Our Care Model

“The Bridge to Recovery is a Workshop Model with a Treatment Mindset”

What does this mean?

Our combination of set admission dates (we begin a program every-other Monday) combined with small group sizes (we only admit 10 to 11 people each admission Monday), and closed groups (which creates a safe and secure environment for our clients without fear of new clients entering the group or clients leaving at inopportune times) has provided a recipe for healing that is truly unique to The Bridge.

Our milieu can consist of men and women ages 20 and up (with 18 and 19 year olds considered on a case-by-case basis). We have found this to be the most effective way of addressing trauma issues. In our nearly five full decades in operation, we have found that within each individual group filled with diverse genders and ages, family systems specific to the needs and issues with the group present themselves, allowing for those to be addressed head-on. Real and authentic healing is nurtured in this setting.

We are NOT a “medical model” program. We do not have doctors, psychiatrists, or nursing staff. We have found that deep and authentic healing happens in the group setting with clients who are ready, willing, and physically/emotionally able to dive into deeply rooted, unresolved trauma, family systems work, and attachment work. The program is incredibly intensive and any prior medical or psychiatric needs should be addressed before attending our program.

We communicate with our referents and keep them informed of their client’s progress. With the permission of the client, we provide the referent with their preferred amount of communication. This includes meeting requests for phone or email updates, facilitating ongoing conferences with their client/patient while in the program, and providing discharge and aftercare plans (and to be a part of that process).

We utilize multiple modalities of experiential therapy, which we have found best helps our clients foster healthy connections with themselves through awareness and productive use of their physical sensations and emotions. The work is geared toward growing and strengthening emotional intelligence. These include (but are not limited to):

1. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy: utilizes the interaction between clients and the horse to facilitate connection with physical sensations and emotional growth.
2. Narrative Therapy: the client is able to separate their past experience from their identity.
3. Meditation: provides long term healing and a set of tools that can be used over a lifetime by teaching clients to be in the present without stress, fear and intrusions and to relate with self and others in a loving and non-judgmental way.
4. Body Movement Therapy: enables clients to connect with a subconscious, child self; a playful self that can be released to experience enjoyment and fun.
5. Integrative work: this works helps to integrate those pieces of the self that become closed and less collaborative when traumas are experienced over time
6. Empty Chair Work: allows the client to be in charge and empowers them to share their experience with full disclosure without censuring feelings, thoughts or accuracy of events.
7. Cathartic Work/Shame Reduction Work: allows clients to reclaim the ability to feel a full range of emotions as they are encouraged to use voice and body to release energy, and healing begins.
8. Self-Love Work: encourages examination of self-love and self-care, and promotes healing through restorative work and the discover of self-love.
9. Inventory Work: clients explore destructive patterns and behaviors.
10. Boundary Building Work: understanding and developing boundaries help clients feel secure and is part of self-care; learning to have a voice, setting limits for self and others, and learning the balance between openness and rigidity. 
11. Grief Work: re-framing the grief process (which plays a tremendous role in trauma, pain or loss) as courageous rather than one of embarrassment, helps the client become free from shame that often accompanies grief.
12. Yoga: teaches clients how to ground themselves, occupy their bodies and establish a place of safety for themselves (inside themselves); helps establish a non-judgmental relationship with the body that is often difficult.

Our team of therapists, counselors, and support staff bring diverse backgrounds, degrees, licensures, and skill sets to meet the diverse and vast program specialties we offer. Our unique program foundation was personally developed decades ago by our co-founder, Carol Cannon, which we continue to use today with its proven track record of effectiveness. We also assure our staff receives the most up-to-date and cutting edge training in trauma care and incorporate those techniques into the program where they can be successfully utilized. This gives us the opportunity to provide one of the most unique care options in the world.

Our clients work is not just “completed” at graduation. Throughout their time at The Bridge to Recovery, our clients work with our Clinical and Aftercare teams to create an aftercare toolbox which includes finding a therapist in their area (or arranging and coordinating their return to their referring therapist), Alumni opportunities, and 12-Step Meeting connection/support. After graduation, our growing Alumni Program provides supportive services to help our clients in their new found emotional recovery.

If you are interested in making a referral to The Bridge, visit us at How To Refer To Our Program.