Reasons to Come

1. Licensed for Detox, Mental Health, Chemical dependency and acute mental health care

Brookhaven is a true dual-diagnosis residential facility for clients with multiple needs. The treatment program has several tracks since the presenting issue is usually only the 'Tip of the Iceberg'.

The women who come to Brookhaven with addiction needs often have other issues which can include: Depression, Trauma, Emotional Breakage, Bereavement, Bi-Polar Disorder, Post Stress Syndrome, and Postpartum Depression to mention few of the mental health diagnoses.

Other women come exclusively for mental health and may have had difficulty managing their medication or need to have their medication completely reviewed.

A good diagnosis is essential for a woman to understand her behavior, why it happens, and how it has to be managed going forward.

Why is this so important?

A woman's psychological and emotional status plays a significant part in addictive behavior. Feelings of guilt, shame, or self-condemnation, traumatic memories, feeling 'less than', or feeling totally de-motivated and devoid of identity and sometimes manic and out of control contribute to self medicating, numbing out, or just wanting to isolate and 'turn the world off'.

The root of the difficulties may not be obvious and may be kept hidden or exist as a long term secret.

The feelings may be so difficult to cope with that managing work pressures, marriage, children, financial burdens, a broken relationship, divorce, the death of a loved one, parental relationships, physical illness and/or college becomes overwhelming.

When this happens, a woman needs professional assistance to plot out where the pain is coming from and what needs to be put in place to create new coping skills and the strength to make changes.

2. Female Only Residential Facility

Women are different from men and have different needs. Women like to have children, they are physically less strong than men, and they possess different physical needs than men.

Women generally earn less in the work place. They have a different emotional threshold. The roles and demands within society are different to those of a male.

Why?

We want the women at Brookhaven to cut off the noise of life and have the least distractions possible while focusing on their journey of introspection.

The program itself is designed to address the specific needs of women and the roles they have within family and society in order to achieve a long-term plan of maintained wellness.

The safety and security of 'all female' allows them to disclose things that are very difficult or impossible to disclose within a co-ed arrangement. Husbands, Fathers and Partners often feel more secure having their loved one in an all female facility. 'All female' enhances a woman's ability to feel understood and accepted without judgment, shame or guilt. Issues of a sexual, violent, abusive or abandonment nature can be more fully explored and better resolutions achieved.

3. Onsite Female Owner

Jacqueline's powerful and innovative vision and commitment inspires clients and keeps Brookhaven on the leading edge of residential facilities. Her personal journey of loss and depression gives hope for healing and living in the future, regardless of present circumstances.

Requests and decisions can be made very quickly with no hierarchy, board of directors, or partners to deal with.

Why?

Jacqueline is available and dedicated to maintaining the finest residential treatment program in the world. The clinical staff are carefully selected for their knowledge, experience, and commitment to this vision. Having experienced brokenness, devastation, and dark times after the death of her 18 year old daughter and the subsequent divorce from her husband of 25 years, she has already walked the path of many of the women that come to stay at Brookhaven.

4. Individualized Treatment Plan

There are no "one size fits all" programs at Brookhaven. Every woman that comes here has a treatment plan designed specifically for her needs and circumstances.

Why?

There are extraordinary differences between our women's needs. For those with mental health needs, emotional breakage, addiction or addictive and unhealthy behaviors, the combination of issues is different from person to person. Some women have one primary issue, but many women have a combination of several issues and need to have them all explored and treated at the same time to achieve a good result.

Each client has a unique family and environmental history, a specific living arrangement, and a differing social background and set of personal experiences. The one-size-fits-all solution cannot work for the women that come to Brookhaven and many have attended other treatments that have not worked for them because this approach was taken. We will not set a woman up for failure.

Furthermore, we have a full medical team including a full time psychiatrist, nurse practitioners, and nurses who are aware of the physical organic medical ailments that can contribute to self medicating or alcohol use. At Brookhaven, members of our treatment team meet individually with each client, and then the entire treatment team meets to design a specific program for her to follow. The majority of the services you may need are offered on-site at no additional cost, but please discuss personalized treatments options with your client liaison.

The diversity requires specific assessment and treatment to address the particular individual's needs.

At Brookhaven, the entire treatment team is part of the individual's treatment plan.

