Due Diligence
Choosing a treatment centre can be a daunting prospect. It is often difficult to know what to ask.
While finding a centre that suits your lifestyle is always important, it is equally important to remember the primary purpose of treatment – to get well. Treatment centres vary enormously, and although luxury spas and a hotel-like experience may look tempting, you absolutely need to ensure the quality of their clinical programme matches it.
Don’t concern yourself with being overly polite; list the questions you wish to ask. Money and time are important, and you want yours to be well spent.
Consider a few pertinent questions.
When a centre needs to make a clinical decision about your treatment you need to be assured that their decision is in your best interests. Invariably, if a centre is run primarily as a financial concern, ethical complications can arise. Investors, by the very definition have a financial vested interest and may look to sway the clinical decisions that are made. Understandably their bottom line may be to make a profit.
Camino Recovery is a family owned and run business driven by personal experiences
Ask if the centre is a fully registered business and is accountable to the ethical rules and regulations of the industry and country in which it operates. It is important to ascertain that the environment you are entering is a safe one.
Camino Recovery is a fully registered facility in Spain.
Sometimes a centre may charge different fees dependent on your country of origin. Ask for clarification on the payment policy to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Refund policies may also vary so don’t be frightened to ask the question.
It is important to understand the refund policy of a centre you choose. Some will not offer a refund policy regardless of circumstances while others may appreciate that sometimes the centre and the client are not a good fit.
At Camino Recovery we provide refunds on a pro-rata basis (subject to our refund policy). This allows our clients to invest in their recovery elsewhere and we will always make recommendations if appropriate.
Ensure that you understand the credentials of the clinical team. Most websites will outline the qualifications and experience of their staff.
At Camino Recovery, we only employ Masters qualified clinical staff in a role directly relevant to their education and with extensive practical experience. The support staff come from a diverse background but all have direct educational or experiential skills.
While we appreciate that highly qualified clinicians don’t necessarily make good therapists, we believe that a high level of education provides a strong foundation for any therapist. In addition, it is essential that they build upon the theory, formal guidelines, and practices learnt with practical experience. There are many well-intended individuals, but we believe that any personal experiences or motivations need to be underpinned by strong clinical training and practical experience.
All treatment centres have different areas of expertise and it is essential that you ask the right questions to understand the clinical approach of any centre that you are interested in.
At Camino Recovery, we specialise in the treatment of addiction, trauma, anxiety, depression and dual diagnosis.
Treatment centres come and go. It is important to establish the longevity of the centre and its primary staff. It is likely that an established business that has solid roots is a business that operates ethically and successfully.
The experience of the staff and the facility is an important factor in the selection process.
Camino Recovery has been operating on the Costa Del Sol since 2008. This speaks to the strength of our programme.
As with any role experience is invaluable. Each case is individual and specific. It is therefore important that clinicians have a large and diverse set of experiences to draw on.
We pride ourselves on being a small bespoke centre that can offer the personal approach.
Our owner has worked in this field for nearly 40 years (in a clinical role) in some of the most renowned centres in the world such as Sierra Tucson and Cottonwood in America.
Residential therapy intends to concentrate and accelerate the healing process. It is inevitable that during this time there will be an inclination to distract yourself to avoid emotional pain. Residential treatment is successful because the environment is a ‘safe’ one in which to live these emotions rather than escape them.
At Camino Recovery, we create a safe environment in which our clients can do the emotional work. In removing some of these emotional crutches we believe we accelerate the healing process and allow clients to return to their lives sooner.
We are one of the first centres in Europe to go tobacco free. We made the decision three years ago on a clinical level despite the adverse financial implications this might have. Our experience has been the contrary – we have thrived under this policy. Our experience has been that this significantly enhances a clients process.
We do appreciate that many will return to smoking when they leave.
Spirituality and religion can often be confused. While religion asks you to adhere to a set of principles, attitudes and beliefs, spirituality uses your inner-self to find individual faith. Most treatment centres will adopt some kind of holistic approach.
At Camino Recovery, we offer a holistic approach that has a diverse range of therapeutic modalities. We present these approaches to our clients and develop a bespoke programme of ongoing recovery best suited to their needs and beliefs. We are experts in dealing with different cultures, ethnicities, religions and beliefs. We think the best definition of spirituality is your personal definition, not ours.
Websites should be an accurate reflection of the centre.
Ask for testimonials. It is often difficult to find independent testimonials when looking at a treatment centre abroad but many will offer ex-clients or professionals as an accurate point of reference.
At Camino Recovery, we understand the reassurance that speaking to people who have experienced our treatment programme first-hand can provide for you. We are happy to connect you with past clients should you so wish. We work in conjunction with many leading professionals in the UK and worldwide as their preferred residential centre.
It is impossible to offer a guarantee and success rates are subjective in their interpretation. It is, however, safe to assume that time spent in an appropriate centre will enhance the recovery process.
At Camino Recovery, we encourage our clients to facilitate their own process but, as with anything, you get out what you put in. We believe that if our recommendations and advice is followed the likelihood of leading a full and happy life are extremely high and our Alumni are testimony to this process.
The family component is often overlooked. Addiction was defined by the World Health Organization in 1956 as a ‘family’ disease. It would therefore follow that family needs to be part of the solution.
At Camino Recovery, we run a full week workshop where family members are encouraged to attend and fully participate in the process. The purpose is to provide education, give insight and facilitate a supporting environment. We strongly believe in the family component of anyone’s recovery.
Make sure you ask this question. There are many commonalities among treatment centres, but understanding the differences may make the selection process easier.
At Camino Recovery, we carry out an extensive (40mins) assessment over the phone with one of our clinical team. This allows you to ask any clinical questions that you may have but also allows us to ascertain whether we are a suitable fit for your needs. We are not afraid to recommend other facilities if we feel that your needs are best served elsewhere. We will always provide a recommended course of action.
Choosing the right centre can feel overwhelming but don’t be disheartened. It does, however, pay to do your research which helps to ensure that you chose the right centre for you. You will be making a large emotional and financial investment in your recovery and with the time and effort needed to ensure you get the most out of a treatment programme, it is important you make the right decision. Although treatment programmes cost you time and money, they will never cost you as much as your addictions.
Any reputable and successful treatment centre will encourage professional scrutiny. Don’t be afraid to ask awkward questions.
If you would like to know more, please visit www.caminorecovery.com or call Camino Recovery on +34 951 107 195
