Finding the Right Path for Each Individual, Making It Easy to Work Out....
The Resilience Regiment speaks with AToN Center
Innovation, individual attention, and an integrated approach distinguish the philosophy that drives the staff at AToN Center in San Diego, where residential clients work toward substance abuse recovery through methods including 12-step rehab, holistic services, and SMART recovery. Where there’s motivation, says Program Director Leslie Sanders, Psy.D., the AToN team can work with individuals to find the unique combination that will help them find recovery.
Is there a condition you've had particular success treating?
AToN Center is a private sanctuary where the process of overcoming addiction begins. It is our mission to help each individual find recovery, while equipping our residents with the tools necessary to live healthy, substance-free lives. We have been particularly successful in treating individuals with addiction and co-occurring disorders, often depression, anxiety, and/or trauma. In 2016, 98 percent of our residents were dually diagnosed. The comprehensive and holistic nature of our program enables us to focus on the underlying mental health symptoms that tend to sustain addiction and relapse. We have developed a curriculum based on empirical evidence that includes individual and group therapy, along with community support groups and holistic activities. And we are licensed and certified by the California Department of Healthcare Services, as well as accredited by The Joint Commission.
What one or two factors distinguish your programs?
We are not a strictly 12-step program. It is our belief that a "one size fits all" approach to addiction recovery can be ineffective, and that each client deserves the opportunity to experience a multitude of therapeutic approaches to create a treatment plan that best fits their unique needs and promotes choice. We incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, Biofeedback, and community support groups along with an array of holistic services including massage, acupuncture, personal training, and yoga. While we offer detox services, our emphasis at AToN Center is therapy. Every resident has an individual therapy session five days per week, in addition to three hours of group therapy per day. Residents thrive when our clinical team meets them where they are at in a therapeutic atmosphere. Our tight-knit clinical team is comprised of licensed psychologists and certified chemical dependency counselors who specialize in addiction.
Is there a misconception about your center that you'd like to address?
The Number One misconception about AToN Center is that we are anti-AA or that we do not support 12-step principles. On the contrary, our program aims to connect 12-step philosophies with our CBT-based curriculum. Our primary goal is to help the individual identify what will work for them and to promote choice, motivation, and ownership of
whatever program the resident chooses. We often find that by allowing individuals the freedom of choice, there becomes less resistance around 12-step attendance. Nearly 50 percent of our alumni attend 12-step meetings after their AToN Center graduation and another 30 percent attend both 12-step and SMART meetings. These numbers are even more impressive considering that our integrated program typically attracts individuals who were discouraged with AA and 12 Step programs in the past.
Do you keep in touch with the people you serve after they leave the center?
Yes! We have a formal aftercare program that offers support and guidance to alumni. After graduation, all of our AToN Center residents have aftercare for life and are entitled to weekly check-ins by our chemical dependency counselors, as well as our weekly onsite aftercare meetings. Many alumni stay involved with our aftercare meetings, as well as larger quarterly events and public-service opportunities. Our alumni also earn sobriety tokens post-graduation to add to their AToN Center plaques, which house their commemorative AToN compass. We also have an alumni committee that spearheads impromptu meetings and offers a buddy system for newly-graduated members. Current residents are encouraged to connect with alumni at the end of treatment in order to bolster support during transition.
What type of person is well-suited to attending your center?
We help all types of people, young and old, and different races, religions, and genders. We integrate 12-step and SMART philosophies into our CBT-informed curriculum which is attractive to individuals seeking more than a 12-step approach. One important distinction for AToN Center is that the incoming resident exhibit some motivation for treatment. With even a small amount of motivation to work from, our expert clinical staff can increase motivation and elicit change in talk and behavior. Our program is best suited for individuals who have some independent living skills and are interested in doing introspective clinical work. Additionally, business professionals and parents find AToN Center attractive due to our liberal electronics policy. We allow residents to utilize their electronic devices outside of clinical activities and have no blackout periods.
What would you say is the most difficult obstacle people face in battling addiction?
Hopelessness. I think many people fighting addiction have received messages from themselves and the world that they are broken and cannot be fixed. These cognitive distortions are best conquered with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to enhance motivation. It is in these times that our small, dedicated team of specialists is often able to make the greatest impact. Being in a small family-like setting with staff and clinicians who truly care about the individual can be reparative, and foster the crucial support that residents need during this transitional time in their lives. AToN Center also prides itself on preparing residents for their next steps after graduation, which helps maintain motivation, giving residents hope for the future and ownership of their plan.
