Introducing Mental Health Residential – 4 Questions for CEO Tracy Rogers
How’s your mental health today? Nearly one in five American adults lives with a mental health condition, and only half of them receive treatment. At Sanford Behavioral Health, we offer comprehensive treatment options for individuals who are struggling with debilitating symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions that interfere with daily functioning. With the introduction of Sanford’s Mental Health Residential, we now offer a full continuum of mental health programs.
“One of Sanford’s missions has always been to break down the barriers to treatment, reduce stigma, and encourage individuals to seek help without fear of judgment. That is especially true in our Veteran and first responder populations. Our mental health residential programs get to the root cause of a substance use disorder, eating disorder, or other unaddressed mental health issues and positively impact daily life.” Tracy Rogers, Sanford Behavioral Health CEO
Introducing Mental Health Residential Treatment
Residential treatment for mental health conditions involves living on-site at our Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus in Marne, Michigan, for a designated period. This immersive level of care provides a structured, supportive environment designed to eliminate external stressors and foster recovery. While residing at Sanford West, residents participate in a full schedule of evidence-based therapies, including individual, group, and family counseling. They also receive regular medical and psychiatric evaluations and engage in wellness activities that support both mental and physical health. Around-the-clock nursing support and continuous access to our clinical and medical teams ensure safety and comprehensive care.
Mental Health Residential addresses the symptoms of mental health diagnoses through a multi-disciplinary approach. Using thorough clinical assessments, our team creates personalized treatment plans tailored to each individual’s needs. The goals of residential care include symptom stabilization, skill development, emotional resilience, and a seamless transition to ongoing outpatient programs such as PHP, IOP, and community-based support.
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What We Treat
Mood Disorders: This includes major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and disruptive dysregulation disorder. Are you:
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- Struggling to leave your bed
- Missing work
- Manic episodes with decreased sleep
- Hyperverbal (talks fast and A LOT)
- Weight loss
- Struggling to complete activities of daily living due to a lack of motivation
- Psychosis
Anxiety Disorders: Including generalized anxiety disorders, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and OCD. Do you have:
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- Panic attacks when leaving home
- Panic attacks in groups
- Rituals around washing your hands
- Anxious feelings throughout the day
Trauma Disorders: Such as PTSD, dissociative disorders, acute stress reactions, and adjustment disorders. Are you experiencing:
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- Dissociation as a stress response
- Fight, flight, or freeze responses
- Isolated incidents of verbal aggression or physical aggression
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
Personality Disorders: Including borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. Do you experience:
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- Triangulation (drawing a third person into a conflict or decision) with family and friends
- Triangulation between admissions & clinical or within clinical relationships
- Maladaptive ways of getting your needs met
- Grandiose thinking
Symptoms: Such as self-harm, suicidality, and treatment-interfering behaviors.
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- Self-Harm through scratching
- Baseline suicidality
- Refusing groups and therapy sessions
- Emotional dysregulation that shows up as suicidal thinking
- Multiple inpatient stays
4 Questions for Sanford Behavioral Health CEO Tracy Rogers, LPC
1. Why has Sanford opened a Mental Health Residential program?
Because good mental health and physical health are interconnected, neglecting mental health correlates directly with physical health problems. Good mental health enables us to cope with stress, build relationships, and make informed decisions in life. We want to help those who have been to addiction treatment numerous times without success, help those whose medications aren’t working, help those with countless inpatient stays, and help individuals who have lost hope.
Residential treatment is for those who need full focus, intense therapy, and stabilization. Our residents participate in process groups throughout the day, as well as individual and family therapy. The Sanford Mental Health Residential program is immersive and allows residents to attend to their recovery without distractions.
2. Why do people end up in treatment that doesn’t work?
There are a lot of vulnerable populations out there who do not get the treatment they need. They live in anguish due to mental health concerns. Perhaps a person is going to substance use disorder treatment, but they don’t feel better after they stop using; that is a recipe for relapse. Even worse, when they stop using, another mental health issue might crop up to fill the void.
3. How does a Behavioral Health Campus provide the treatment people need?
At Sanford, we provide a medical evaluation within 24 hours of admission, including a physical examination, orders for appropriate services, face-to-face consultation, and a risk assessment with a personal safety plan. We also complete a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment as soon as we admit someone. In other words, we get to know our residents, helping them determine their individualized treatment plan, or the next steps after medical detox. With EZ Admissions and Clearances, we can admit people the same day, addressing concerns before they become a crisis. We can also serve as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization, as studies show there is insufficient capacity to treat current needs.
4. When we started 24/7 EZ Admissions, you took phone calls on the night shift. Were there any examples of calls you got that made you think Mental Health Residential was a good next step for Sanford?
Of all the calls I took, there were three times I felt helpless because I couldn’t refer the callers anywhere. There is a need in the community for mental health treatment. Frankly, we’d rather not have to refer people. We want to open our doors and, regardless of the symptoms, we want to say, “Yes, we can help you.” By starting the Mental Health Residential program, we reduce the number of “noes” we have to say.
One of the calls I mentioned occurred at 11:00 pm with someone who had received repeated treatment with no success. This person tried eating disorder treatment and treatment for substance use, but they suffered from severe depression and anxiety and had extreme difficulty managing their life and relationships. They started experiencing memory issues and difficulty concentrating because of the amount of stress that the mental health issues were causing. None of their medications were working, and they had trouble regulating their emotions. They needed intense, personalized DBT and EMDR therapy. In fact, they were like an iceberg; every treatment program they had been to only got as far as the surface of the water. It was tough to hang up from this call; I decided then and there that we needed a Mental Health Residential program.
The rest, as they say, is history! Thanks, Tracy.
