FAQs
Residential Treatment FAQs
We treat all substance and alcohol problems along with other compulsive behavior problems. Our team is also trained in evidence-based approaches for identifying and addressing other issues that may be causing problems, including trauma and underlying mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). All CMC clinicians are well-trained in a variety of evidence-based treatments for trauma, mood disorders, and personality disorders. We recognize that you must address these underlying issues for the overall picture to improve.
Yes. At any given time, several of our residents are in 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), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Somatic Experiencing (SE), STAIR (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation), and Written Exposure Therapy (WET) which are evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and complex trauma. If you decide to engage in trauma treatment with us, you will have an additional therapist seeing you for two additional weekly sessions. Please go to this page to learn more.
All therapy at CMC:Berkshires is conducted by doctoral-level psychologists or master’s-level clinicians. To meet our clinical staff, click here. In addition, we have trained all direct care staff (our “Recovery Specialists”, or RSs) and other support staff in Motivational Interviewing and the Invitation to Change approach (ITC). Hence, clients receive a consistent message throughout our system.
We have a maximum of 15 clients in residence and more than 60 staff members across seven departments: Clinical, Recovery Specialist, Wellness, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Administrative, and Property.
Our minimum length of stay is three weeks. Our typical length of stay is five weeks because most of our clients decide they want to stay longer to continue their work. We focus extensively on co-occurring issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression, anxiety, and relationship issues, which often require more extensive and prolonged treatment. We also want to ensure you have the time to form new habits and learn new skills. Your length of stay is discussed each week in collaboration with your therapist.
Our team is passionate about making delicious food that is healthy, interesting, and culturally diverse. We serve mostly locally grown organic food. Our culinary team will work hard to accommodate your specialized dietary needs.
In short, yes. If you are already a nicotine or tobacco user, you can smoke or vape at CMC:Berkshires. However, we encourage clients who smoke or vape to develop and implement a quit plan with our assistance. You’ll engage in a weekly “Consider My Smoking” group facilitated by our Medical Director. We are so committed to helping you quit smoking or vaping that if you do so at least 14 days before leaving treatment, we use a a type of behavioral therapy that uses rewards to encourage positive behavior changes called contingency management and give you $250 on your last treatment day! If you choose not to quit, you will be allowed to smoke or vape 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, we will discourage you from starting smoking during your stay with us and ask that you meet with our Medical Director.
Yes, you can access your phone, devices, and the internet outside of therapy times. While we encourage you to unplug, we recognize that many clients need to remain connected to the outside world and we strongly encourage you to stay connected to your support system. We also want to help you establish a healthy relationship with technology and that can’t be practiced if we restrict it entirely while you are with us. We will limit access to set times if you use it to isolate or if it interferes with treatment.
Every room at CMC:Berkshires is an individual room furnished with a queen-sized bed and private ensuite bathroom. Each room has its own heating and air conditioning controls. The rooms are luxuriously appointed, with windows and spectacular Berkshire views. To see pictures of CMC:Berkshires and the rooms, click here.
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 therapy sessions, family therapy sessions (when appropriate and applicable), exercise/yoga practice, mindfulness training, and fitness training, to name a few. You will receive four individual psychotherapy sessions per week with your primary therapist, two sessions weekly with your family therapist, and three group sessions per day, Monday through Friday.
At intake, we conduct a thorough medical evaluation and assessment and will support you in staying on prescribed medications and them being used appropriately. If you or your referring psychiatrist/physician believe 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 this needs to be a collaborative process tailored to you, 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. We will consider medications often blocked by other residential programs, like stimulants and Medications for Addiction Treatment or substance use disorders (MATs such as buprenorphine).
We work with each client to determine if off-property visits are appropriate and potentially helpful to treatment. For example, toward the end of your stay, we may suggest a trip home to experience what that feels like. This is often helpful in determining the appropriate aftercare resources. We also frequently take our clients into the community for enjoyable outings (museums, galleries, cultural events, etc.).
The self-pay model removes the treatment limitations of insurance companies, which prioritize efficiency over comprehensive clinical care.
