Program

The Montana Lodge Mission: Long-term sobriety via time-tested methods.

Our mission is to help alcoholics and drug addicts achieve long-term sobriety through proven methods and techniques. At The Montana Lodge, we accomplish this by offering multiple levels of care based upon one’s need.

Clinical Care

The disease of addiction requires expert care. At The Montana Lodge you will be under the care of a medical doctor of psychiatry who is a board certified addictionologist, a psychologist who is a diplomat in clinical psychology who works with you for complex psych matters that often sabotage efforts for recovery, and addiction counselors who work with you on a daily basis. The entire team works together to make sure your are on-track and responding appropriately to your personalized treatment plan.

Supervision

Our residential staff is trained to deliver the behavioral health services required at each level of care. All staffs are trained in basic first-aid, CPR and AED as well as assistance in the self-administration of medication. Each staff is either a behavioral health technician (BHT) or a behavioral health paraprofessional (BHPP) under the direct supervision of a licensed clinician. This training ensures that each staff knows how to respond to emergency situations both medical and behavioral.

Awake staff is on duty per these hours.

Residential Care

(Residential Care is offered at Arrowhead Lodge under the same management as The Montana Lodge.)

This level of care often follows detox and/or inpatient care, which is typically in a hospital type environment. Lengths of stay vary according to the client’s requirements. At this level clients receive individual therapy twice weekly and group therapy twice daily. If there is a co-occurring disorder, additional psych services are provided. Daily education sessions help clients understand addiction; it’s impact on their lives, their family’s lives and their education and/or career. Additionally, clients learn about nutrition, diet, exercise and a spiritual practice based upon the twelve spiritual principles of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous.

Partial Hospitalization

This level of care provides a slightly less intense clinical and education schedule as our Residential program. The length of stay varies according to the client’s requirements as determined by our clinical team. Depending upon one’s level of functioning, the client may start at this level following detox, inpatient or residential care.

Extended Care

Our Extended Care program is a modified Intensive Outpatient (IOP) program. Clients receive individual therapy, four IOP sessions weekly, a relapse prevention group, two twelve-step education classes and attend five AA and/or NA meetings weekly. A weekly outdoor event (hiking the local mountain trails) and regular exercise sessions at the YMCA are also part of extended care. For clients who complete our Residential and/or Partial Hospitalization programs, their extended care program is eight weeks. For clients who have not completed these programs at The Montana Lodge, Extended Care is a twelve-week program.

Transitional Living

Returning to one’s family, school or career following treatment presents a challenge to many alcoholics and drug addicts. Often a return to familiar surroundings results in a relapse. While there are many factors that contribute to relapse, there are proven solutions in avoiding a relapse. Transitional living provides an opportunity for our clients to make a gradual and supervised return to their “normal” lives. In this program clients work or attend school part time while living in a structured and supervised sober living home. Additionally, each client receives one individual session and one group therapy session each week, the focus of which is relapse prevention. For those with co-occurring disorders, clients learn how to take the medications responsibly and as prescribed. Transitional living clients share financially for the cost of treatment with the family as they learn personal responsibility.

Sober Living

Our Sober Living program is available to clients whose level of functioning is sufficient for them to work during the day, night and/or weekend. Sober Living is similar to Transitional Living in that it is structured and supervised. It differs in that clients have more personal freedoms and more personal responsibility. For clients who completed one of our other programs, the Sober Living program is a minimum of 90 days. For clients who have not completed one of our other programs, the length of stay is six months.

Talking Circle

The daily talking circle is an integral component of all Montana Lodge programs. It not only helps the individual with recovery related issues, it helps the “community” bond. While not group therapy, it is nonetheless therapeutic. Each client “checks in” and talks about things that happened during the day and how it affected them. Often the problem is in the way they perceive life events – as if things happen “to them.” In the circle we use twelve-step solutions to help them see things differently and respond to life from a recovery perspective.

Sweat Lodge

For those who chose to participate, we offer an authentic native sweat lodge ceremony. Our sweat lodge is designed and built by Native Americans and blessed by a Chief and Medicine Man. Participants may leave the sweat lodge at any time during the ceremony if they feel uncomfortable physically, emotionally or spiritually.

“Which program is right for me?”

Normally an interventionist or a professional counselor works with our clinical team to determine the best program for you. We also spend time with the family and the client in an effort to get good understanding of what your need is. When we make a recommendation for a particular level of care, it is simply that – a recommendation. Upon admission, we conduct a full assessment to confirm our initial recommendation. If you need a higher level of care, we will make a recommendation and a referral if we cannot provide you with the appropriate services.