Live free from self-destructive thoughts and behaviors and embark on a life long journey of recovery.
We know that human suffering is behind addiction. There is emotional pain, suffering, a sense of alienation, a sense of loss of meaning, a sense of a loss control and a sense that the addictive substance or behavior will make us feel better. Addiction is an attempt to solve a problem. Our patients who are suffering from addiction simply want what they feel life should give them but for some reason has not. They want something we all want… A Normal life.
Lauren Pace, DO and Psychiatrist on why SunCloud treats co-occurring disorders.
Kim Cimino, LMFT and Clinical Director on staff therapists in recovery.
Mara Y Schieber, LCSW, CADC, Therapist at SunCloud Health, discusses the reasons why SunCloud Health treats co-occurring illnesses at the same time.
Dr. Marcia Nickow, PSY.D., CADC, CGP, Clinical Director and Organizational Advisor at SunCloud Health discusses the power of our process groups and how people want to know about people..
Video: TORN TO PIECES-HOOD, A QUOTE BY WILLIAM JAMES. WE ALL HAVE IT.
Dr. Marcia Nickow, PSY.D., CADC, CGP, Clinical Director and Organizational Advisor at SunCloud Health the relevance of a quote by William James, torn to pieces hood. We all have it.
Our Treatment Philosophy
SunCloud’s treatment philosophy is designed to support our patients desire to break free from self-destructive thoughts and behaviors as they embark on a life long journey of recovery that encompasses physical, emotional, psycho-social and spiritual growth.
We seek to support our patients in becoming empowered in the process and to take ownership of their unique recovery journey, recognizing that each person has a specific set of needs and there is not one standard treatment that works for everyone.
Chris Stewart, MD. Board Certified Psychiatrist addresses a few common addiction misconceptions regarding treatment and engagement while answering the question, do I have to hit bottom before asking for help?
We maintain a confidential, safe, healthy and inspiring environment that is conducive to the needs of our patients. Our facility has been designed with intention and attention to detail—our clinicians know the value of safety and comfort in the space in which patients, their families and our therapists do the sacred work of healing.
We maintain a commitment to participating as meaningful contributors to the mental health field, committed to studying what works and what does not, and to sharing our knowledge with both the professional and the lay community. We maintain relationships with Academic Institutions and other treatment centers and leaders throughout the world. We are committed to continuous improvement and we are eager to share our results with anyone who is interested.
David Newton, MBA, Director of Operations and Co-founder, SunCloud Health, describes the value that SunCloud Health provides.
Autumn Aumann, Residential Ops & BHS Dir. on Dr. Kim’s vision and the integrated treatment model.
Kim Dennis, MD, CEDS, Co-Founder and Medical Director at SunCloud Health, discusses the need for the integrated treatment for patients with co-occurring disorders and underlying trauma.
Kim Cimino, LMFT and Clinical Director and the impact of Dr Kim Dennis on the SunCloud Heath patient treatment model for success.
We Believe in You
True and genuine long term and transparent collaboration with our patients, their families, their other medical and behavioral providers and their payers is paramount, we believe, to the long term success of our patients.
We believe in the power of community and group treatment. In working with others who struggle with similar issues, a group can harness the power to effect change that individual therapy often cannot.
We believe that mental illness, eating disorders, and addictions are diseases. Not all are the same—some are acute, some are chronic, some are acute and chronic. With appropriate matching of disease type and severity to level and duration of care, our clinicians can help patients achieve full and sustained recovery.
We believe that long-term, preventative, integrated treatment can be effectively delivered along the outpatient spectrum of care in a manner that is least disruptive and most effective to patients and their families.
We believe in the power of peer support, and in making our space available for mutual support group meetings.
We believe in being of service to our community, participating in community organizations, the schools, and other organizations that strive to educate the public, initiate prevention strategies, improve access to quality care, and decrease stigma associated with having these illnesses, receiving treatment for them or being recovered from them.
We believe in considering the whole family system as a critical component of treatment. Our aim is to help our patients feel supported in all contexts of their lives and this starts with their familial relationships. Family therapy engages all family members in a healing process rather than just focusing on the identified patient. We counsel parents and partners and provide psycho education, in order to strengthen families and foster a nurturing home environment. Through a systems approach to treatment, we can also target and moderate the effects of intergenerational trauma.
We believe that the goal of healthcare is better health, and that our patients and their families want more health. We believe that people want intelligently delivered care, that is effective for the long run, coordinated, and ultimately least disruptive to their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
We believe in treating our patients and their families first and foremost as human beings, who courageously come to us in pain, often times in shame, seeking help and support. We believe our patients deserve compassion and expertise in the care they receive in return. We believe full recovery is attainable and requires a life-long commitment to health.
We believe in treating both the symptoms of these deadly diseases as well as their root causes. We are mindful of the fact that many times addictive diseases co-occur. We have the staff, the expertise and the integrated model to treat people suffering from complex co-occurring illnesses.
We believe strongly in the power of group therapy as an agent of change and a space to promote social support and healing. Group psychotherapy has a strong evidence base provides a unique opportunity to work on issues of intimacy as well as individuation. Group therapy has also been proven useful in treating a broad variety of problems, including depression, anxiety, serious medical illness, loss, and addictive disorders (AGPA, 2003).
By implementing this philosophy, our patients can benefit in the following ways:
- Their lives are saved, both literally in many cases as well as spiritually and emotionally.
- They can continue going to school or work, spending time with loved ones, and doing what makes their lives meaningful.
- They can rest assured knowing that we are working in collaboration with their other providers in a way that ensures our interests are aligned and centered around helping them improve their condition.
- They learn to respond to emotional adversity with healthy thoughts and actions.
- They surrender their lives to being who and what they were always meant to be and are no longer victim to the compulsive and self-destructive thoughts and actions dictated by their disease.
- They learn to rediscover the wonders of life to include the value of family, friends, their professions, their passions and their souls.
- They are able to address the physical and emotional components of their illness, often preventing the untreated or poorly treated behavioral illness from causing a costly and sometimes deadly related medical illness.
- They are able to take good care of themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually; many times this means the resolution of physical illness that was either associated with active mental illness or physical health that was unattended to due to the active mental illness. Our patients learn to care about their health and engage in recommended preventive medical, dental and mental health care activities.
Video: Why is healing underlying trauma essential in treating co-occurring disorders/addictions?
Dr. Marcia Nickow, PSY.D., CADC, CGP, Organizational and Senior Clinical Adviser at SunCloud Health, on the importance of healing underlying trauma and why it is an essential first step to treating co-occurring disorders/addictions.
Explaining SunCloud’s Integrated Model Why is an integrated treatment model essential to successfully treating patients?
Dr. Kim Dennis, Co-Founder and Medical Director at SunCloud Health, discusses the vital role the integrated model (that she is pioneering at SunCloud Health) plays in the success of treating patients with co-occurring disorders and underlying trauma. How does SunCloud create an authentic culture of patient support?
