We Are Looking Ahead in 2022
The new year 2022 is well underway. The Omicron peak seems to have passed, and the clinical team and staff at Freedom Institute confidently wish everyone health and happiness for the months to come. We started 2022 with cautious optimism, wishes for good health, and hopes that Freedom Institute will soon be preparing to return once again to in-person sessions, and we are moving in the right direction.
Freedom Institute has been offering world-class clinical care for the past 45 years. Our seamless move to telehealth recovery services in March 2020 allowed us to support our clients during the past 20 months with the same superior quality of care they have always received and expected. The positive news is that Telehealth provided individuals and families with greater access to treatment.
FI Telehealth is here to stay. We have invested heavily in transforming our model from solely in-person to a hybrid of in-person and Telehealth. We will continue this investment as we move to reopen fully, now offering clients better choices that best fit their needs. Our philosophy and strategy is to be flexible and adaptable, offering individuals and their families the care they need in the environment and by means which best suits them and will provide the optimal outcome for healing and recovery.
Our clinicians are already on a hybrid schedule and will soon be seeing clients in person again. Everything is being done in accordance with the guidelines of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) to guarantee the health and safety of our staff and clients.
We are currently open in-person for clients who wish to come in for their individual and family appointments contingent on meeting all health and safety guidelines. Our clients may consult with their clinician to discuss their preferences for in-person or FI telehealth services or a combination of both.
Regarding Freedom Institute’s group sessions, we are awaiting regulatory clearance for in-person group sessions, compatible with our level of service, and until then our group sessions remain via FI Telehealth. Read on to learn more about our individual and group services and meet the clinicians who lead them.
Freedom Institute integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Relational Family Therapy into its clinical approach and offers a range of services tailored to meet the complex needs and levels of recovery of young adults and adults. Our phases of recovery include Exploratory Phase, Early Recovery Phase I, Sustaining Recovery Phase II, Advanced Recovery Phase III. We offer customized programs so clients can enroll in a combination of groups to best fit their recovery needs.
Freedom Institute provides personalized, confidential, and comprehensive care to those affected by addiction and substance use disorders, chemical dependency, and underlying mental health issues, and we pride ourselves on our discreet, innovative, and highly-individualized treatment plans. Our services include alcoholism and substance abuse treatment, individual and family therapy, holistic and trauma services, interventions, and treatment consultation and planning.
(In-person and FI Telehealth)
After a comprehensive assessment, we match every client with a counselor best suited for success in his or her individual treatment. The Freedom Institute team is comprised of a range of addiction specialists trained in a wide variety of innovative treatment modalities, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Relational Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Meditation, Somatic Experiencing and EMDR.
(In-person and FI Telehealth)
We have always treated addiction as a family issue and take a uniquely holistic approach, understanding individuals within the context of their family. We offer support to all family members and significant others throughout the recovery process. Our clinical foundation integrates Relational Family Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Relational Family Therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on relationships rather than blaming and reacting to individuals, thus creating more room for change and growth. Our family therapists have completed post-graduate studies at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. We work with family members of all ages, from young children to elders, whether or not you have a family member in treatment with us.
(In-person and FI Telehealth)
Our family therapists work with couples struggling with substance abuse, addiction, and recovery in their relationships. We also help couples expand their view of problems to address other parts of their relationship without neglecting the pressing needs of addiction and recovery.
(currently via FI Telehealth)
Tuesdays 6:30pm-8:00pm
This weekly group offers clients a safe space to examine their relationship to substances and see what life might look like substance-free. This is an 8-week group and abstinence commitment and will be re-introduced starting February.
(In-person and FI Telehealth; groups via FI Telehealth)
Call 212-838-0044 or email info@freedominstitute.org
Our renowned, flagship program, Freedom Institute's IOP can be the next phase of treatment for clients who have completed inpatient treatment or the first step in recovery for clients who are unable to do inpatient. The IOP is our most involved treatment path, with three group sessions per week and weekly individual psychotherapy sessions for those who do not already have an individual therapist. The clinical foundation of our IOP is our unique integration of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Relational Family Therapy, which helps individuals and their families in the recovery process. Clients develop the skills needed for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Evening Outpatient Program (EOP)
(In-person, FI Telehealth; groups via FI Telehealth)
Call 212-838-0044 or email info@freedominstitute.org
At Freedom Institute, we offer customized programs so clients can enroll in a combination of groups to best fit their recovery needs. FI’s Evening Outpatient Program (EOP) includes both process groups and groups that are based in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, all facilitated by Masters-level clinicians. Clients can package certain groups together to meet their treatment needs while accommodating their schedules. This allows clients to recover ‘in real-life’ and receive the best possible care.
(FI Telehealth)
Thursdays, 6:30-8:00 pm
Jason Hasko, MA-RDT and JoJo Little, LMSW
Advanced DBT Practice Group is for clients who have successfully completed either IOP or the DBT Skills Training group. This group provides clients the opportunity to apply DBT Skills to real-life circumstances they face in their first year of recovery and actively practice their skills in the context of a supportive group environment.
(FI Telehealth)
Thursdays, 12:00 pm
This group is for spouses and partners (current or former) of those struggling with substance abuse (active, in recovery, in treatment, etc.). We provide a safe place to discuss how addiction has affected your relationships as well as how it has impacted other relationships in your life. The group offers community and connection by sharing and learning with others who have experienced similar situations. The discussions offer an opportunity for growth, learning from life events that could easily feel like life struggles and loss but often are building blocks for improved and fulfilling relationships.
Advanced Relapse Prevention Group
(FI Telehealth)
Mondays and Thursdays, 6:30-8:00 pm
Tessa Kleeman, LMHC and Salah Bustami, LMHC
Advanced Relapse Prevention Group is for adults with a minimum of 90 days of continuous sobriety. ARP offers strategies to address issues that can pose a threat to sobriety this phase such as finances, relationships, family issues, career matters and spirituality. The Masters-level clinicians who facilitate this group employ a variety of clinical techniques including psychotherapy process, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Experiential Therapies. This group takes place weekly and is a minimum six month commitment.
Emotional Sobriety in Recovery Group
(FI Telehealth)
Tuesdays, Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 pm
Mildred Pisciotta, LCSW-R and Tessa Kleeman, LMHC
Emotional Sobriety in Recovery is an aftercare psychotherapy group where adults with a year or more of sober time explore the next steps in sobriety and recovery after stabilization. The group addresses ways to cope with relationship issues, interpersonal communication, cope with daily life stresses, family concerns, and emotional regulation. Group members must be abstinent and have a strong foundation of recovery. Currently, the group is made up of clients who have 1-6 years in recovery.
Our specialty Telehealth substance abuse treatment programs exclusively for healthcare professionals and lawyers who struggle with substance abuse issues and co-occurring mental health issues. Veritus provides unique digital treatment programs as well as professional coaching.