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Good Morning,
I am pleased to offer you our thoughts regarding our daughter’s/son’s recent stay at CARS residential. When I think of CARS, one word comes to mind - HOPE.
From the very beginning I had a sense this was different. My son/daughter has been in several treatment programs, mostly 3-4 weeks depending on insurance. When I spoke with Allison, my daughter's/son’s counselor, I was so encouraged by her words of support and I really got the sense our son’s/daughter’s recovery was in the best hands.
We had a wonderful visit. I can only say that I had a feeling of peace for the first time in several years. He/she was allowed to set her/his own recovery pace and Allison proved to be the connection he/she had missed in so many treatment attempts. During the 4+ months, I witnessed his/her growth in maturity and confidence... We are so grateful and truly feel blessed to have been with CARS. Thank you Allison... all of the staff and nurses. She/he is now settled in to [an aftercare program] and I still feel peace and have a renewed sense of hope.
With gratitude and respect. Bless you All,
A grateful parent
I just spent some time with the coordinator and peer advocate of the COTI program through Helio in Onondaga County—they wanted to tour and meet the staff as well as share the good they are doing for our client population.
I wanted to share with you all that they reported to me that their clients are requesting to be referred to CARS for residential treatment and could not say enough good things about this program.
This is being shared with the intention to inform you all that the SUD community is talking about the benefit and successes of our program; which is a direct reflection of the volume of high quality work you are all providing.
Thank you with sincerity, respect and appreciation.
R quietly made his/her way through the program with a lot of dignity and grace. S/he came here having recently separated from a very long standing relationship. He/she was perplexed as to "how it had all happened," something that I remember R saying during their first group.
S/he was reluctant to step outside of his/her comfort area of AA, Bible study and isolation from younger peers but slowly integrated yoga, Refuge Recovery, recreation, mentorship and group facilitation into his/her program and grew tremendously as a result. S/he tried things he/she was TERRIFIED of and reluctant to attempt, took risks when challenged and remained true to her/his values and showed compassion consistently.
I have treasured working with him/her and learned a great deal. S/he is a great example of why we integrate many methodologies and treatment philosophies into the CARS RARC program as he/she recognized that although her/his original coping skills are helpful s/he (and all of us) will benefit from consistently being open and willing to new thoughts and new ways of doing things. He/she is also a great example of how the treatment plan can be used as an ever-changing and growing document that requires maintenance and review. R was here for 12 weeks!
AB, MPH, CASAC
CARS Residential Addiction Recovery Center
6621 Route 227
PO Box 724
Trumansburg, NY 14886
Hi there,
I just wanted to share something with you all that may be helpful for anyone who questions themselves or who isn’t completely sure why we do what we do…
I listened to a surprising voicemail from a former client named JB. JB was unsuccessfully discharged in April. JB was on my caseload and while s/he was a trying case, I was trying to work with her/him the best I possibly could.
Lately, I have been frustrated, thinking about how close some of my clients have come to successfully discharging and then at the last moment, getting unsuccessfully discharged due to a poor decision that they made. I have started to wonder, is there somewhere I went wrong? As their Addiction Counselor, did I not provide the right clinical interventions? After all, when you’re directly working with someone, it’s difficult not to take it somewhat personally.
Well, as the universe would have it, I heard this voicemail from JB, who said, “Hi, I just wanted to call and let you guys know that I’ve been doing good, I’m still clean and haven’t had any slip-ups. And I wanted to thank you because you’re a big part of it.”
I’m not trying to toot my own horn. What I am trying to say is that it made me realize that even though someone may leave the facility unsuccessfully, that does not mean that something that one of us said or did didn’t stick with the person. It doesn’t mean that they are going to leave and relapse. It also doesn’t mean that we didn’t do everything we could to help the person along in their journey of recovery.
While I’m still learning not to take things personally, I’m learning that I can plant a seed in a person’s mind with the hopes they will take it and use it to grow, (but be OK with the fact they may not), and that’s the best service I could do for someone as a counselor.
Thank you,
A Primary Addiction Counselor
Residential Addiction Recovery Center
Planting a Seed
DS was successfully discharged from CARS RARC in late summer, 2018. DS was discharged bed to bed to a Community Residence in New York State.
DS was given her/his vocational certificate, mentoring certificate, and a reference letter from Jonah Keough, CARS RARC kitchen and food service coordinator.
DS has an appointment for outpatient services and was also referred and connected to other CBO’s who can meet her/his immediate and longer-term needs.
DISCHARGE STATUS: TREATMENT COMPLETED: ALL GOALS COMPLETED
DISCHARGE DISPOSITION: ADDITIONAL TREATMENT AT THIS LEVEL OF CARE NO LONGER NECESSARY
DS came into the program describing her/himself as “a very broken” person, having slept in an elevator for 3 weeks. S/he was able to leave the program not only looking very healthy but gained emotional strength and resilience that s/he didn’t have before. DS was able to gain an incredible amount of support from peers and staff. DS had trouble advocating for him/herself but was able to take recommendations and thrive in the program. S/he was a mentor, ran peer groups, worked breakfast in the kitchen, completed extra chores, and was an all-around positive and influential member of the community.
Thank you to those who helped her/him along while s/he was here!
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