COVID-19 Update: now offering in-person sessions. Details here
arrow-left Back To Residential

FAQs

Inpatient FAQs

Edit Content

We treat all substance and alcohol problems along with other compulsive behavior problems. We also work with clients to help identify other issues that may be causing problems, including trauma and underlying mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or OCD. All CMC clinicians are well trained in a variety of evidence-based treatments for trauma, mood disorders, and personality disorders. We strongly believe you have to address these underlying issues for the overall picture to improve.

Edit Content

At any given time, several of our residents are seeking treatment to address the specific impact that trauma has had on their lives. Our entire program has been designed to accommodate and support this life-changing work. We offer targeted and empirically validated trauma treatments such as Prolonged Exposure (PE), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and STAIR (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation), which are evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and complex trauma. Please go to Trauma Treatment to learn more.

Edit Content

All therapy is conducted by doctoral-level psychologists or master’s-level social workers. To meet our clinical staff, visit our team page. In addition, we have trained all direct care staff (our “recovery specialists”) and other support staff in Motivational Interviewing and Community Reinforcement Approach techniques, so clients receive a consistent message throughout our system.

Edit Content

We have a maximum of 13 clients in residence and more than 60 staff members across seven departments: Clinical, Recovery Specialist, Wellness, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Administrative, and Property.

Edit Content

The standard length of stay is 30 days. We will consider a shorter length of stay when clinically appropriate, but best outcomes are usually achieved over a longer period, since we work hard to address co-occurring symptoms such as PTSD and other mood disorders. These issues often require more extensive and prolonged treatment. We also want to make sure that you have the time you need to form new habits and learn new skills. We will consider a shorter stay if you have had a lot of treatment in the past (most likely other inpatient stays) and/or you have had sustained success in maintaining substance goals in the past. We think of these admissions as a “tune-up.” If you are interested in a non-standard length of stay, be sure to bring that up when you have your initial intake conversation. We are happy to discuss this and give you our clinical feedback.

Edit Content

Our team is passionate about making delicious food that is also healthy, interesting, and culturally diverse. In season, we serve mostly locally grown organic food. While we are not a short-order kitchen, our culinary team will work hard to accommodate your specialized dietary needs.

Edit Content

In short, yes. If you are already a cigarette smoker, you can smoke at CMC:Berkshires. However, we encourage clients who smoke to develop and implement a quit plan with our assistance. We are so committed to helping you quit smoking that if you do so at least ten days before leaving treatment, we will give you $100! If you choose not to quit, you will be allowed to smoke in designated outdoor areas away from other clients.

Most importantly, we don’t want anyone to leave CMC:Berkshires with a new substance habit, so if you enter as a non-smoker, you will not be allowed to start smoking during your stay with us.

Edit Content

Yes, you will have access to your phone/devices/the Internet outside of therapy times. We really encourage you to unplug and dig deep within yourself for understanding, awareness, and tolerance. Technology tends to take us all outside of ourselves, and as a result, we will limit access if you are using it to isolate or if it is interfering with treatment. That said, we know that for many people, it is not an option to be completely disconnected for 30 days, so you will be given access at set times.

Edit Content

Every room at CMC:Berkshires is an individual room, furnished with a queen-sized bed and private en-suite bathroom. Each room has its own controls for heating and air conditioning. The rooms are luxuriously appointed, and all have windows with spectacular Berkshires views. To see pictures of CMC:Berkshires and the rooms, click here.

Edit Content

We believe that clients benefit most from having an assortment of different treatment modalities. That is why at CMC:Berkshires, you will attend both individual and group sessions, as well as family sessions (when appropriate and applicable), exercise/yoga practice, mindfulness training, and fitness training, to name a few. You will receive a minimum of three individual sessions per week (typically four) with your primary therapist, one family session per week with your dedicated family therapist, and three group sessions per day (M–F).

Edit Content

Included in the rate is:

  • Room and board and transportation during your stay (after arrival and prior to departure)
  • Individual, group, and family therapy
  • Initial medical assessment (history and physical) and ongoing medical support
  • Initial psychiatric assessment and ongoing medication management sessions
  • Initial nutrition and fitness assessment
  • Daily group yoga and fitness activities; gym access, fitness equipment, on-site recreational opportunities
  • Daily mindfulness activities
  • Weekly wellness credits to be applied to individual fitness sessions (amounts to eight 30-minute fitness sessions in a 30-day stay).
Edit Content

Ideally, we try to involve family early on through phone/video chat sessions using an evidence-based approach called CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) and our Invitation to Change Approach® (ITC). We offer on-site family sessions when possible given travel constraints and other factors. You will have a family therapist in addition to your primary therapist. We do not have a typical “family week.” We work to understand the unique circumstances of your life and family before we decide whether and how to involve your family in treatment.

