Vinland's Chemical Health Program provides residential and non-residential treatment services for men and women with cognitive disabilities ages 18 and older.

Vinland offers outpatient services at Courage Center

Vinland National Center announces the opening of a new outpatient chemical health program at Courage Golden Valley.

The program is intended to help people with disabilities better understand their use of alcohol and other drugs and the affect of these substances on the health and healing of the brain, body, feelings and relationships.

“We identified the need for specialized chemical health (CH) treatment for people with disabilities in the late 1980s” said Carol Jackson, executive director of Vinland,“ and participation in chemical health programs has grown steadily since we opened this first of its kind program in 1990.”

The Courage Center program represents an important step forward with a key partner according to Jackson: “While we’ve run outpatient programs from our main campus in Loretto, Minn., for 16 years, and small satellite programs from time to time in more urban settings, we’re very excited to have the chance to offer this service to Courage Center’s consumers – to be able to give them the help they want in a way that is proven successful at a facility that is familiar and convenient to them.” The program is an expansion of a successful partnership through which Vinland has been providing chemical health services to participants of Courage Residence in Golden Valley since late summer of 2005.

This partnership with Courage Center has allowed Vinland to expand the reach of its chemical health programs for people with disabilities, and this new program will significantly improve access to Vinland’s services for people with a broad range of chemical health needs.

“Full-time residential treatment isn’t always necessary for everyone with chemical health issues,” explained Annette Pearson, outpatient services manager for Vinland, “Our goal, is to meet each individual where they are in their recovery, and help them find the help they need to live as full and independent a life as possible.” The needs of each individual are key to the most appropriate level of care according to Pearson: “Chemical health issues can range from something as straight forward as helping a young person with a disability understand the impact alcohol or other drugs will have on his or her recovery to helping someone with an addiction deal with feelings he or she may have covered up, coped with, or ignored through years of use, and helping them develop the skills necessary for a sober, healthy future.”

Download Chemical Health admissions materials

History and Physical/Standing Order for Over the Counter Medications
What to Bring
Admission Criteria

WOMEN'S PROGRAM

The recently completed addition to Vinland's main facility has made possible what, up to now, had only been a dream. The WOMEN'S WING, housed in the new addition, provides chemical dependency treatment for women in need of specialized services. The program pays special attention to those issues common to women in recovery, including relationships, family, parenting, sexuality, anger, self-esteem, grief and loss. The curriculum incorporates a vocational component identifying vocational strengths and interests, resume preparation along with job seeking and keeping skills. An additional program tract addresses life management issues, including computer skills for job seeking, recovery support and networking.

MEN'S PROGRAM

In the MEN'S PROGRAM, new outreach efforts are bringing us in touch with the individual who has had difficulty succeeding in traditional chemical dependency treatment programs; the individual with multiple exposures to treatment; the individual who has relapsed and needs a new approach; the individual with co-occurring disorders and the individual whose learning style requires the slower paced program. These are the people who have been lost in the maze of treatment and recovery simply because of their disabilities. Vinland offers a program where these clients are able to succeed.

PARTICIPANTS

• Have difficulty succeeding in a traditional chemical dependency treatment programs.
• Have had multiple exposures to treatment.
• Have relapsed and need a new approach
• Have co-occuring disorders

Participants must be medically and psychiatrically stable, detoxified, and capable of self-care (or able to provide an attendant for assistance as needed).

SERVICES

Thorough client evaluation:

• Comprehensive assessments in four key areas of life functioning:
  1. Chemical Use
  2. Independent Living Skills
  3. Medical self-management
  4. Social/leisure skills
     
     
• Neuropsychological evaluation by a private consulting psychologist (when appropriate)

Residential Treatment

• Full schedule of groups and one-on-one counseling, 5 days a week
• 24 hour-a-day clinical/medical supervision, 7 days a week
• Structured therapeutic recreation activities.
• Room and board

Non-residential treatment

• Day treatment: 7 hours of group and individual counseling, 5 days a week.

Clients receiving non-residential treatment must be able to self-administer medications and manage their own medical condition.
Through our "sister" non-profit, LivingWorks Ventures, Vinland provides permanent, supported sober housing and employment or chemically dependent adults with cognitive disabilities.

Referral to post-treatment community resources

• Suportive housing
• Extended care facilities
• Social services
• Vocational services
• Support groups

UNIQUE APPROACH

• Frequent one-on-one counseling sessions to ensure that clients' individual cognitive needs are recognized and appropriately met Slower pace with frequent repetitions
• Emphasis on integrating thinking, emotions, and actions
• "Whole person" health and well-being approach to recovery
• Accommodations for specific cognitive deficits such as:
  • Repeating/restructuring information to fit individual learning styles
  • Verbal, visual, and functional cues for organizing time, tasks, money, medication
  • Relapse prevention sessions which address specific disability-related issues
    • grief for loss of former abilities
    • shame about being "different" from non-disabled peers
    • attitudinal/situational chemical use "triggers" (and how to avoid them

OUTCOMES