5. The treatment team approach

Monday to Friday, the treatment team meets each day at 8 a.m. to discuss each client one by one.

The treatment team is made up of the Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurses, Therapists, Close-Care Providers, Admission Coordinators, After-Care Planner, and the Owner.

Each day, the progress of each client is discussed and treatment plans are revised.

Why?

There is a tremendous benefit to having all the clinical team in one place at one time; to understand all the perspectives and dynamics of an individual's needs and to plan around all of those perspectives and dynamics. The team is able to pool all its expertise and recommendations and to discuss how they can achieve the best results. Some of the team will have worked with you individually, while others will have been aware of your behaviors and patterns through monitoring your sleep and eating.

6. One-on-one Individual therapy

At Brookhaven, the program includes weekly one-on-one therapy, and more as required, with professionals that are among the finest in the world of mental health, substance abuse, and emotional breakage treatment.

Why?

Within total privacy, safety, and confidentiality, a professional therapist can enable a client to face and discuss their innermost fears and painful memories and experiences. This emotionally-intensive care allows the healing process to begin and enables progress toward understanding and recovery. Nobody chooses to become sick; with this process, our clients can choose to become well.

7. Equine Assisted Therapy

We have four Tennessee Walking Horses on location on the 48-acre grounds at Brookhaven. These horses are not for riding. All the work with them is done on the ground. These horses are trained for therapy, as are the certified therapists who conduct this part of the program. Even many of the clients not in this therapy are horse lovers that like to just walk with the horses and commune with them. Equine assisted therapy is also used with families and younger children.

Why?

Horses do not judge people; they express unconditional love. They are powerful in size and are able to sense and reflect the emotion you are feeling. They are able to connect very strongly with those that are in pain and create an environment that allows a person to talk about the most difficult of subjects. Many clients are able to feel love from the horses, even when they cannot love themselves. It promotes a serenity and tranquility within the spirit of the person. It empowers the people to have more positive relationships with themselves. The gentle therapeutic nature of these horses encourages you to face your fears.

8. Spiritual Counseling.

Spiritual counseling is not religious counseling but has to do with the heart and spirit of the person. Many people neglect their spiritual well being and have often lost or never possessed a belief system.

Why?

We are all spiritual creatures, and for each of us, there is a plan and a purpose. Discovering your individual purpose and plan can be the most delightful and important discovery you will ever make.

9. Holistic Bodywork

Brookhaven offers assistance with acupuncture, reflexology massage, and salon and spa therapy both on and off site. These body work therapies often facilitate the relief of physical pain and clear toxins that have been left behind in fatty and muscle tissues by drug or alcohol use.

Why?

Considering a range of treatments both traditional and holistic ensures that no stone is left unturned. Holistic treatment also adds self esteem and confidence in some of our clients that have almost none. The more cleansed the body can be from the toxic buildup, the better the overall health can become. The often neglected self care can begin to be restored.

10. Limited Enrollment

We only accept a limited number of women into the program at any one time.

Why?

It is easy to loose identity and not feel individually recognized in a larger organization. In programs where there are sixty, seventy, eighty or even a hundred other clients, individualized approaches and the strong sense of camaraderie found at Brookhaven are almost impossible.

Here, the philosophy dictates that each client's circumstances are unique and that enough time and attention should be given to their particular needs so that the best possible results and long term outcomes are achieved. Brookhaven has a small, private school feel with core groups that are kept small.

It is very difficult for a client's needs to 'slip through the cracks' or to go unnoticed.

That does not mean that every problem is soluble, and each woman that chooses to come to Brookhaven MUST play their part by engaging in the program to the best of their ability.

However, by having a smaller enrollment, a range of approaches can be used, rather than traditional treatment alone, thereby achieving a comprehensive contemporary treatment plan. This way encompasses all the current research and strategies in order to produce the best results.

11. The Campus at Brookhaven

The property at Brookhaven is nestled on a naturally beautiful 48-acre site secluded in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains. The grounds are superbly landscaped, adding to the tranquility and serenity that is needed to make the journey of introspection and self understanding. The ability to stroll though the woods or by the creek, or to jog along the walking paths will allow you to find a quite place to mediate. Each season has a beauty of it's own at Brookhaven, which experiences none of the extremes in weather. Many of our clients have attested to the healing power of the natural environment at Brookhaven, including those experiencing grief and loss of a loved one.

