ABOUT LAKEVIEW CENTER
Sharing campus’ with Baptist Hospital in the waterfront city of Pensacola, Fla., Lakeview Center offers a full continuum of treatment programs for adults and teenagers struggling with addiction, co-occurring mental health issues, and intellectual disabilities. Of its many services, Lakeview Center offers residential, acute inpatient, and intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment programs.
Designed to address all areas of clients’ lives, specialty services include an opiate treatment program, victim services, group treatment, family care, and DUI and court mitigation services for those dealing with legal issues that stem from substance abuse. Where necessary, Lakeview Center provides on-site, medically-supervised detoxification.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
To determine an appropriate level of care, prospective clients undergo an initial substance abuse and psychiatric assessment to help clinicians form an individualized treatment approach. Along with introducing clients to the 12-step process, Lakeview Center makes use of various evidence-based treatment methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) to change destructive thinking and behavior patterns into more accurate and positive ones.
The Friary is Lakeview Center’s residential program for adults. Located in Gulf Breeze, Fla., the Friary program typically lasts between 23 and 60 days. Clients typically adhere to structured days of on-site 12-step meetings, individual and group therapy, and educational classes. Family involvement is encouraged throughout residential treatment.
In their last week at the Friary, adults are introduced to the program’s alumni association, which plans special events and serves as an ongoing source of support for program graduates. The alumni association meets once a month.
Road to Recovery is another Lakeview program that offers comprehensive treatment for adults. Lasting approximately 60 days in length, Road to Recovery uses multiple treatment methods to promote long-term recovery.
An accredited school, the Drug & Alcohol Adolescent Residential Treatment (DAART) program provides three to six months of treatment for at-risk adolescents. DAART is coed, voluntary, and takes place in an unlocked setting on the Lakeview campus.
Where and when clients require detoxification, they can be transferred to the Acute Stabilization Unit (ASU). Following medical stabilization, clients can then be referred to outpatient or residential care for further treatment.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The Lakeview Center employs physicians experienced in the field of addiction, psychologists and psychiatrists, registered nurses, and continuing care coordinators.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
A former retreat for Franciscan monks, the Friary is located next to Pensacola Bay and provides a comfortable, home-like atmosphere conducive to recovery. It has azalea bushes, live oaks, and Spanish moss-covered trees. Along with sitting areas and a pier, the Friary also features an on-site fitness center and holds yoga sessions regularly.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Feedback from alumni is heavily mixed. Of the eight anonymous reports shared by alumni with Best-rehabs.com to date, some praised the “many different options” for treatment, while others highlighted the “extremely helpful staff.” Alum C.E. claimed that the structured counseling and life skills training were major facility strengths. “It was the only way to make a difference,” C.E. added. “I would have died if I didn’t get in there.”
Despite these positive testimonies, three others shared a very different story. “I honestly don’t know how they stay open aside from pure desperation in patients,” an anonymous alum commented. “The staff is rude, the doctors are cold and uncaring, they offer a few therapy sessions, and it’s forced group, no private sessions.” Even a five-star reviewer claimed that some employees “treat you like a patient instead of a person,” telling others: “If you have better insurance options, use them to go somewhere else.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The four family and friends surveyed by Best-rehabs.com to date also provided mixed feedback. A parent of a client told Best-rehabs.com: “It seems as though treatment here may be successful, if the subject is willing.” Another reviewer claimed that “Most of the staff are friendly and want you to recover with the best intentions for their patients and their loved ones who participate” but a third, in contrast, maintained that doctors are “not concerned about their patients at all.”
FINANCING
Program costs vary according to the length and type of treatment program. Depending on program, clients may cover their treatment costs via private health insurance, TriCare, or state-Medicaid.