How it Works

 

Caron Renaissance uses a formula of longer term residential care in a supervised living setting which is by design NOT institutional. Patients who enter the program live in a supervised apartment setting with two roommates and attend therapy in a nearby clinical office setting. Every patient is given a set amount of money to purchase food and amenities during the treatment stay. Most patients find it beneficial to pool these resources and plan meals, etc., together. In the meantime, the clinical emphasis is on recognizing and developing recovery plans for ALL forms of addiction and addictive thinking even as the family members are brought into the process through the family services program.  Caron Renaissance also engages the patient in identifying and dealing with other disorders as they emerge, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and post traumatic stress disorder.

As patients progress, they are encouraged either to seek employment, consider returning to former academic pursuits, or enter some course of professional training. This brings in a vocational and "life coaching" aspect to treatment. Once the patient is working or otherwise involved in education, he or she can process and deal with work and career-related issues while still in treatment. Also, as issues emerge in daily living with roommates and others in treatment, the patient can use the treatment community as a sounding board to learn new ways to adapt and relate. Finally, as family members and concerned others are brought into the mix, patients can identify and deal with some of the root problems related to attachment disorders.

The treatment schedule at Caron Renaissance is busy, intense, well-coordinated, and yet it also leaves time for reflection, recreation, and personal growth. The general flow of the schedule is from more intensive treatment activities to more intensive work and community activities, thus preparing the patient to return to the "real world" as a happy, productive contributor.

Another vital aspect of care is peer therapy. As in the baseball wisdom that "you can fool the fans, but not the players," Caron Renaissance is carefully structured to foster healthy peer interaction and, as needed, challenge addictive behavior and thinking. This "non-enabling" approach assumes that a healthy peer group will help a group member identify self-destructive behavior in an atmosphere of support and caring. Patients meet regularly in community groups and also select their own leaders as part of a self-governing process.