We’re a non-12-step program. The 12-step community is a powerful support group that has helped thousands of people but does not work for everyone. We aim to expose clients to various peer support options within our residential treatment facility, including Dharma Recovery, Refuge Recovery, SMART Recovery, and 12-step meetings, should they want to explore those options.
While the 12-step approach helps some people, there is no evidence that it is the only way to make real and long-lasting changes in substance use. Some people find aspects of the 12-step approach unhelpful, especially the suggestions that you identify as an “addict or alcoholic,” “surrender” and concede that “you are powerless,” accept that “you have a disease,” or to call upon a “higher power.” Some of the clearest evidence we have concerning addictive behaviors is that people change in many, many different ways, along different paths, and that confining a person to only one option will most likely block them from making positive change. One size does not fit all!
Outpatient treatment FAQs
Co-founders Dr. Jeffrey Foote and Dr. Carrie Wilkens opened CMC in 2003 to address the profound lack of evidence-based treatment options for substance issues. Their program was the first in NYC that was non-12-step/abstinence-only and the first to use only highly trained clinicians to provide evidence-based outpatient treatment. Thankfully, the field has started to shift, and there are more options like our outpatient program available. The difference is that we have been leaders in the field since our inception, and most of our clinicians are senior-level with decades or more of experience.
No. Alcoholics Anonymous or AA is widely accessible and is instrumental in helping many people make positive changes. Many of our clients actively participate in AA in addition to their work at CMC. While the 12-step approach helps some people, many find aspects of the 12-step approach unhelpful, especially the recommendations that you identify as an “addict” or “alcoholic,” “surrender,” accept that “you are powerless,” and have a “disease.”
Research suggests that regularly attending self-help groups increases the rate of success over the long term when it comes to achieving abstinence from substances. There is no denying that there is something quite profound about being part of a solid recovery-driven community of peers. To this end, we encourage people to try a variety of self-help groups, including Recovery Dharma, SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, and AA, because they offer free and immediate support from peers with similar goals.
The U.S. addiction treatment system (and the public), unlike that of many other countries, has traditionally held a black-and-white view of addiction as a “disease” for which abstinence is the only solution. The data about how people behave and change contradicts this view. For most people, substance use falls on a continuum somewhere between unproblematic, problematic in varying ways and degrees, and destructive. For most people, change is a gradual process that involves weighing the costs and benefits of a behavior like substance use and then deciding to try to make a change, usually incrementally, until the problem behavior is resolved. For some, this can result in successful moderation; for others, abstinence is the only way to eliminate the negative effects of their use. The bottom line? It’s different for different people.
We will work with you to understand your patterns and goals and assess whether you feel moderation is a viable option, and if it is, we will help you learn the skills to be successful.
Probably not as most people can make changes at an outpatient level of care. The question is, do you think you can make the changes you want to make in your current environment? One major benefit of inpatient or residential treatment (aka “rehab”) is that it removes you from your surroundings so that you have space to change and time to start building the skills you will need to sustain those changes when you get home, all without the stress of dealing with your everyday environment.
At the same time, most people cannot afford to step out of their lives completely to go to residential treatment, which may not be the best idea for other reasons. We recommend starting with an assessment where we can help you think through your options. We will likely encourage you to let us try to help you make changes in outpatient therapy without putting the rest of your life on hold.
If you’re wondering if inpatient treatment is right for you, click here to learn more about our residential program, CMC:Berkshires.
Absolutely. Approximately 80% of our clients have outside therapists and providers with whom they continue to work as they participate in treatment at CMC. Most people feel that focusing on their substance use or other problematic behaviors like gambling with a CMC therapist allows them to make significant progress with their outside therapist with a focus on other important issues.
We collaborate closely with outside therapists and tailor our work to complement your work with them. We also work closely with trusted colleagues who can provide expert psychiatric and medication evaluation, consultation and management medication, nutritional consultation, and other wellness support.
Outpatient treatment length and intensity (how often you come in) vary. Some clients come once a week for individual sessions, while others come for group and individual treatment five days a week. Short-term options include evaluation only, a brief two-week assessment, and a treatment plan formulation.
