ABOUT RIDGEVIEW INSTITUTE
Located on a secluded campus just outside of Atlanta, Ga., Ridgeview Institute offers residential substance abuse and mental health treatment for adult men and women ages 18 and up. Special programs are available for young adults (ages 18 to 25) and older adults (ages 60 and older) as well as specialized treatment for recovering professionals and women struggling with eating disorders. The facility also treats clients with co-occurring disorders, and medically monitored detox services are available on-site. In January 2017, Ridgeview expanded to open an additional facility in Monroe.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
All clients receive a thorough clinical assessment upon admission, to determine the most appropriate course of care. This includes medical and family history. All therapies are available on an residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient basis.
Treatment at Ridgeview includes group therapy, experiential psychotherapy, 12-step work, relapse prevention and management, and spirituality counseling. Specialized tracks are offered for licensed professionals, women, individuals with trauma issues, and clients struggling with co-occurring disorders, chronic pain, and/or eating disorders.
Ridgeview offers intensive family workshops, family therapy sessions, and educational services. Additionally, there is an active alumni association and options for aftercare.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The staff at Ridgeview includes doctors, nurses, board-certified psychiatrists, addictionologists, social workers, activity therapists, and other support staff.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Adults, young adult males, and adolescents all live in separate, gender-specific residences. Adults are housed in apartment-style quarters, while young adults and adolescents live in dorm-style rooms. All residences offer 24-hour staff support and monitoring, have TVs in communal lounge areas, and meeting rooms.
Amenities include a cafeteria, a gym, tennis and volleyball courts, and a swimming pool, as well as access to laundry equipment. Smoking is permitted for adult and young adult clients, but not for adolescents.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Reviews submitted to Best-rehabs.com by more than 30 former clients at the time of this writing indicated that Ridgeview offers an effective treatment program with knowledgeable and compassionate staff and solid counseling and group therapy in clean, well-maintained facilities. Ratings for treatment effectiveness
One alum, Kimberly, credited the facility with saving her life, while Candace described the program as “excellent, “effective,” and “promising.” Tom, who gave Ridgeview perfect ratings for accommodations, meals and nutrition, leisure opportunities, staff support, and facility cleanliness, wrote: “I reached an understanding about myself and my addiction to degree that I have been sober for 26 years. I would call that a success.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Feedback from more than a dozen loved ones offered a more mixed opinion of the facility. Ridgeview’s family participation and its staff’s level of training and experience were given an average rating of 4.22 out of five stars by the 14 loved ones polled on the category, including an anonymous family member who wrote: “My brother in law was treated for alcohol and drugs. He was there 30 days. He came out as a participant and believer in the AA program and has maintained it in his life today. Excellent caring staff.”
Several loved ones also noted that the facility was very clean and offered good medical monitoring and follow-up care.
Negative comments called out inadequate psychiatric services, poor communication with families, and limited visitation. “They say families should support but offer limited visitation, no guidance or accommodations on when to visit,” M.M.M. wrote.
And Beth, whose mother was in the program, felt mislead by the facility. She wrote: “They said they had special programs geared toward older adults and there was no such thing. They did nothing but house our mother for a month.”
FINANCING
Many insurance plans cover all or part of the cost of Ridgeview’s treatment programs, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Tricare.