Therapeutic Workshops at The Meadows
The Meadows is one of the premier rehabilitation and trauma treatment centers in North America. Located on a 14-acre campus in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona (50 miles northwest of Phoenix), individuals, couples and families can receive cutting-edge treatment from a highly trained team of clinicians, physicians and internationally recognized senior fellows.
Having treated 45,000 people over the last 40 years, The Meadows has a proven track record of success and has carefully honed a multidimensional approach to care.
While many people choose The Meadows for in-patient treatment (typically 45 days in length), this unique center also offers an impressive array of week-long workshops that are available to anyone interested in furthering recovery or personal growth.
I regularly recommend these workshops to clients I work with because I have consistently seen positive outcomes for those who attend.
WORKSHOPS PROVIDE A BLEND OF:
Psychoeducation
(learning)
Experiential exercises
(doing)
Narrative work
(talking & writing)
THERAPEUTIC WORKSHOPS ARE IDEALLY SUITED FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO:
- Want to kickstart recovery
- Need to break through a plateau or stuck point in an ongoing recovery plan
- Desire more concentrated care than what out-patient care (e.g., weekly therapy sessions) can provide and yet their situation does not warrant an in-patient admission.
Given my specialty in working with partners of sex addicts, there are three workshops I highly recommend for individuals impacted by betrayal trauma: Healing Intimate Treason, Survivors 1, or Love Addiction/Love Avoidance.
I recently interviewed the Clinical Director of Workshops at The Meadows, Dr. Georgia Fourlas, and asked her many of the questions my clients pose when considering a workshop as part of their recovery plan. Here is the information I gleaned from speaking with Dr. Fourlas:
How long are the workshops?
Workshops run from Monday to Friday, with check-in on Sunday and check out on Friday after the workshop ends. If an attendee chooses to lodge at a local hotel or Airbnb, he or she is free to check out any time after the workshop ends.
How often are the workshops offered?
The Meadows offers workshops every week with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, making it feasible to incorporate a workshop into a busy schedule compared to other types of resources. Certain workshops are offered more frequently during the year than others (e.g., Survivors 1). The workshop webpage provides up-to-date schedules for the entire year.
What is the cost of a workshop?
Costs are always subject to change. At present, the cost of each workshop is $3250.00 and this fee includes meals and materials. Airfare and lodging are additional, although selecting a semi-private room on campus can reduce lodging costs by almost half.
Typically, my clients in Colorado pay approximately $4500.00 for everything: airfare, the workshop, and lodging. While this cost is certainly a sacrifice for most individuals, it is important to keep in mind that this pays for five full days of therapeutic programming, as well as recovery-oriented activities each evening.
For the daytime programming alone, the costs work out to be approximately $128 per clinical hour ($4500 ÷ 5 days ÷ 7 hours of clinical contact per day) which is less than the contractor rate many insurances set for individual therapy in an out-patient setting. If a person were to take full advantage of the evening activities, the hourly cost is even less.
Another way to think of a workshop is that it condenses three months of weekly therapy into one week.
Lastly, workshops are led by licensed Master and Doctoral-level clinicians, so it is a cost-effective and efficient way to get a lot of specialized, high-quality care in an abbreviated timeframe.
Are workshops covered by insurance?
No. Attendees do not need to have a diagnosis or mental health condition to attend a workshop, and therefore workshop fees are not covered by insurance companies. While this leaves attendees having to pay out-of-pocket for the full expense, this is often a welcomed trade-off for those who wish to discreetly participate and not have to worry about anything being recorded in their health records or insurance documentation. Many attendees also find it reassuring to know there is no file or chart kept for workshop attendees, so it is a highly private resource to utilize.
What is a typical day like?
Workshops run from approximately 8:30am to 4:30pm daily and include a mixture of classes and small group meetings with breaks for meals. In the evenings, attendees are free to participate in a range of therapeutic activities (e.g., meditation, yoga) on-site, take personal time, or complete therapeutic reading or homework assignments for the next day.
What results can workshop attendees reasonably expect?
Attendees can expect to receive: highly specialized support; be introduced to new skills and concepts; feel increased confidence; gain insight and clarity about their past, present and future; and leave with a concrete plan for improved health and living once they return home.
Who should not attend a workshop?
Workshops are not appropriate for individuals who are: suicidal, actively abusing drugs not prescribed to them, lacking stability, not safe alone, or engaging in high-risk behavior.
How do I register for a workshop?
Individuals interested in registering for a workshop at The Meadows may call the Intake Department at 1-866-330-1925.
Note of thanks: Special acknowledgement is given to Dr. Georgia Fourlas for generously giving of her time to speak with me, and to Joan Sputh for her ongoing support and guidance within The Meadows’ professional community.