June 2020
800.258.4250
Avery Rowles, MA, LPC, CSAT
Clinical Director
5 years at  Sant é  Center for Healing

Making Verifiable Change
 
Step 6
“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”

When someone first enters treatment, they are rarely ENTIRELY READY to be free from addictive behavior and immediately willing to take a closer look at their shortcomings.

Every moment spent in recovery is an active choice. Going to treatment, getting out of bed each morning, attending and participating in groups, opening up to a therapist, staying sober one day at a time...when these actions are combined they add up to verifiable change. A new life. A better life.

This change also allows for personal growth and acknowledgment of how past destructive behaviors and shortcomings have harmed oneself and others. An individual can take this knowledge and new self-reflection and work to improve all aspects of their life. Everyone has certain damaging behaviors they can work to let go of, such as fear, pride, dishonesty, gluttony, greed, lust, jealousy, willfulness, and anger.

Making the choice to open oneself up to trying to do things in a different way, even when it’s not easy or comfortable is essential to long-term recovery. We are honored and privileged to be a part of someone's journey through treatment and will continue to work with people to change themselves for the better one day at a time, every day as we have for the past 24 years.
Truth: We must each devote significant time in self-reflection, looking into the historic mirror to recognize what has impacted the lens in how we see, hear, value and treat one another. This well time spent in introspection will help drive conversations and transformations happening now and in the weeks and months to come.

More truth… There will be uncomfortable conversations, there has to be if we’re going to more wholly understand and effectively address injustice and inhumanity. Injustice and inhumanity – like addiction – are treacherous maladies that indicate systemic problems best faced rigorously,collectively, truthfully.

This is where Recovery gets it right again… recognizing each life has great value. Recovery also proves that remarkable change can happen. And we believe our country, and our world, stand at the collective, cultural intersection for that needed change now.

We choose the path where voices are heard, where nobody feels silenced. Where trauma seeks resolution versus trivialization. Where words, deeds and policies parallel. Where we work as allies to stand against racism, violence, oppression and encroachments on civil liberties. Together let us choose equality in love, kindness, opportunity, encouragement, protection, justice and peace.
6 Smart Strategies to Manage Stress During a Crisis

In recent months, we all have had our lives turned upside down due to a global crisis. Crisis has a way of exposing our strengths and areas where we still need work. During a crisis, we soon realize there are many things that are simply out of our control—what other people choose to do, what the government decides to do, etc. Click here to view the full document and learn these ways to manage stress in a time of crisis.
The Best of Denton County Community Update met via Zoom with Sam Slaton, MEd, LPC-S MBA, MHSM, Chief Operating Officer at Santé Center for Healing, to spotlight their center. In this interview, Sam shares information about the center's programs, mission and what sets them apart from other programs and facilities.
Whether presenting with substance use disorders, trauma, problematic sexual behavior, eating disorders or dual diagnosis, individuals assessed as needing residential level of care will individually and collectively interact with Santé’s exemplary, tenured staff of psychiatrists, addictionologists, physchologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, certified addiction nurses, licensed dietitians, and masters level therapists who have additional credentialing and certifications in EMDR, CSAT, ACT, DBT, CBT, EFT, motivational interviewing, shame resiliency, psychodrama, relapse prevention and grief and loss. Longer treatment reflects the fact that addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder, says Lisa Onken, chief of NIDA's behavioral and integrative treatment branch.

Individualized treatment plans are customized throughout this level of care that involves: simultaneous treatment of dual diagnosis, individual therapy, group therapy, education, accountability, 12 step introduction, EMDR, neurofeedback, shame resiliency, experiential therapy including high and low ropes course, nutritional counseling, medication management, yoga, gender-specific groups and relapse prevention planning. Idea is to identify and work through the core-level issue underneath the substance use, problematic sexual behavior, disordered eating, and other compulsive behaviors. In this level of care, clients and their treatment teams identify the underlying causes of the addiction and how they can achieve long-term recovery.