Edit Content

At intake, we will complete a thorough medication evaluation and will support you staying on medications that are prescribed and being used appropriately. If you or your referring psychiatrist/physician believe that it would be important or helpful to re-evaluate your medication regimen, we can and will do that as well. As with most things at CMC:Berkshires, we believe that this needs to be a collaborative process, and you will be an integral part of your medical assessment. You will meet with our medical director and/or addiction psychiatrist weekly or as needed.

Edit Content

When appropriate, we bring our clients into the community for outings in addition to facilitating exposure excursions, where you will have the opportunity to practice remaining abstinent while engaging in activities such as attending concerts, going to yoga classes, and practicing being at a restaurant and using drink refusal skills. The goal is to help you use your time at CMC:Berkshires to build the skills you need in order to live a full and fulfilling life. We think of trips to town as valuable time to practice those skills. (This practice is currently paused due to COVID-19.)

FAQs for Referral Sources

The CMC:Berkshires team has a deep appreciation for outpatient treatment. We have been running our outpatient program since 2004, and we believe outpatient is the preferred and appropriate treatment option for most clients. Outpatient treatment has the ability to help people learn life-changing skills while staying engaged in their day-to-day life. We also know that as the outpatient provider, you are a wealth of information about your client. We have had too many experiences ourselves where we felt that the information we had to offer an inpatient team was not used as well as it could have been to benefit our client’s inpatient stay. We respect how much work goes into helping someone make the decision to come to residential treatment and recognize that getting to that point can be a bumpy road. We value your input and will be interacting with you throughout the process (assuming your referral allows us to include you).

Before your client is admitted, they will have an in-depth phone screen with one of our senior clinicians, both to provide the client with information about our facility and to make sure that they are an appropriate referral. Part of this screen will involve calling you to get your perspective on your client to help us determine whether CMC:Berkshires is a good fit.

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the referral process. If you have any additional questions, please contact us directly, and you will be put in touch with one of our directors.

Edit Content

Whenever anyone inquires about coming to CMC:Berkshires, one of our clinicians will spend significant time speaking with all relevant parties involved in this referral. As part of that collateral conversation, we will discuss the treatment process and start to put together an individual treatment plan based on the information that we receive from everyone involved. We believe that for many clients, maintaining a connection with their outpatient provider can improve comfort and continuity. If it seems clinically appropriate for your client to have continued contact with you while they are at CMC:Berkshires and that is something that you are interested in doing, we will work to build it into their schedule. Again, this is based on each individual’s unique situation, and the decision is made in conjunction with all relevant parties.

Edit Content

At CMC:Berkshires, we pride ourselves on having consistent contact with collaterals. The person who contacts you with updates will be the client’s individual therapist, the person working directly with your client. Once your client is admitted to CMC:Berkshires and has signed a release, you will have regular contact with your client’s individual therapist. We value collaboration with our clients’ outside treatment providers and want you to be informed of your client’s progress and treatment plan. We will call to solicit your opinion on things given your knowledge of your client and their support network. We will provide weekly updates for each of your clients who are staying with us so that you are up to date on what is going on, what they are working on, and the proposed next steps in treatment.

Edit Content

Yes! We believe that continuing care planning starts when a person first enters CMC:Berkshires. Specifically, we believe that treatment providers always need to be working with their client’s end-goal in mind. Where will they go after this? What kind of supports are already in place? What areas do we need to focus on to reinforce and develop more deeply?

Unless your client decides to leave for unexpected reasons, you will know the discharge date well in advance and will be thoughtfully involved in the planning. We will be asking for your recommendations. Our therapists are our continuing care coordinators, as they know the clients best and are well positioned to develop a good plan.

Edit Content

We can help you determine if a residential setting is an appropriate fit for your client or if they need a different level of care. If you have any questions, please contact one of our psychologists, who would be happy to discuss this with you.

Share This Page:

Connect with us

Facebook Youtube Instagram Linkedin

New Workbook

The Beyond Addiction Workbook for Family and Friends: Evidence-Based Skills to Help a Loved One Make Positive Change, is our first full-length publication on the Invitation to Change Approach (ITC). From Dr. Carrie Wilkens, Dr. Jeff Foote, and Dr. Ken Carpenter (authors of Beyond Addiction).
Workbook Details