ABOUT HOSPITALITY HOUSE TC, INC
A nonprofit with over 40 years of experience, Hospitality House provides intensive residential treatment to adult males struggling with substance abuse disorders. Services are administered out of a renovated building on a corner in downtown Albany, N.Y. across from a church and an elementary school.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Holistic treatment and the 12-Steps are the foundations of recovery at Hospitality House. Individuals undergo assessments, which include yearly physical exams, to determine the right course of action. Those with co-occurring mental health disorders such as mild depression and anxiety may be admitted, but the facility does not take those with more intensive mental illnesses. Each resident is under 24-hour supervision and may be randomly screened for drug use.
Clients must work their way through four phases of treatment. Most phases take at least two months to complete and cannot be attained without a written request. As clients ascend, they are allowed to participate in more activities and are given more responsibilities. Those who enter the facility exhibiting extreme negativity are placed on Phase Zero with no privileges. Once clients have moved past the initial phases, they are required to enroll in school or job training.
In this therapeutic community model, higher phases give residents the opportunity to be a role model for new clients, participate in outside Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Gamblers’ Anonymous meetings, and utilize group therapy. Topics for groups include anger management, sexuality, relationships, and art therapy. There are also specific groups for those experiencing a heroin dependency. Legal assistance, medication management, and family and individual counseling round out treatment.
Clients must also attain their GED, if applicable, and work on classes 10 hours per week.
Discharge planning heavily involves the client and typically involves a transition to one of 10 sober living homes in the community. Relapse prevention and other continuing care services may be part of aftercare.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Hospitality House employs master’s level psychotherapists and a master’s level art therapist. Staff also includes various specialists, counselors, nurses, licensed clinical social workers, and both medical and clinical directors.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
While the facility’s website does not offer too many details about actual living arrangements, it does list a plethora of activities such as hiking, ping pong, sports, movie nights, and access to the internet and gaming systems.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Alumni have yet to leave feedback with Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, but on the facility’s unofficial Facebook page, 10 reviews averaged 4.1 out of five stars.[1] Many wrote that the program saved their lives, and Mark added, “i’m very grateful for the staff and clients that were with me and I have learned a lot to keep my life on track. I have 11years clean and still going.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
A single family member has provided feedback to Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing. The anonymous reviewer gave four out of five stars for connectivity and family participation, but seemed to find the facility lacking in all other categories: just two out of five stars went towards treatment effectiveness, holistic options, accommodations, and leisure activities. They wrote: “it is [old] and not up to par compared to places that cost a lot of money.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
One staffer has responded to Best-rehabs.com to date. The anonymous reviewer had little to say and, when asked about strengths and weaknesses of the facility, they answered “none.” They also gave four out of five stars for all 15 metrics surveyed, including treatment effectiveness, accommodations and amenities, holistic offerings, connectivity, family participation, affordability, counseling options, the staff’s level of training and experience, and Hospitality House TC’s admin/discharge procedures. When asked, on a scale from one to five, whether they would recommend treatment here to others, they gave four out of five stars.
Elsewhere online, there were 25 reviews from staff members on Indeed at the time of the writing, the ratings of which averaged four out of five stars all together.[1] Ratings are for numerous different facilities in the rehab’s network, four of which are for Albany and averaged four out of five stars. Commentary was positive and noted a “professional, reliable, and awesome management team” and “Opportunities to do multiple different social work roles.” An anonymous reviewer added: “this inturn helped me to see some things in my self thst neede some work,and helping these men helped me also.”
FINANCING
Sliding scale fees, Public Assistance, and other forms of financial aid are available on a case-by-case basis.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hospitality-House-Tc/162809593737618
[2] https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Hospitality-House/reviews