Treatment FAQs

For clients who may need to borrow funds to assist with treatment costs, we are able to refer clients or their families to an insurance brokerage specializing in loans for healthcare. (The brokerage is a completely separate organization and has no formal connection with Mountain Vista Farm.) For more information about this option, call Mountain Vista Farm at 800 300-6716.

• Mountain Vista Farm is a completely voluntary program. Clients must choose to be here. We would never hold anyone against his or her will.
• We do acknowledge that our clients are often ambivalent about coming into treatment. They might be conflicted – they want to stop having the problems associated with their addiction, but may still feel very attached to the drugs and wish they could keep on using. That’s normal.
• It also may be that some clients feel forced to take action by their families, by their employer or even by the legal system. Nevertheless, our program is completely voluntary and each client must be willing to enter treatment and to follow the guidelines while they are with us.

• We will engage you in rehabilitation as soon as possible, often even on the first day. The schedule includes a variety of activities: an educational series, group and individual counseling, relapse prevention training and participation in 12 Step support groups.
• The four-week therapeutic program is balanced with recreation and wellness classes. The program at Mountain Vista Farm is designed to support your recovery – body, mind and spirit.

Successful completion of the residential program takes 30 days.

• When support groups for alcoholics began, they seemed to be just for men. When professional treatment for addictions was being developed, it was designed for men. The assumption was that women alcoholics were rare and unusual. We know now that there are many women alcoholics and many women with addictions to other drugs. (About 40% of our clients are women.) These women have some special needs in treatment and, while addiction is addiction, addiction in women really is different in some ways.
• First, alcohol and drugs affect women differently. There is also a different degree of stigma in our society for alcoholic women and addicted women – the societal judgment seems to be harsher than for men. Finally, there are some issues that women are simply more comfortable discussing with other women in a safe place. At Mountain Vista Farm, we include groups that are just for women, including two process groups per week and a “Women Only” support group. Our staff is composed of both women and men, so there are always caring, sturdy, dedicated women on our treatment team to assist with these special issues of women and addiction.

Your family is included in treatment because they also need information, support and healing. Sunday is “Family Day,” when your significant others are invited (with your permission) to participate in educational and support groups. Your counselor will also schedule a family counseling session during your treatment.

• Mountain Vista Farm is licensed and certified by the State of California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
• The residential program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)

Recovery takes time. Our continuing care (Aftercare) groups offer support for your first two years of recovery. Groups are held weekly at Mountain Vista Farm and in two other locations in the Bay Area.

• Recovering from addiction is not an easy task. As with any chronic disease, sometimes more than one treatment is necessary.
• Why doesn’t treatment always “take” the first time? Sometimes people are not ready to acknowledge the problem when they first go to treatment. They just don’t believe it.
• Sometimes they don’t accept what they need to do to stay sober. Maybe there’s just too much to deal with the first time or there are complicating problems that were not addressed.
• Mountain Vista Farm works with a number of clients who have had treatment in the past. Some have had significant periods of abstinence and relapsed, so we have relapse materials to focus their work on the key issues.
• The likelihood is that additional treatment will build on previous efforts and the person can come to a new understanding. We encourage people to keep trying until they achieve the happiness and contentment that comes with recovery.