Yes, Alcohol Ruins Relationships – Best of Excursions Magazine
Every day at Sanford Behavioral Health people come to us for help. One of the most frequent queries is, “Will alcohol ruin my relationship?” We are also asked, “Will my wife’s/husband’s/partner’s drinking cause divorce?” Finally, these individuals ask, “How do I know if my loved one has a drinking problem?” Of course, all these […]
Avoiding Clinician Burnout With Self-Care
When I was a newly graduated counselor, over thirty years ago, I took my first job in an outpatient alcohol and drug treatment center. I didn’t know about clinician burnout, but I remember my feelings of anxiety upon seeing my first clients. At the time, I wondered, “What treatment modality should I apply?” I […]
Can Exercise and Healthy Eating Go Too Far?
Today on the podcast we talk to Sanford Behavioral Health’s Gail Hall, LMSW, DCSW, CEDS-S about orthorexia and other eating disorders. Gail, who has been treating eating disorders for over 30 years, says exercise and healthy eating can present a problem when the individual becomes obsessed with eating clean. Also, the compulsion to exercise […]
Ask Rae: How to Choose an Addiction Treatment Center?
Dear Rae: My wife’s addiction and mental health issues have gotten out of hand. It is impacting our quality of life, and our children’s lives. But I am overwhelmed by the options for treatment. How do I find the best addiction treatment center for her? And how do I know what she needs? Also, we […]
Who Needs Botox? 4 Reasons Sober is Beautiful Inside and Out
I work for Sanford Behavioral Health in Grand Rapids. Michigan, and my job gives me a bird’s eye overview of our patients in recovery. I don’t see them every day, which means I am privy to the cumulative effect recovery can have on a person’s overall look. And what a difference even a week […]
Announcing Sanford In-Network with BCBS and BCN for Detox Treatment
[Grand Rapids, Michigan 06/09/22] – As part of its full continuum of care, Sanford Behavioral Health provides medical detox treatment for our patients. We are proud to announce we are now in-network with BCBS and BCN for detox services. According to the Milliman Research Report (August 13, 2020), 23% of adults 18 or over […]
Mental Health Crisis in Michigan – New Campus Opens to Address Need
Mental Health Crisis – Addressing the Need [Grand Rapids, Michigan 05/21/22] – May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the theme is “together for mental health”. The newly opened Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus reflects the theme, because its creation has been a team effort. Rae and David Green, life-long Grand Rapidan’s, founded Sanford in […]
How Workplace Culture Impacts Patient Outcomes and Staff Satisfaction
A few weeks ago, I had a patient tell me that she was very nervous to come to treatment. She said that once she was here, she found the staff to be compassionate, professional, knowledgeable, and happy. The word happy resonated with me because, as the Chief Operating Officer at Sanford Behavioral Health, I have […]
Stigma Busting! Education is Key in Family Recovery
In December of 2021, Sanford Founder, Rae Green and I delivered a presentation to Washtenaw Families Against Narcotics (WFAN). One element of that presentation was a discussion related to relapse. We introduced the concept of calling it a recurrence instead of relapse as part of our section on stigma busting addiction and co-occurring disorders […]
Report Shows Insurance Coverage “Falling Short” for Addiction
This week the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury issued their biennium 2022 Report to Congress on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). The MHPAEA is a federal law that requires insurance coverage for mental health conditions/substance use disorders (SUD) to be no more restrictive […]
