ABOUT TUERK HOUSE
Established in 1970 and located in Baltimore, Md., Tuerk House is a nonprofit substance abuse treatment center that offers residential treatment, outpatient programming, and gender-specific transitional living. Detoxification services are not available on site.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Before beginning treatment at Tuerk House, interested clients must take an assessment and attend a pre-treatment support group. These groups, offered at the Tuerk House Outpatient Clinic (THOC), are often utilized while clients wait for a bed in the residential program.
Tuerk House’s treatment is client-focused, and according to the facility’s website, involves the family and community. Clients in residential treatment participate in small group counseling, lectures, self-help meetings, and case management. Some sessions use motivational interviewing, while others emphasize social skill development and vocational training. It is unclear how long treatments last although one alum polled by Best-rehabs.com reported staying between 15 and 29 days.
After residential treatment, clients can access care through the outpatient clinic or through the organization’s halfway houses. The THOC has intensive and standard outpatient programs. According to HealthGrove, the THOC also offers methadone, buprenorphine, or Vivitrol treatments.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Tuerk House employs 70 staff members. On the clinical side, there are certified addiction counselors, nurses, doctors, and psychiatrists. In addition, each transitional living home has its own site manager.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Tuerk House has 75 beds. Clients can live in the Tuerk House main campus, which houses the residential program. Or, there are two halfway houses, both for men — Weisman-Kaplan house, also in Baltimore, Md., and Howard House in Ellicott City, Md. (a 30-minute drive from the main campus).
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
At the time of this writing, Best-rehabs.com has received four alumni reviews, and all four endorsed Tuerk House. The four reviewers gave an average rating of 4.5 out of five for the facility’s treatment effectiveness, with one specifically writing about a successful personal experience. “They teach you how it is & was straight forward & not out of the textbook,” the alum wrote, adding: “I did their short term program & they saved my life, I’d recommend them to anyone!”
Yet feedback for the facility’s staff was mixed. One reviewer, Sherry, gave a three- out of five-star rating for the staff’s level of training and experience, admitting that they “need more training.” Contrastingly, another anonymous reviewer gave the highest possible ratings for quality of the lead counselor, the counselors’ respect for patient preferences, and their availability.
The reviewers also identified some areas for improvement. The facility’s holistic offerings and connectivity and visitor policy received only one and three stars respectively from one alum. One alum, who otherwise submitted a very positive review, wrote: “Not enough activities to help you to wind down.”
At the time of this writing, Tuerk House received only 2.5 stars from five alumni on Google.[1] On the facility’s Facebook page, in comparison, an average of 4.1 stars was given by 14 reviewers.[2] Commentary on both sites was highly mixed. Some reviewers praised the compassionate staff and thorough treatment, yet one alum on Google wrote, “The staff have gotten worse.The only person That cared about me was me.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The sole loved one surveyed by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing strongly disagreed when asked whether they would recommend the facility to a friend or family member. Similar to alum Sherry, they named the staff as a weakness.
Despite this negative evaluation, the respondent gave five stars for the facility’s family participation and treatment effectiveness.
FINANCING
There is currently no information provided on the facility’s website regarding its costs, but Turk House notes that all people are welcome “regardless of their ability to pay.” Three survey respondents polled by Best-rehabs.com rated Tuerk House’s affordability an average 4.3 out of five stars.
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