New outpatient treatment center in Mokena offers traditional and alternative therapies – Shaw Local

People seeking drug treatment often face long wait times to access treatment programs.

In a 2021 Herald-News article, Paul Lauridsen, executive director of the Stepping Stones Treatment Center in Joliet, said Stepping Stones receives about 1,600 calls a year for help and can only serve 600 to 700. of those who are then referred to other resources.

That number dropped further during the pandemic, Lauridsen said in the story.

But a new option is now available for people who only need outpatient services: Mindset Transformations of Mokena, which offers a holistic approach using Western and Eastern practices.

Valerie Hammond, executive director of Mindset Transformations, said she is a licensed addiction counselor.

Services

Hammond said Mindset Transformations is licensed by the State of Illinois to offer “outpatient substance abuse treatment, DUI assessments, and occupational Department of Transportation substance abuse assessments,” according to a Mindset press release. Transformations.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an SAP is a substance abuse professional which “evaluates employees who have violated a DOT Drug and Alcohol Program regulation and makes recommendations regarding education, treatment, follow-up testing, and follow-up.”

Mindset Transformations is licensed by the State of Illinois to offer outpatient substance abuse treatment, DUI assessments, and DOT SAP assessments.  Mindset Transformations offers a holistic approach to treatment, using Western and Eastern practices.

Areas of practice include early intervention services for adults and adolescents at risk of developing a substance abuse disorder, basic and intensive outpatient services, partial hospitalization/day treatment programs, and programs for families and children, according to the Mindset Transformation website.

Traditional treatment includes weekly groups and individual sessions, as well as drug therapy for those recovering from opioid use disorder, Hammond said.

However, Mindset Transformations also uses complementary therapies: auricular acupuncture, clinical hypnotherapy, reiki, biofeedback/neurofeedback, neurolinguistic programming, emotional freedom technique, sound vibration therapy, soothing detox herbal teas and Christian counseling services, Hammond said.

“There’s a lot of research that shows they’re effective for recovery,” Hammond said.

Mindset Transformations is licensed by the State of Illinois to offer outpatient substance abuse treatment, DUI assessments, and DOT SAP assessments.  Mindset Transformations offers a holistic approach to treatment, using Western and Eastern practices.

What the experts say

It’s debatable whether there is “a lot of research”, but there is. A 2021 paper titled “Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Substance Use Disorders: A Scientometric Analysis and Visualization of its Use Between 2001 and 2020,” said the problem with complementary therapies is that they lack studies based on sufficient evidence, such as randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses.

But that doesn’t mean complementary therapies can’t play a role, given the high rate of relapse among people who receive treatment and the fact that drug addiction continues to rise.

For example, “nearly 296 million people worldwide use drugs, an increase of 28% from 2009,” the newspaper says. In addition, substance use disorders are “multifactorial diseases compounded by psychology, biology, psychopathy, pharmacology and sociology, which require multidisciplinary, comprehensive and multisectoral collaborative treatment,” the document states.

Mindset Transformations is licensed by the State of Illinois to offer outpatient substance abuse treatment, DUI assessments, and DOT SAP assessments.  Mindset Transformations offers a holistic approach to treatment, using Western and Eastern practices.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs has stated on its website that “complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices can improve the chances of recovery from substance use disorders, especially when used in addition to treatment. SOUTHERN traditional and self-help groups. They are not intended to replace traditional [conventional] treatments, however.

The site also discusses the following practices: mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation, yoga, acupuncture, energy therapies, Qigong, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, guided imagery/visualization and music therapy.

And the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published a 12-page book, “Complementary Health Approaches: Advising Clients About Evidence and Risks.”

But that’s why Mindset Transformations offers these add-on services — because not every recovery program works for everyone, Hammond said.

“If they can control their mind, they can control their body”

For example, some people respond to a traditional 12-step program, while others do better with a Christ-centered program like Celebrate Recovery, Hammond said.

“It’s about whatever is going to work with that person,” Hammond said. “We offer a variety of support groups.”

Additionally, some Eastern therapies can affect a person’s energy flow or “re-train the brain,” Hammond said. It’s important because the subconscious affects behavior, she says.

“They soothe or relax them so they can be more receptive to the Western therapy that is available to them,” Hammond said. “If they can control their thinking, they can control their body and then they have the ability to relax.”

Mindset Transformations is licensed by the State of Illinois to offer outpatient substance abuse treatment, DUI assessments, and DOT SAP assessments.  Mindset Transformations offers a holistic approach to treatment, using Western and Eastern practices.

When people gain the ability to relax, they are less likely to revert to drug use because some people self-medicate with drugs,” Hammond said.

Biofeedback, for example, uses equipment to actually monitor symptoms of anxiety, such as increased heart rate.

“You can look at the system and know that not only do you feel able to calm yourself down, but you can see that you’re actually able to do it,” Hammond said.

Mindset Transformations currently accepts sliding scale, self-pay, and Medicaid insurance payment methods. For more information, call 708-537-7332 or visit mindsettransformations.net.

About Shirley A. Tamayo

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