“It gave me a new perspective to what is important in life. It allowed me to ‘disconnect’ from the chaos I was in or had created and to work on my recovery without distractions.”- Lisa, Alumni
As many as 75,000 Americans could die because of drug or alcohol misuse and suicide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis conducted by the national public health group Well Being Trust. This staggering number could become a reality due to the growing unemployment crisis, economic downturns and stress caused by isolation and the unknown of when the pandemic will end.¹

This number can be changed, but only if we put significant resources from the local, state, and federal governments into addiction and behavioral health services. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Administration did receive a total of $425 million in the $2 trillion coronavirus package that passed in March, but that is not nearly enough to cover all costs and to meet the need. When those monies are dispersed to the different organizations and facilities across the nation that receives SAMHSA funding, it isn’t enough to combat the problem. And many addiction service providers are unable to access any of the billions that have been dedicated from Congress to hospitals and health care providers.²

National statistics and facts:
  • Deaths from both suicide and drug overdoses rose along with unemployment during the 2008 recession. Unemployment went from 4.6% in 2007 to a peak of 10% in October 2009 and declined steadily reaching 3.5% in early 2010, according to Well Being Trust.¹ The Bureau of Labor Statistics' report on the US jobs market is expected to show dire numbers for May – 7.5 million jobs lost and an unemployment rate near 20%.³
  • A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that nearly half (45%) of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus.⁴
  • Recent data show that significantly higher shares of people who were sheltering in place (47%) reported negative mental health effects resulting from worry or stress related to coronavirus than among those not sheltering in place (37%). Negative mental health effects due to social isolation may be particularly pronounced among older adults and households with adolescents, as these groups are already at risk for depression or suicidal ideation.⁴
  • 54% of those who lost income or employment reported negative mental health impacts from worry or stress over coronavirus, compared to 40% of those who had not lost income or employment. 26% of people experiencing job or income loss reported major negative impacts on their mental health, compared to 15% of those who had not experienced job or income loss.⁴

Stressors in society tend to increase substance use. Alcohol purchases spiked during the month of March with U.S. sales rising 55% in the week ending March 21. States, where recreational marijuana is legal, have also seen more cannabis sold. Data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission reported sales of $84.5 million of cannabis in March — the highest monthly total since recreational marijuana use was legalized in 2015.⁵

“We continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and all the ways in which Santé can provide healing and hope to those with addiction and mental health struggles during this time and beyond,” says Sam Slaton MEd, LPC-S MBA, MHSM, Chief Operating Officer at Santé Center for Healing. “We have 24 years of experience, expertise, and integrity and will continue to help individuals reach the goal of long-term recovery.” 

1. Mallory Simon, CNN. 75,000 Americans at risk of dying from overdose or suicide due to coronavirus despair, group warns. CNN. Updated 12:23 PM ET, Fri May 8, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/08/health/coronavirus-deaths-of-despair/index.html on 2020, May 28
2. Erin Durkin. Addiction services face closures, cutbacks amid COVID-19 outbreak: Substance-abuse advocacy groups are sounding the alarm that facilities may need to roll back services or close if they don’t get financial support from Congress. National Journal. May 7, 2020, 8 p.m. Retrieved from https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/706621?unlock=55TUSOOE3LBZA6MU&unlock=7F9DIQCMD4VNV74W on 2020, May 28
3. Anneken Tappe, CNN Business. 1 in 4 American workers have filed for unemployment benefits during the pandemic. CNN. Updated 10:42 AM ET, Thu May 28, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/economy/unemployment-benefits-coronavirus/index.html on 2020, May 28
 4. KFF. Nirmita Panchal, Rabah Kamal, Kendal Orgera, Cynthia Cox, Rachel Garfield, Liz Hamel, Cailey Muñana, and Priya Chidambaram. The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use – Issue Brief – 9440. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/ on 2020, May 14
5. Sandhya Raman. Virus forebodes a mental health crisis: Advocates want more funding to stave off anxiety and addiction. Roll Call. Posted April 10, 2020 at 2:47pm. Retrieved from https://www.rollcall.com/2020/04/10/virus-forebodes-a-mental-health-crisis/ on 2020, May 13 
August 7, 2020
Spectrum of Sexuality Summit
Registration Coming Soon

August 12-14. 2020
Maintaing Proper Boundaries

All dates are subject to change due to COVID-19. We will keep you updated.
When you submit the   "Santé Connections" form , your information is accessible to Santé's intake counselors, aftercare coordinator, and family therapists for referral purposes.
S anté provides quality care and programs for long-term recovery. If there is anything we can do to improve, please reach out to us . When you reflect on our continued collaboration and/or our shared clients who are doing well, share the experience on   Facebook or Google .