ABOUT LA VERNA LODGE
As part of Fairbanks Addiction Treatment Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in the city of Indianapolis, La Verna Lodge offers gender specific extended residential treatment services for adults seeking treatment for chemical dependency. Although detox is not available on site, clients may detox at Fairbanks Hospital before entering the program. Aftercare planning is also made available at the end of the program.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Treatment at La Verne Lodge begins with an initial assessment with a trained substance abuse specialist over the phone. Clients also participate in an admissions screening and orientation before being admitted to the program. The screening involves an assessment by the clinic manager to determine the appropriate type of treatment for each client.
The facility maintains separate gender specific treatment programs. Treatment uses the 12-step program as the foundation, and incorporates counseling, skills training, community involvement, and recreational activities. The facilities offer clients the opportunity to seek treatment in an immersive experience that is secluded from many of the distractions and temptations of city life. Family involvement is encouraged throughout the process.
According to its website, La Verna Lodge recommends a stay of 90 days, though it depends on the individual. The average stay for men is 45 days. The women’s program is tailored to the specific needs of women in recovery. Clients have access to support services around-the-clock. Clients are also required to commit to at least 30 days of treatment.
La Verna Lodge incorporates experiential therapies, such as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, expressive arts, adventure therapy, and spiritual counseling. Family, friends, and other loved ones participate in treatment through family programs, which consist of meetings with the client’s family counselor.
The facilities also have aftercare planning and an alumni program. After 90 days of sobriety, alumni are invited to attend alumni social functions, participate in educational classes, and volunteer at La Verna Lodge or Fairbanks Hospital. Clients are encouraged to establish support networks at home and within their communities.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Information about La Verne Lodge’s treatment team is limited. The facility works with a range of professional organizations through taking referrals and facilitating continued services. Staff members are licensed, and according to a 2013 blog post on Fairbanks Addiction Treatment Center’s website, some counselors are also in recovery.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Both of La Verna Lodge’s gender-specific residences offer a secluded, natural environment conducive to recovery. The women’s lodge is in Shelbyville, a rural community 30 miles southeast of Indianapolis. The 6,600-square-foot lodge is surrounded by 38 acres of forest, and the lodge offers a large stone fireplace, wooden porches, and an outside fire pit.
Located in Hamilton County and established in 1998, the men’s facility has rustic accents, is set on seven wooded acres, and, according to pictures on the website, shared bedrooms. Much like the women’s facility, the men’s lodge offers a mountain home feel with porches that overlook the forested grounds. It houses up to 14 men.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The three alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com to date recommended the La Verna Lodge; when asked, on a scale from one to five, whether they would recommend treatment at La Verna Lodge, they gave four out of five stars or higher.
Two offered more in-depth reviews in their split ratings, with one giving ratings of five out of five stars for the staff’s level of training and experience, cleanliness, and connectivity and visitor policy, while the other rated it one star in these same categories. Both rated holistic treatment offerings two out of five stars or lower.
The two positive reviewers gave five out of five star ratings in treatment effectiveness, but the negative reviewer only rated it one star, criticizing it for its focus on group therapy, poor attitude from staff, and high cost.
On La Verna’s unofficial Facebook page, three reviewers to date gave the facility five out of five stars. [1] Alum Donald wrote: “The greatest place to recover!!! Great counselors and house in a wooded setting!!! I am sober with their help!!!”
FINANCING
La Verna Lodge relies on donations and government funding to support operations. Information about the costs of services is not available on the facility’s website. However, according to the Fairbanks Addiction Treatment Center, which operates La Verna Lodge, insurance is accepted and financial assistance is available to those who cannot afford treatment. For clients without insurance, there are self-pay discounts and payment plans.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laverna-Lodge/298526310207662