years. SACMHC now offers outpatient counseling for individuals, families and adolescents at six locations throughout southwest Arkansas. It also operates River Ridge, a residential facility for chemical dependency in Texarkana that offers 12-step based treatment.
Accommodations and Food
The River Ridge residential treatment facility houses 21 people who sleep in twin-sized beds in one of two large, open rooms—one for male residents and one for females. There is one bathroom per gender as well. In spite of the barracks-like sleeping arrangements, River Ridge tries to foster a homelike environment and cultivate as much privacy as possible.
Meals are prepared on-site by a cook and are served cafeteria-style in a dining room. There is no specific nutritional focus to the menu, but the cook takes into account the tastes of residents as well as the dietary needs of people who may be coming off drugs or alcohol.
Treatment and Staff
Between meals, clients at River Ridge put in a 10-hour day that includes 12-step meetings, therapy sessions and educational sessions. Time is also set aside for meditation and recreation. Residential clients can expect to have individual therapy at least three times a week and group therapy every day.
People who come to SACMHC for treatment are first evaluated using the standards of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Individualized treatment plans are developed and clients are placed in either residential care, an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or standard outpatient. SACMH does not offer a medical detox facility but those with co-occurring disorders can be treated in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
River Ridge is mainly 12-step based, although Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques and Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT) are also used. Family involvement is emphasized by SACMHC and alumni can attend aftercare groups.
IOP is a step down from residential care. Clients at this level require structure but not necessarily 24-hour supervision. There is a minimum of three, three-hour group therapy sessions per week. All outpatient clients, intensive and regular, receive a combination of group and individual therapy. All the groups at River Ridge are relatively small—between five and seven people per session—ensuring clients receive sufficient attention.
Staff at River Ridge includes four dorm managers, three clinicians, an on-site director and an off-site specialist in co-occurring disorders who visits the facility regularly. One therapist is an LADC and a CADAC, and another is LADAC-certified. Two clinicians are counselors in training. The program’s director is an LADAC and a CADAC.
Extras
Along with its residential and outpatient programs for adults with substance problems, SACMHC offers psychological treatment for adolescents, including therapeutic foster care, and programs geared toward severely emotionally disturbed children. SACMHC also runs a community-based rehabilitation program to help the mentally ill develop “healthy community living skills, independent living skills, socialization skills, appropriate use of leisure time and vocational development.”
In Summary
According to River Ridge’s program director, it is among the best programs in the state of Arkansas, offering family involvement, aftercare and psychiatric services on an emergency and ongoing basis. The price is right, too. While SACMHC doesn’t accept insurance, its out-of-pocket price for a residential stay is a relatively inexpensive $133 per day. On top of that, many clients are funded by the state of Arkansas.
Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center
2904 Arkansas Blvd
Texarkana, AR 71854
Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center Cost: Residential $4,000 (30 days). Reach Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center by phone at 1-800-652-9166 or by email at mcluts@swacmhc.com.
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