ABOUT PATHWAYS
Established in 1967, Pathways Behavioral Services runs residential and outpatient treatment programs for residents of a nine-county area in the northern part of Iowa. Alongside programming designed for individuals faced with substance abuse issues, gambling addiction, and co-occurring mental health disorders, the organization also offers educational and preventative programs for communities and high schools.
Program options include residential care, transitional housing, an intensive outpatient program (IOP) that runs nine hours each week, and outpatient treatment for teens. Detox services are not available here.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Pathways takes a multi-level, 12-step approach to treatment that is not only based on a client’s stage of addiction, but goes a step further in taking into account familial and work obligations. The process typically begins with a comprehensive assessment that’ll form the groundwork of a personalized plan.
At the highest level of care offered, the 24-hour residential program is both highly structured and available at various levels of intensity (50, 30, and five hours of treatment activities per week). Residents must demonstrate that they’ve been substance-free for 14 to 30 days before stepping down into less intensive levels of residential care.
Pathways also provides transitional housing for up to 25 men and women at a time at its Junkman-Knoebel Center in Waterloo. The goal here is to help clients establish themselves financially, in their environment, and socially, while focusing on maintaining sobriety in the early stages of recovery.
Finally, a weekly family group offers those interested an opportunity to partake in their loved one’s recovery. Aftercare counseling is once per week.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The staff includes psychiatrists and nurse practitioners, in addition to clinical social workers and mental health counselors.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Specific details about accommodations and amenities are limited; however, it’s worthwhile to note that the entire facility is tobacco-free.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Alumni response to Pathways is mixed. While two of the four alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave Pathways four- or five-star ratings for criteria such as accommodations and amenities, meals and nutrition, connectivity, and cleanliness, the others gave ratings of only one, two, and three stars in these areas. The two alumni polled on treatment effectiveness gave ratings of three and five stars respectively.
One reviewer, L.M. praised the program for being easy to understand, but listed “not having breaks” as a weakness. Another reviewer, who gave the facility otherwise lukewarm scores noted that “the staff was well trained.”
On Pathways’ Facebook page (which it can manage), 14 reviewers to date gave Pathways a 3.9-star rating. Six users gave the center perfect five-star ratings, though commentary was more mixed. Amy claimed that Pathways changed her life but another reviewer named Jerry deemed the center “useless.” [1]
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The two loved ones of former clients polled by Best-rehabs.com gave mixed reviews as well, as one sibling gave family participation a five-star rating, while the other noted that they wished they were more connected throughout their loved one’s recovery. The sibling wrote: “From what I could see the facilities were clean and welcoming to visitors” but at the same time gave lukewarm ratings for the accommodations and effectiveness of the facility.
FINANCING
There’s currently no specific information available on pricing via the facility’s website. According to Pathways’ website, the facility accepts private insurance and offers financial assistance for qualified applicants.
[1] Source: Pathways Facebook page reviews