Road to Recovery: David Crawley’s Story
Fifty-four-year-old David Crawley grew up in a big family – two brothers, two sisters and two parents. The Crawley family was supportive and loving, but his hometown of Roxbury, Massachusetts was filled with drugs, violence and crime which were hard to avoid. “My parents were instrumental in teaching me how ...
How Spectrum Helps Clients and Staff Cope with Death
“We didn’t need news articles to tell us how bad the opioid epidemic is,” claims Heidi DiRoberto, MA, LMHC, program director at Spectrum Health Systems. Before news of the opioid epidemic was being reported in almost every media outlet across the nation, our medical and clinical staff were already into ...
An Inside Look: The Family Education Forum
If you’ve been involved in the Spectrum Health Systems or New England Recovery Center communities for any amount of time, you’ve seen or heard us stress the importance of involving family and loved ones in the recovery process. For many years, we’ve offered the Family Education Forum at each of ...
For Spectrum Health Systems, Treating Addiction Often Means Treating Trauma Too
For many of our clients, addiction is usually not an isolated problem. Many also experience mental health issues and the after-effects of physical and mental trauma. The Trauma-Informed Care Program, which we introduced last year, is designed to build understanding amongst our staff and enhance their ability to effectively interact ...
Examining Co-occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders – A 3-Part Series
Part 1: The Challenge of Mental Illness in Substance Abuse Treatment This is the first of three blogs to examine co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. In this first blog, we review the prevalence of mental disorders among persons in addiction treatment, myths related to mental illness, key problems ...
Inside Look: What is Medication-Assisted Treatment?
In our Inside Look series, we’re taking you behind the curtain of each of Spectrum Health Systems’ services to prepare you for your journey to sobriety. If you haven’t already, go back and check out our posts on outpatient treatment, inpatient detoxification, clinical stabilization and residential treatment. Addiction is a ...
Spectrum Experts Make a Case for Medication-Assisted Treatment in Prisons at Recent Corrections Conference
Earlier this month, our Vice President of Clinical Development Dr. Romas Buivydas and State Director of MA Correctional Services Earl Warren teamed up to present to attendees of the American Correctional Association’s winter conference about the importance of adopting medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in America’s prisons. It’s a hotly debated topic ...
An Inside Look: Outpatient Treatment
Entering treatment is critical for anybody struggling with a substance use disorder, but beginning the process can be intimidating. You’re not sure what to expect, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there. In our Inside Look series, we’re taking you behind the curtain of Spectrum Health Systems to prepare ...
An Inside Look: Residential Treatment with Spectrum Health Systems
At Spectrum Health Systems, we’re all about demystifying the road to recovery. So far, we’ve walked you through medication-assisted treatment, insurance coverage, clinical stabilization, and most recently, inpatient detoxification. The next step in the process, following clinical stabilization, is residential treatment. Residential treatment, also known as rehab or inpatient treatment, ...
Staying Strong (and Sober) on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving marks the official beginning of the holiday season. It’s a challenging time of year for so many people – especially those living in recovery. Large family events are complicated, and serve as very common triggers and stressors for people struggling with substance use disorders. Luckily, those who have completed ...
