ABOUT THE NEW DIRECTION
Located in the community of Walton, N.Y., nestled in the Catskill Mountains, the New Direction is a short-term residential treatment facility designed for men and women struggling with a primary substance abuse disorder. In operation since 1977, the New Direction specializes in treating high-functioning individuals, as well as professionals with stressful occupations. The facility does not offer detoxification services on-site.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
According to the facility’s website, the New Direction is committed to providing highly individualized treatment programming for its clientele.. To identify specific client needs and develop a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan, clients may undergo an initial assessment upon admission. The typical length of the residential program lasts between 21 and 28 days, depending on the client’s specific needs, their addiction history, and their drug of choice.
The New Direction offers a therapeutic community model of recovery, which emphasizes peer support as an integral component to early recovery. As such, the facility’s programming is largely founded in the principles and practices of 12-Step. During residential treatment, clients are fully immersed into the peer-led fellowship. Clients may attend on- and off-site 12-step meetings, study fellowship literature (Big Book), and perform associated “step-work.”
Along with an introduction to and participation in 12-Step, the New Direction’s core programming includes two daily group counseling sessions. Lasting approximately two hours, group counseling sessions are designed to foster peer support, identify underlying issues that may lead to addictive behavior, and promote open communication. Clients also participate in one-on-one therapy sessions and attend educational classes on the disease concept of addiction, improving coping skills, and learning techniques to prevent relapse.
According to the facility’s website, family involvement plays an integral role in overall programming. The New Direction invites family members to visit the facility every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Staff members facilitate educational family sessions to explain the disease concept of addiction and the process of recovery. Family members are also introduced to the tenants of the Al-Anon family program.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
There is currently no information provided by the facility regarding its treatment staff. However, three out of the four individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing praised the effectiveness of staff. Out of five stars, two survey respondents gave five-star ratings for the staff’s level of training and experience, and one individual rating this area of treatment with four stars. The fourth respondent did not rate this survey metric.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The New Direction’s living quarters, which is a turn-of-the-century farmhouse, is set on 200 acres of rolling hills in the Catskill Mountains. Residents share double-occupancy bedrooms and enjoy home-cooked meals. The home-like living facility, know as the Guest House, features comfortable, well-furnished communal areas, a dining room, and wraparound deck patios.
The New Direction also features a large, re-purposed barn, which serves as a recreational space for clients, offering a fitness room, billiard tables, a ping-pong table, shuffleboard, and spacious lounge areas. In addition, the facility’s grounds features trout streams and a stream-fed pond, ideal for swimming in the summer and skating in the winter.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The three alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com praised many areas of the facility. Offering five-star ratings for the facility’s staff support and the effectiveness of group counseling, one anonymous alum wrote: “The approach at New Directions is a more homey intimate setting which gives them the ability to really give individual attention.”
Alum A.R. agreed and offered a five-star rating for the amount of family participation. “Very warm and welcoming,”A.R. wrote. “Best choice I have ever made.” However, A.R. did cite a lack of counseling options as a facility weakness ( two-star rating). The third alum gave a four-star rating for the facility’s staff support and wrote: “It led me down the right road.”
Secondary sources echoed the opinions of the Best-rehabs.com survey respondents. On the facility’s Facebook page, which the New Direction can manage, 12 individuals gave the facility an average rating of 4.3 out of five stars[1]. “New Directions brings back peace and joy in your daily lives,” Kasturie, a representative reviewer, wrote.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The sole loved one polled by Best-rehabs.com supported positive alumni opinions, offering a five-star rating for the facility’s discharge planning and citing the facility’s atmosphere as its strength. “The place is comfortable and it’s located in a mountain,” the loved one wrote. They also appreciated the facility’s visitation policies, but gave a moderate three-star rating for the amount of family participation in treatment.
FINANCING
According to the facility’s website, the cost for 21 days of residential treatment is $5,900 and $1,600 for additional weekly cost. The New Direction does not accept insurance.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/pg/The-New-Direction-202853686395718/reviews/