Covering 94 acres of the Ocala National Forest, Florida, The Refuge is a top-notch treatment center providing high-quality treatment and care to individuals struggling with addiction, trauma, and other behavioral health problems. Its treatment philosophy utilizes a 12-step approach that treats everyone as unique. The recovery team at The Refuge considers trauma to be deeply rooted in the nervous system and provides clients a chance to process it in a setting close to nature.

With years of service, The Refuge, a healing place, does not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to trauma treatment. It acknowledges the individuality and uniqueness of the human brain and offers different treatment approaches and designs to heal clients in the best possible way.

Treatment Modalities At Refuge Treatment Center

The Refuge in Florida utilizes a holistic treatment model that combines evidence-based programs with time-tested interventions. This comprehensive approach allows clients to address their symptoms in unique ways and positively influence their body, mind, and spirit.

As a part of residential programs, clients enrolled in The Refuge Ocala can take part in the following:

  • Individual and group therapy
  • Family support
  • 12-Step programming
  • Medication management

In addition to the therapies mentioned above, clients can also take part in the following evidence-based modalities:

  • Meditation
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
  • Massage therapy
  • Life skills classes
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy
  • Art Therapy

Eating Disorders Management at The Refuge, a Healing Place

The Refuge provides comprehensive support to individuals struggling with eating disorders seven days a week. The expert team supervising this program includes a registered dietician, licensed clinicians, psychiatrists, and a staff physician to deliver holistic and compassionate care.

The following are some components of an eating disorder program at The Refuge Ocala:

  • Client-Centered Treatment: The Refuge offers personalized programs depending on client needs. The staff continues to monitor each client during their stay and reevaluate their needs for possible treatment adjustments.
  • Empowerment: The Refuge team actively encourages all clients to participate in their recovery journey.
  • Education: Experts provide clients with detailed information about eating disorders, their impact on daily life, and possible treatments. The purpose is to allow clients to make informed decisions about their health.
  • Nutritional Guidance: The Refuge has many registered dieticians to offer expert advice on dietary issues and help clients develop a positive relationship with food.
  • Peer Support: The Refuge works to establish a supportive community by connecting clients with others who present with similar issues.
  • Continuous Support: The rehab starts discharge planning for all clients when they join a treatment program. Once they have completed treatment, clients receive this discharge plan and can use it to understand their step-down treatment program and community-based services to connect with for ongoing support.

Based on availability and needs, The Refuge also offers multiple evidence-based treatment methods to complement active treatment for eating disorders. Some examples of these treatment methods include the following:

  • Detoxification 
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Meal preparation  
  • Round-the-clock nursing support 
  • Group shopping trips 
  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) 
  • Supportive meals
  • Exposure outings 
  • Nutritional counseling and education 
  • Therapeutic massage and yoga 
  • 12-Step education and support 
  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) 
  • Art therapy 

Treatment at The Refuge: Healing Through Assignments

The clinicians at The Refuge often use specialized assignments to help people work through their PTSD experiences, trauma, and addictions. The assignments aim to engage clients in their past traumas and get them through safely and soundly. Some examples of assignments used at The Refuge Ocala include the following:

  • Trauma: This assignment helps clients at The Refuge prepare and present an experiential chronology of life concerning trauma. With this technique, they can see the positive and negative patterns in their family life and other relationships. Experts recommend spending a few hours creating and presenting the work and using it in different ways, such as for issues related to food, sex, work, finances, and gambling.
  • Body Map: This assignment is used by the eating disorders specialists at The Refuge to help people recover from body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and sexual abuse. Body maps help clients identify where trauma and pain occurred and pinpoint different body areas they are comfortable or uncomfortable with.
  • Trauma Egg: Clinicians at The Refuge consider Trauma Egg one of the strongest assignments for trauma survivors. The technique involves drawing an egg, followed by drawing the first traumatic experience at the bottom of it. This is followed by drawing other similar events in chronological order to express trauma and get over it.
  • Collages: A collage can have any theme, and experts usually give clients the freehand to choose the subject. They may use ribbons, artwork, newspaper clippings, photographs, colored papers, and other objects to flue on a canvas. This seemingly simple technique can help people express their traumas without using words.
  • Letters: The Refuge often encourages clients to write letters to their partners, children, family, friends, and themselves. This practice enables them to express what they cannot say verbally.

FAQs

Does The Refuge in Florida offer alumni and family services?

The Refuge team strongly believes that having the support of family members and loved ones can make recovery easier. Hence, it offers a 4-day retreat program for all families so that they can actively participate in their loved one’s treatment experience. Following graduation, the rehab keeps its old clients closer and connected by arranging two events per year for alumni. Moreover, it also has a secret social media group for all old members to connect and support each other.

What are the admissions criteria for The Refuge Florida?

Admitting clients is decided daily depending on their concerns, specific needs, and goals. However, the rehab has set a criterion that clients must meet to start treatment at the facility. This includes:

  • Age 18 years or above
  • Active symptoms of a substance use disorder or mental health issues
  • Having the ability to identify threats or danger to personal safely
  • Appropriate medical history as assessed by a clinician at the Refuge
  • Willingness and ability to be abstinent throughout the treatment course
  • Desire to live in a sober, supportive, and safe environment

What is the best way to travel to The Refuge Ocala?

The residential program at the Refuge runs from its branch in Ocklawaha, Florida. This branch is about 90 minutes from Orlando International Airport, which can be a perfect place to land for those coming from other parts of the country. For more information, the rehab advises contacting the admissions team, who will provide them with more information about the potential transportation options.

What levels of care are available at The Refuge, A Healing Place?
The Refuge offers person-centered, highly individualized care for addiction, PTSD, and other co-occurring issues. All individuals 18 and above with all gender identities, sexual orientations, and religions can join the rehab at the following levels of care:

  • Detoxification services
  • Residential treatment
  • Partial hospitalization program
  • Relapse prevention
  • Alumni support.

What insurance companies do The Refuge work with?

Currently, The Refuge accepts the following insurance companies:

  • Beacon Health Options
  • Oxford with Multiplan
  • Aetna
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • ComPsych
  • United Behavioral Health with Multiplan
  • Bright Health
  • Optum with Multiplan
  • United Medical Record with Multiplan

What do The Refuge, a Healing Place reviews say?

The reviews about this rehab are primarily positive, confirming it as a place to seek individualized treatment based on evidence-based approaches.

  • Address 14835 SE 85th Street Rd, Ocklawaha, FL 32179, United States.
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