The type and intensity of treatment depend on various factors, including the severity of substance use and associated problems, sources of outside support, presence of other emotional and psychiatric issues, and overall quality of life and functioning. After an initial two-hour comprehensive assessment, we will work with you to design an outpatient therapy schedule to help you reach your goals.
Often, people come to us for a period of time and then take a break to work on making changes using the skills they have learned. You can always come back for a tune-up or to address a new behavior you want to change. Our model is flexible and individualized. We are proud to say that every client at CMC is doing something different!
The U.S. treatment system (and the public), unlike that of many other countries, has traditionally held a black-and-white view of substance abuse as a “disease” for which abstinence is the only solution. The data about how people really behave and change contradict this view. For most people, use falls on a continuum somewhere between unproblematic, problematic in varying ways and degrees, and destructive; and for most people, change is a gradual process that involves weighing the costs and benefits and then deciding to try something different, usually incrementally, until the problem behavior is resolved. For some, this can result in successful moderation; for others, abstinence is the only way to eliminate the negative effects of their use. The bottom line? It’s different for different people.
We will work with you to understand your patterns and goals and assess whether you feel moderation is a viable option, and if it is, we will help you learn skills to be successful.
Lapses and returns to old behaviors are part of the change process for most (though not all) people attempting to make difficult life changes. They can most helpfully be seen as sources of information rather than as failures: they point to where there’s more work to be done. In all learning, there are mistakes and setbacks, and when it comes to behavior change, ambivalence is normal. We will help you understand your patterns and what causes you to go back to behaviors you are trying to avoid; and we will teach you the skills you need to keep moving forward.
If this is you, bravo! It takes courage to try to make a change and perseverance to try again. You understand how difficult it can be to make long-lasting changes. You may need some guidance on how best to make these changes stick. If you haven’t attended any self-help meetings, such as AA, NA, SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, or Recovery Dharma, then you might want to start there. These great resources have helped countless people change their substance use behaviors. But if you’re on this website, you’re probably ready for a different kind of support. We are experts in helping people develop the skills they need to change, motivation to sustain them, and compassion for themselves while pursuing this difficult work.
Probably not! Most people are able to make changes at an outpatient level of care. The question is, do you think you can make the changes you want to make in your current environment? One major benefit of inpatient treatment is that it removes you from your surroundings so that you have space to change and time to start building the skills you will need to sustain those changes when you get home, all without the stress of dealing with your everyday environment. At the same time, most people cannot afford to step out of their lives completely in order to go to residential treatment, and it may not be the best idea for other reasons. We recommend that you start with a consultation with our intake team, who can help you think through your options. It is very likely that we will encourage you to let us try to help you make changes as an outpatient without putting the rest of your life on hold.
If you’re wondering if inpatient treatment is right for you, click here to learn more about our residential program, CMC:Berkshires.
Absolutely. Approximately 80% of our clients have outside providers with whom they continue to work as they participate in treatment at CMC. In fact, most people feel that by focusing on their compulsive behavior problems with us, they are able to make significant progress with their outside therapist, as they work with new clarity and freedom on issues they had been avoiding with substances or other compulsive behaviors.
Treatment length and intensity (how often you come in) vary. Some of our clients come once a week for individual sessions only; others come five days a week for group and individual treatment. Short-term options include evaluation only or a brief two-week assessment and plan. The type and intensity of treatment depends on a variety of factors, including the severity of substance use and associated problems, sources of outside support, presence of other emotional and psychiatric issues, and overall quality of life and functioning. After an initial two-hour comprehensive evaluation, we design with you a treatment plan that makes the most sense.
Both cognitive-behavioral and motivational treatments are relatively short-term, typically lasting between two weeks and six months. (Motivational Interviewing, the approach behind our motivational work, takes only two sessions!) For all of our clients, treatment is results-oriented; that is, we use objective and individualized measures to continually assess whether the treatment plan is working.
Often, people come to us for a period of time and then take a break to work on making changes using the skills they have learned. You can always come back for a tune-up or to address a new behavior you want to change. Our model is flexible and individualized. We are proud to say that every client at CMC is doing something different!