Is there a condition you've had particular success treating?
AToN Center is a private sanctuary where the process of overcoming addiction begins. It is our mission to help each individual find recovery, while equipping our residents with the tools necessary to live healthy, substance-free lives. We have been particularly successful in treating individuals with addiction and co-occurring disorders, often depression, anxiety, and/or trauma. In 2016, 98 percent of our residents were dually diagnosed. The comprehensive and holistic nature of our program enables us to focus on the underlying mental health symptoms that tend to sustain addiction and relapse. We have developed a curriculum based on empirical evidence that includes individual and group therapy, along with community support groups and holistic activities. And we are licensed and certified by the California Department of Healthcare Services, as well as accredited by The Joint Commission.
What one or two factors distinguish your programs?
We are not a strictly 12-step program. It is our belief that a "one size fits all" approach to addiction recovery can be ineffective, and that each client deserves the opportunity to experience a multitude of therapeutic approaches to create a treatment plan that best fits their unique needs and promotes choice. We incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, Biofeedback, and community support groups along with an array of holistic services including massage, acupuncture, personal training, and yoga. While we offer detox services, our emphasis at AToN Center is therapy. Every resident has an individual therapy session five days per week, in addition to three hours of group therapy per day. Residents thrive when our clinical team meets them where they are at in a therapeutic atmosphere. Our tight-knit clinical team is comprised of licensed psychologists and certified chemical dependency counselors who specialize in addiction.
Is there a misconception about your center that you'd like to address?
The Number One misconception about AToN Center is that we are anti-AA or that we do not support 12-step principles. On the contrary, our program aims to connect 12-step philosophies with our CBT-based curriculum. Our primary goal is to help the individual identify what will work for them and to promote choice, motivation, and ownership of
whatever program the resident chooses. We often find that by allowing individuals the freedom of choice, there becomes less resistance around 12-step attendance. Nearly 50 percent of our alumni attend 12-step meetings after their AToN Center graduation and another 30 percent attend both 12-step and SMART meetings. These numbers are even more impressive considering that our integrated program typically attracts individuals who were discouraged with AA and 12 Step programs in the past.
Do you keep in touch with the people you serve after they leave the center?
Yes! We have a formal aftercare program that offers support and guidance to alumni. After graduation, all of our AToN Center residents have aftercare for life and are entitled to weekly check-ins by our chemical dependency counselors, as well as our weekly onsite aftercare meetings. Many alumni stay involved with our aftercare meetings, as well as larger quarterly events and public-service opportunities. Our alumni also earn sobriety tokens post-graduation to add to their AToN Center plaques, which house their commemorative AToN compass. We also have an alumni committee that spearheads impromptu meetings and offers a buddy system for newly-graduated members. Current residents are encouraged to connect with alumni at the end of treatment in order to bolster support during transition.
What type of person is well-suited to attending your center?
We help all types of people, young and old, and different races, religions, and genders. We integrate 12-step and SMART philosophies into our CBT-informed curriculum which is attractive to individuals seeking more than a 12-step approach. One important distinction for AToN Center is that the incoming resident exhibit some motivation for treatment. With even a small amount of motivation to work from, our expert clinical staff can increase motivation and elicit change in talk and behavior. Our program is best suited for individuals who have some independent living skills and are interested in doing introspective clinical work. Additionally, business professionals and parents find AToN Center attractive due to our liberal electronics policy. We allow residents to utilize their electronic devices outside of clinical activities and have no blackout periods.
What would you say is the most difficult obstacle people face in battling addiction?
Hopelessness. I think many people fighting addiction have received messages from themselves and the world that they are broken and cannot be fixed. These cognitive distortions are best conquered with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to enhance motivation. It is in these times that our small, dedicated team of specialists is often able to make the greatest impact. Being in a small family-like setting with staff and clinicians who truly care about the individual can be reparative, and foster the crucial support that residents need during this transitional time in their lives. AToN Center also prides itself on preparing residents for their next steps after graduation, which helps maintain motivation, giving residents hope for the future and ownership of their plan.
