Sunrise House — a rural setting for healing

Lafayette - Sunrise House is an addiction treatment center based on the principles of 12-step recovery as well as medical and social research. These principles include treating patients with respect, compassion, and kindness in a structured environment that encourages self-discipline … and hope. The facility can serve 108 in-house patients: 15 in the detoxification unit (where all newcomers spend the first week) and, in the longer-care units, 33 adult women, 44 adult men, and 16 mothers with their preschool children. There are special programs for the patients’ family members and significant others, as well as an intensive outpatient department for adults. No one is turned away for financial reasons. Support is available when needed through the state, the county, insurance, and various assistance programs. Life at Sunrise House Patients are free to take advantage of the beautiful park-like surroundings. As it operates now, Sunrise House has no religious affiliation, but the complex’s former life as a monastery is evidenced by the serenity of the cloistered walkways connecting the buildings. In the center is an open courtyard with a fountain and shrubbery. Another remnant of monastic days is the dining hall, where murals still grace the upper walls and chandeliers hang from the high ceiling. The monks’ “cells” have been converted to sleeping quarters for the patients, usually accommodating two to a room. Each room contains basic furniture and a sink. Larger areas serve as lounges and meeting rooms for individual and group therapy. Newcomers to the residential program spend up to a week in detoxification. They are assessed and treated by the medical staff, which includes doctors and nurses. In addition, they have individual counseling as well as group sessions with other patients who are battling a similar addiction, whether it is to alcohol or various types of drugs. Male and female patients are housed on different floors and segregated during group counseling and meals. Counselors work with patients of the same gender. The next step is a rehabilitation program that takes up to a month to complete. During counseling, patients become educated about addiction and identify their personal goals and objectives. They enjoy a regular schedule of rising, meeting, eating, and retiring. There are opportunities for them to explore their creativity with artwork or crafts, and free time for recreation and relaxation. All activities are geared toward learning how to function in a productive way, leaving the dysfunctional lifestyle behind. Sunrise House offers about a dozen specialized treatment tracks to help each patient feel comfortable in a group of peers. There is a track for youthful addicts from about 18 to 25 years old. Another group is all female. There are tracks limited to people who have abused only alcohol or only drugs. Others provide increased opportunities for talking. On the other hand, the art therapy track is often selected by patients who are shy about talking; as the patient draws on paper, the therapist “draws out” the patient. “Mother and Me” program About three years ago, Sunrise House established a program called “Mother and Me” (M&M) for women who are addicted or at high risk for relapse during pregnancy or their children’s infancy. This program requires a referral from the state’s Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) and is operated in partnership with the Division of Addiction Services. “Addiction and abuse are closely intertwined,” said Dr. Philip Horowitz, chief executive officer of Sunrise House. More than one-third of child abuse and neglect cases confirmed by DYFS involve at least one parent with a known substance abuse problem, he added. The goal of the M&M program is to reunite women with their children. Treatment focuses on the patient’s chemical dependency and rehabilitation. For many patients, said Chief Operating Officer George Dominguez, the program is more “habilitation” than rehabilitation, because they are learning effective life skills for the first time. Women who wish to enter M&M go through the same initial month-long detoxification and rehabilitation program as other patients. They share the chore of assessing their suitability for M&M with the staff. A high percentage of those who want the program are accepted. The mothers then move into their own rooms in a separate wing of the facility, where up to two of their children (infant through age four) join them, if feasible. Cribs are set up in the mothers’ room for infants, and toddlers sleep in a room across the hall. The children are in an on-site day care center or playroom while their mothers are in counseling and education sessions. The primary treatment focus is drug and alcohol education and relapse prevention. The women also learn a host of skills for parenting, nutrition, assertiveness, employment, domestic violence prevention, birth control, psychological and physical wellness, and daily living. If needed, they are taught basic literacy skills and can take classes toward earning a high school equivalency diploma. Nicotine education and replacement is mandatory. After six to nine months, M&M graduates have the option of moving with their children into a halfway home maintained by Sunrise House in Franklin. If they choose to live in their own apartment, they receive intensive outpatient counseling. Kieran Ayre, chief clinical officer, reported that the M&M program is highly successful. Horowitz discussed two success stories. One participant was an aggressive woman whose six children had been removed by DYFS. After nine months at Sunrise House, during which time the two youngest were reunited with her, the woman was prepared to live independently. Now, three years later, she is a college student. The two children are still with her, and she has not experienced any relapse. The second woman is currently an intern at a law firm, and will be recommended by Sunrise House staff as she applies to law school. Help is always needed In addition to continuing its current programs, Sunrise House plans to expand its detoxification unit. This will include both modernizing the physical facility and augmenting the clinical services. Sunrise House is one of the few non-hospital-based detox programs remaining in the state, and improving its services will ensure treatment to more patients. Fundraisers are being held to help with the expansion costs. As a nonprofit organization, Sunrise House welcomes financial contributions from the public, including donations to a specific program (such as Mother and Me) or in memory of a loved one. To make a donation, contact Warrie Howell, chief development officer, at 973-383-6300 ext. 106. In addition to contributions by check or credit card, Internet users can donate by establishing GoodSearch as their search engine and designating Sunrise House as their beneficiary from among the thousands of nonprofits listed (see www.goodsearch.com). For each search, a penny will be donated to the designated charity. For more information about Sunrise House, call 973-383-6300 or visit www.sunrisehouse.com.