Why?

Many of the experiences of our women are painful, tragic, and sad . Being in a serene and peaceful environment creates a calm, safe environment that promotes the dignity of each individual. Our clients have to feel safe and protected in order to restore the broken pieces of their lives and start rebuilding self-esteem and confidence, which is pivotal in moving forward.

12. Our Belief about Addiction, Substance Abuse, Emotional and Mental Health Treatment

Throughout the whole addiction industry, there is widespread belief that addiction and alcoholism are a disease in and of themselves, isolated from outside and more complicated issues. This belief results in treatment of the effects of addiction and alcoholism rather than looking at the true root causes.

We believe that addiction and substance abuse are symptoms and manifestations of brokenness in women with emotional damage. In our experience, this can usually be linked with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, and feelings of emptiness and worthlessness, and for some, no will to go on living.

Many women who become overwhelmed by the circumstances they find themselves in just " numb out" in order to cope. Sometimes this behavior has been used by several generations in of family members. This allows the the pressures, disappointments, frustrations and pain to temporarily go away. The problem is that those feelings come right back.

Addictive behaviors are diverse and may include shopping, working, exercising, gambling, alcohol abuse, prescription medication, recreational drugs, chat rooms, video games, eating, or sexual activity. None of these can actually fill the emptiness a person feels and instead act to destroy mental, physical and emotional health even further. During the addiction, a woman cannot typically see or feel the consequences of her actions, but she does know she wants it to stop.

Women rarely ask for help because of pervasive feelings of guilt and shame and a mistaken belief that they should be able to stop on their own. The shadow of addiction and substance abuse is dark and threatening, but when faced with a support team of experienced and knowledgeable professionals, resolutions can be found.

We see the basis for our belief being proven every week at Brookhaven, where a large part of the healing comes from loving oneself and accepting and resolving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual issues.

13. On-site detox

We provide on-site full medical detox with 24-hour supervision. We try very hard to make this process as comfortable as possible. It is absolutely essential that patients requiring de-tox get it in a qualified setting, as their are many medical complications that can take place and could be life threatening.

We have a variety of de-tox protocols which are used to achieve a safe transition from full time medical care into the program. Some of our clients are very afraid of de-tox because of previously uncomfortable experiences. At Brookhaven, our full time nursing staff will do all that is possible to get you through those difficult few days.

Why?

Before the therapeutic journey can begin, those with substance dependancy usually need to go through the process of de-tox, and we find it very helpful to work with each of our clients from the time they decide to go into treatment. A great bond of trust develops at that time, and it is essential that a really good engagement takes place from the beginning.

Some clients do receive a de-tox at another facility before finding Brookhaven. We work closely with other facilities who are providing stabilization services for clients before the clients enter Brookhaven.

It is our goal, from the beginning, to gather a thorough background history so as to move along with a clear and accurate diagnosis and much of that gathering continues to take place even when in de-tox.

14. On-site Nursing

Nursing staff are on the premises twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Why?

The women who come to Brookhaven are seeking help and safety. To insure the safety of every client, we provide 24-hour nursing care and medication management. Many clients have been self neglecting and need assistance with ignored ailments. Our nurses are compassionate and caring and are highly trained in the delivery of good care. They work under the supervision of three dedicated nurse practitioners and the Medical Director.

15. Licensed and Experienced Therapists

All our therapists are State Licensed or certified and have considerable experience. This requires that they have a Master's or Ph.D.. Each therapistcarries a small case-load of individual clients, so you will know your therapist very intimately.

All the therapists have different talents and skills and we work hard to match you and your needs with what we think is a good therapeutic fit. The therapists and the medical team will be working with you individually. If you feel an instant 'click' with a therapist other than the one assigned to you, we will make arrangements for you to be reassigned.

Why?

The trend in many places is to use young counsellors because of the difficulty staffing a treatment center with the right quality of people.

We believe in the philosophy, 'the quality of your life is determined by the quality of those in it.' And that applies to the professionals in your life as well.

The women who choose to come to Brookhaven are usually complex with multi-dynamics and therefore need staff that are capable of working with all those needs but also that have the hearts that really care. We have a staff team that is second to none, and our clients constantly tell us how much having the 'right' team made the difference.