Referral FAQs
The CMC:Berkshires team has a deep appreciation for outpatient treatment. We have been running our outpatient program since 2003, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 a member of our clinical assessment team, who would be happy to discuss this with you.
Telehealth FAQs
Our telehealth services are easy to use. When you contact our Initial Consultation Team, you’ll receive guidance on enrolling in and using our telehealth program and an understanding of how we protect your confidentiality.
A telehealth appointment is an online individual or group therapy session with one of our clinicians. Usually, you only need a phone or computer, an internet connection, and a quiet location with privacy.
Our Initial Consultation Team will work with you to determine the telehealth services that can help you achieve your goals. They will connect you to a clinician licensed in your state.
Our clinicians are trained in effective therapies to address substance use and other compulsive behavioral problems like gambling, spending, gaming, etc. We work with clients to help identify other underlying mental health issues such as trauma, ADHD, depression, and anxiety since they need to be addressed to maintain lasting behavioral change.
CMC Telehealth offers individual and group therapy online. Treatment is evidence-based, including Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive-Behavioral approaches (CBT), Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), and our Invitation to Change (ITC).
We also provide evidence-based assessment and treatment of trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE), Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Research on the effectiveness of telehealth psychotherapy compared to in-person therapy suggests it can be as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy for many mental health conditions. However, it depends on the severity of the symptoms and personal preferences. Our team will work with you to decide if it is an effective option. If you prefer in-person services, they will pivot to help you transition to in-person services if feasible.
Trauma Treatment FAQS
At CMC, we provide treatment for diverse types of trauma, including but not limited to childhood trauma, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, community violence, bullying, combat trauma, accidents, and complex trauma.
At CMC, we prioritize maintaining strict confidentiality. We adhere to rigorous ethical guidelines and regulations throughout treatment to ensure your privacy.
The duration of trauma treatment usually varies depending on the individual’s unique experiences and the severity of the impact. At CMC, we know one size does not fit all so we work with you to create a personalized treatment plan that may involve short-term or long-term therapy options.
We provide the self-pay model for our trauma services. It eliminates the treatment limitations of insurance companies, which often prioritize efficiency over comprehensive clinical care.
To begin trauma therapy with us, you can contact us to schedule an initial consultation. During the consultation, we'll discuss your questions, conduct a comprehensive assessment, and work together to decide on the best treatment plan to support your healing journey.
If you or your loved one experienced a traumatic event or series of events that continue to impact proper functioning in daily life, trauma therapy would be essential. Avoidance behaviors, nightmares, panic attacks, and quick irritability are some of the symptoms of trauma needing treatment.
Family Services FAQs
Our clinicians work with concerned friends and family members of all types, including spouses/partners, parents, grandparents, and siblings.
We work with each family individually, so the number of sessions will depend on your specific needs. During the initial assessment, we will work with you to determine the best approach for your family (e.g., frequency of sessions, involved parties, etc.). At the beginning of our work, many family members work with us weekly to gain traction and learn skills. Once they have made progress and can utilize skills effectively, they come in as needed for specific coaching (e.g., during periods of transition etc)
Our approach to family treatment will be determined by your family's unique needs. Our treatments are evidence-based and include Cognitive-Behavioral approaches (CBT), Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), and our Invitation to Change® (ITC). Several family therapists are also trained in Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT for PTSD), and The Gottman Approach.
Here is some of the feedback we have heard from family members who have started to use the Invitation to Change® (ITC) and CRAFT as they help themselves and their loved one:
“Learning the Invitation to Change approach and being in a family group has been very helpful to me. I have learned how to communicate in ways my loved one can hear. We don’t fight as much which is good for my blood pressure. I can also respond to his behaviors in ways that move him toward healthier behaviors. The nice thing is I’m not being as hard on myself which helps a lot.”
“The information from the ITC sensible, practical and actually easy to implement.”
“I was really overwhelmed and feeling lost when I started. The ITC has helped me find my north star within myself and it gets me through tough moments with my kid. She still struggles but at least I’m able to be the best version of myself as a mom who is trying to help.”
“This is the best approach for families. I wish more people knew about it.”