ABOUT GATEWAY RECOVERY CENTER
Set on a quiet, residential street in Fort Smith, in far western Arkansas, Gateway Recovery Center offers residential and outpatient treatment for women struggling with substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders. Specialized residential programming for pregnant women and women with young children is also available, making Gateway one of just 17 facilities in Arkansas with dedicated programming for this population. Gateway Recovery Center is part of Harbour House, Inc., which also operates a separate treatment facility for men.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The program is offered in blocks of 30, 60, or 90 days. Gateway provides multidisciplinary treatment, combining 12-Step with evidence-based practices, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and motivational enhancement therapy (MET). The center also uses holistic practices such as mindfulness training and hypnotherapy. There are also dedicated programs for pain management and treating PTSD.
Women in the residential treatment program participate in around six hours of interactive group counseling per day, and at least one hour of individual and family counseling each week. There’s also a focus on physical activity, with a minimum of three hours per week.
Transitional housing services are available on the same site as residential rehab, and at this stage, clients are expected to work or attend school.
The 60- to 75-day Specialized Women’s Services Program at Gateway offers treatment and housing to women who are pregnant or have children under the age of seven. In addition to therapeutic services, clients receive child care, medical treatment, job skills training, and parenting classes.
In addition, the facility offers outpatient and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). The 10- to 12-week IOP meets for nine hours of individual and group therapy each week. A weekly family education and counseling group is available.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Gateway’s website notes that the women’s center is staffed by female counselors. The single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the staff’s level of training and experience (who is themselves a staffer) gave it four out of five stars.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Women in the SWS program and their children live in a separate residence on the property. This house offers play areas and a small, fenced-in yard. The transitional living homes have single-, double-, and triple-occupancy rooms with 24-hour supervision. Each home has a communal lounge and study areas, and televisions are allowed in bedrooms.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Of the three alumni reviews submitted to Best-rehabs.com to date, two were lukewarm, describing the center as “decent” and helpful in filling out papers for state support, while the third was very negative. “This is by far the worst rehab I have ever seen I learned very little! The staff was mostly rude! … The whole atmosphere was chaos and gave clients even more stress then they had when they came into getway,” T.R. wrote.
Elsewhere on the Internet, reviews were mixed, skewing positive, with an average rating of 4.1 stars based on eight reviews on Google. On CiteHealth, the facility received a one-, three-, and five-star rating.[1] [2] The negative reviews tended to echo the Best-rehabs.com reviewer who complained of inconsiderate, rude treatment. “This is a sorry place for anyone to be at. counslers are awful people,” one anonymous reviewer wrote on CiteHealth in a particularly strong comment.
However, several reviewers thanked the facility for their long-term sobriety, writing that the program and the caring staff helped them to turn their lives around. “Gateway changed my life i now have 9 mo. clean and am going to college to be a substance abuse counselor,” one reviewer wrote on CiteHealth.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The single review submitted to Best-rehabs.com to date by a loved one was very positive. “My brother has been much more communicative, more involved with family, appears at peace and very happy with his life,” the anonymous reviewer wrote, giving the center five stars for its treatment effectiveness.
WHAT STAFF SAY
Both of the staff members polled by Best-rehabs.com gave mostly positive feedback. They variously praised the center’s people and the education it offers, though Cheryl added: “Client return was a downfall.” The single staffer polled on the facility’s performance in a variety of treatment metrics gave it five stars for its family participation and holistic offerings, three stars for its counseling options, and two stars for its ability to treat co-occurring disorders.
FINANCING
According to the facility’s website, Gateway Recovery Center accepts most insurance plans, and staff members will assist clients in arranging for funding. The single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the center’s affordability gave it three out of five stars.
[1] GoogleReviews
[2] https://citehealth.com/rehab-centers/arkansas/cities/ft-smith/gateway-house-inc#reviews