Practical Recovery – Reunion San Diego

Practical Recovery - Reunion San Diego La Jolla California

Reunion is Practical Recovery’s co-ed treatment program for alcohol and drug addiction. The facility offers a full continuum of care, including residential rehab, sober living and outpatient services, and provides clients with an alternative to the traditional 12-Step model of care. Treatment utilizes a broad range of psychotherapeutic and holistic modalities designed to restore the physical, social and emotional well-being of each client. A high staff-to-client ratio and individualized treatment plans allow individuals to confront the underlying issues responsible for their addiction and change negative thinking and problematic behavior patterns.

ABOUT PRACTICAL RECOVERY – REUNION SAN DIEGO

Located in a quiet La Jolla office setting, Reunion San Diego is an intensive outpatient treatment program that provides individualized, holistic therapy to men and women struggling with addiction. The program is operated by Practical Recovery along with a sober living facility in the nearby Carmel Valley community. Treatment is offered as an alternative to 12-step programming and was founded and is owned by a co-founder of SMART Recovery. Clients are encouraged to complete the detox process before beginning rehab with Reunion.

TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT

Admission begins with a series of phone calls during which the facility’s staff determines if this program is a good fit for each client. Clients needing intensive one-on-one psychotherapy and integrated therapies addressing physical and spiritual recovery will find them at Reunion San Diego. The average length of this intensive treatment is between 10 days and three weeks.

Each treatment program is tailored for the individual client, but a typical plan includes as many as three to four individual counseling sessions each day, three days a week. Clients collaborate with staff to choose with which therapists they will meet. Foundational treatment modalities include cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing, and the focus is on empowering participants for long-term recovery. Throughout the process, involvement in a local SMART Recovery support group is encouraged, and three aftercare group meetings per week are offered free of charge for clients who have completed a treatment program.

In addition to substance abuse, treatment plans may also address co-occurring mental and behavioral health concerns including trauma, grief, gambling, sex, and gaming.

Family members are offered opportunities to join counseling sessions and to receive more direct support and education through a Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) program.

STAFF CREDENTIALS

According to the facility’s website, the center employs about half a dozen doctoral level therapists along with a hypnotherapist and licensed addiction counselors. Treatment teams also include consulting psychiatrists and holistic wellness specialists such as an energy healer, meditation coach, and massage therapist. The staff to client ratio is 1:2.

ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES

Reunion San Diego focuses on outpatient treatment, which is offered in a La Jolla office building. Website photographs feature outdoor seating in a secluded patio with a fountain and surrounding trees as well as comfortable, sophisticated treatment areas indoors. The organization’s companion residential facility is located in an upscale home just blocks from the beach.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY

Prior to 2016, Reunion San Diego was Practical Recovery’s residential program. The residential facility is no longer in operation, and Reunion now provides just intensive outpatient treatment. As such, reviews specific to this program are limited, but feedback referencing the parent organization and related facilities offer mostly positive opinions.

Best-rehabs.com has received two alumni reviews of the former residential program at the time of this writing and both are highly favorable. Each former client praised the staff, with one describing staff as “thorough,” and the other as “uniformly caring.” Alum M.Z. particularly appreciated the individual attention he received and the flexibility in programming. For metrics measuring the availability of holistic treatment options, the level of staff training and experience, and effectiveness of treatment, he gave perfect five-star ratings.

Similarly, of 16 Yelp reviews submitted by former clients, 12 were positive; the most commonly cited strength of the program was the variety of treatment modalities offered. Three reported success in recovery after previous attempts at rehab. All four negative reviews mentioned staffing issues at the residential or sober living facility.

WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY

Reviews written by loved ones shared universally positive opinions. In the sole Best-rehabs.com survey response from an alum’s parent, Rob wrote that his son “did not want to do a 12-Step program,” and Practical Recovery offered an alternative. The treatment was effective and “life changing,” focused on helping clients “address the root causes of addiction.”

Likewise, all three additional loved ones’ reviews on Yelp emphasized the program’s success in helping their family member understand both their addiction and their self-worth.

FINANCING

According to the facility’s website, a week of individualized intensive outpatient treatment costs from $3,000 to $4,000, not including food and lodging. Insurance coverage is generally out-of-network through a PPO plan and an online form is available to pre-check benefits. Practical Recovery also partners with Prosper Healthcare Lending.

  1. Source: https://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/practical-recovery-san-diego-2?not_recommended_start=10, https://www.yelp.com/biz/practical-recovery-san-diego-2

Practical Recovery – Reunion San Diego Reviews

I attended Reunion, and though it was the best possible program. It's not 12 step based, and that's what I was looking for. Expert psychologists and evidence-based treatment. Unfortunately, Reunion is closed, but Practical Recovery offers intensive outpatient treatment, with various hotel options. The staff is non-judgmental, supportive, and truly caring; and they believe you are powerful, not powerless. No higher power is required. I really can't imagine a better place.
My son was a patient at Practical Recovery for three weeks. He did not want to do a 12-Step program, which eliminated about 90 percent of the programs out there. After extensive research, I took a chance with Practical Recovery based on reviews, the staff bios, a phone interview and their overall approach to treating addiction. My son has not had a relapse since being there. The therapists there help clients address the root causes of addiction, be it mental health issues, addictions within the family, physical pain, and predisposition to addiction. This has been life changing for my son. This program was the right program for him. If you are reading this trying to find a place of recovery for a loved one, consider Practical Recovery as a good option. If you have the luxury of time, read the book “Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America's Greatest Tragedy” by David Sheff. He goes into detail about all the types of recovery options. I listened to the audiobook version after sending my son to Practical Recovery. It reconfirmed my choice, for my son.
If twelve step programs aren't for you, this might be the answer. I recommend it without reservation. While its not the most luxurious of all rehabs, Reunion is very comfortable and tasteful. I'd rather spend the money on treatment! I found the staff uniformly caring. The clinical staff is superb. They treat you like an adult and design the treatment plan for you specifically. Generally you attend group therapy first thing, and then you have 2 individual psychotherapy sessions, each day. The point is to build you up, not to drag you down. You are encouraged to trust your judgement and to take responsibility for the choices you make, in a sympathetic and caring way. You can read what you want, talk to people on your phone (of course this is not encouraged in sessions), and you have lots of time to practice mindfulness. On my first visit here I began to note levels of anxiety I'd never noticed before; and that was partly due to the time I was able to spend alone. If you want to be marched from meeting to meeting in a rigid schedule, this is not the place for you. The treatment is based in part on Smart Recovery, which treats addictive behavior primarily as a bad habit, not as a moral failing. For example, relapses are not encouraged, but if you do relapse you encouraged to learn from the experience in a shame-free environment. But the staff goes far deeper than Smart Meetings (I'm an enthusiastic Smart volunteer) to find out why you were using. I liked the other residents a lot; they were uniformly bright and accomplished. I relapsed two years after treatment and returned. This time the staff concentrated on helping me find meaning in my life, in particular, by picking a new career. The staff organizes outings for shopping, and movies and the like. San Diego has the best weather in the country (my other option was winter in Minnesota); that made the stay particularly pleasant. The program is expensive but I'd have to say it was worth every penny. Before I went to Reunion, my therapist told me I would not enjoy the experience which I think reflects the orientation of many programs to regiment you, which even great therapists are inured to. I did some difficult psychological work, sure, but I really enjoyed my stays at Reunion.
I was overwhelmed with the skills and thoroughness of the staff and the accommodations. It was my 15th treatment center. With what I learned there, I know why the other 14 didn't work.