Frequently Asked Questions
Generally men and women (26 years and older) struggling with alcohol or chemical addiction/abuse and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. These professionals usually face specific issues and challenges due to their field of endeavor, expectations from superiors and the public. Professionals who are admitted come from a variety of fields including but not limited to: medical doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, attorneys and pilots. Enrollment in the Professionals Program is determined by age, professional status and by the individual treatment requirements of each patient.
Length of stay can vary based on individual treatment needs, but patients are generally admitted to our Campus Phase for eight weeks as an introduction to the basic skills of recovery. We frequently recommend our traditional Mirror Image Phase of treatment for an additional four-and-a-half weeks. This is usually for individuals with co-occurring psychiatric conditions, personality-related issues, grief, trauma, partner relationship issues, family of origin concerns, sexual or other behavioral processes, licensing and professional concerns or legal issues.
We have trained staff available to assist you in utilizing any available insurance benefits.
We offer Detoxification & Stabilization, Partial Hospitalization (Campus Phase: PHP-Primary Treatment with recovery residence component), Mirror Image Phase with recovery residences, Outpatient and structured living (non-Talbott Recovery/outside facility). Our experienced staff works with each patient to determine the best level of care for them at each point in their recovery journey.
Yes. All patients are assessed and undergo a thorough evaluation prior to us creating a treatment plan specific to their needs and situation. The evaluation will assess the patient’s physical, psychological, social, spiritual and family needs to determine the most appropriate level of care. Some professionals help programs or state licensing authorities may require a 72-hour assessment before admission. Required 72-hour assessments are available to these prospective patients.
Talbott Recovery accepts patients dealing with dual diagnoses such as addiction and a co-occurring mental health issue like depression, unresolved grief, anxiety or bipolar. All of our patients have a chemical addiction, but we address the whole patient in their disease. We screen the health status of all potential patients to make sure we are the proper facility for care. This usually involves a review of any medical history and records by a member of the medical staff at Talbott Recovery, and an intake screening assessment.
Patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis only (without an addiction), who are suicidal, with medical conditions that require inpatient care or patients with behavioral problems such as violence or flight risk.
- Separate program designed to specifically meet the treatment requirements, discharge issues and challenges of professionals
- Treatment designed to address the challenges professionals face in their field
- Low patient to staff ratio
- Four full-time physicians on staff (all addiction medication specialists including three psychiatrists)
- Family Program & Workshop
- Extended Therapeutic Leaves
- Post-discharge monitoring and support groups
- Return Visit Program
“We at Talbott Recovery pride ourselves in offering state-of-the-art treatment of addictive disorders using the medical model. We individualize the treatment to the unique needs of every patient. We treat the whole person as a human being and not an addictive diagnosis.” – Navjyot Singh Bedi, MD, Talbott Recovery Medical Director
“Professionals should be treated with their peers. The shame and blame professionals experience goes well beyond what other alcoholics experience – we’re supposed to know all the answers. To recover, we need to be in the presence of other professionals.” – the late G. Douglas Talbott, MD, Talbott Recovery Founder
Talbott Recovery houses patients in a residential apartment that creates a surrogate family setting. We’ve found this heals the isolation, loneliness and behavioral problems that every addict or alcoholic develops over the course of their disease. Group therapy is the cornerstone of change in all of our programs, including the Professionals Program, and we believe recovery cannot occur alone.
Until patients have earned staff approval to have a car on campus and for patients who do not have cars, Talbott Recovery provides transportation.
Each patient is assigned an attending physician upon admission to Talbott Recovery. The physicians at Talbott Recovery are Psychiatrists, Internal Medicine Specialists or Addictionologists. All are certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM). Other members of a patient’s treatment team include:
- Psychiatrist/Internist
- Case Manager
- Family Counselor
- Continuing Care Coordinator
- Clinical Associate
- Physician – once a week, minimum
- Therapist/Case Manager – daily
- Family Counselor – once a week
Patients and their families participate in psychoeducational and psychotherapeutic groups designed to help them explore addiction and co-occurring psychiatric disorders, as well as the impact this disease can have on the family.
Treatment modalities include:
- Group therapy
- Medication management of mood disorders
- Individual therapy
- Procedural learning on how to use the 12-Steps
- Psychoeducation groups
- Groups for professional and work related issues
- Groups for grief resolution and coping with loss
- An anger management group
- Relapse prevention
- Life skills
- Family therapy
- Family Program
- A spirituality group
- Relapse prevention
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Sexual issues groups (separate for men and women)
- A gender issues group
- 12-Step recovery meetings on and off campus
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for trauma issues
- Meditation and mindfulness training
Evenings are times when patients:
- Attend 12-Step meetings (both on and off campus)
- Participate in community meetings at the residences
- Attend alumni groups on campus
- Work on program assignments
- Continue to work on socialization skills
- Read, relax, watch television or listen to music
On weekends, patients will attend a group at Talbott Recovery, and they will be required to attend a 12-Step meeting. In addition, Talbott Recovery staff will provide recreational activities, and patients will have free time to take care of personal needs like grocery shopping, pharmacy visits, treatment assignments, etc.
Talbott Recovery founder Dr. Douglas Talbott’s treatment philosophy was that patients must learn to be responsible for their own lives and for their sobriety. As soon as patients are stable, they are moved to the patient residences where they cook their own meals (along with their roommates) in each apartment. All apartments are equipped with required cooking equipment, dishwashers and washer/dryers.
Yes, with staff supervision only.
Once patients have completed detox, stabilization and have earned staff approval, they are encouraged to have a car on campus if possible. Patients are only allowed to utilize their automobile in the company of two other staff qualified patients.
Patients can write letters or email friends based on the recommendations of their treatment team. One goal of treatment is keep the patient focused on their treatment and new recovery. Too much outside contact can defocus the patient.
Family is a very important part of the patient’s recovery. During treatment, each patient will be assigned a family counselor who will do a detailed assessment with the patient and family members to determine each family’s unique needs. Then, throughout treatment, the family counselor will have weekly family counseling sessions by phone or in person, if the family lives locally. We also have a weekly family support group for any family members who would like to attend. The patient’s physician will be in contact with the family as needed to discuss course of treatment, progress and aftercare recommendations.
Medications are distributed at Talbott Recovery for the patient’s first week of treatment. After the first week, the patient is responsible for picking up and paying for medications at the pharmacy. Patients are given medications in weekly or monthly doses as determined safe by the physician.
Well before discharge the Talbott Recovery staff will begin helping each patient develop an appropriate aftercare plan. This may include outpatient therapy, family counseling or structured living at a non-Talbott/outside facility. Random drug screens may be recommended. All elements are determined by the clinical team in the patient’s best interest for recovery.
For patients residing in the Atlanta area we offer physician monitoring, a Tuesday night peer support group and individual therapy.
The treatment team works with patients and their families to determine the most effective plan for each patient.
Yes, to set up aftercare, if returning to a home outside the Atlanta area.
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