Proudly serving the Atlanta metro and surrounding areas for more than 50 years now, Southside Medical Center has honed its healthcare service offering over time to maximize outcomes for the underserved communities we call home.
Chief among those services is our Lifestyle Enrichment Treatment program, which employs a result-driven, holistic approach to mental health challenges, including addiction, attention disorders, trauma, depression, and more.
At Southside Medical Center, we are passionate patient advocates that believe in individualized care plans made to not only improve physical outcomes, but to comprehensively enrich each patient’s social, emotional, spiritual, financial, and other forms of well-being for.
But what do we mean specifically by “enrichment”? What services does the Southside Behavioral Lifestyle Enrichment Center (SBLEC) offer? Consider this your all-in-one guide to the program, including our philosophies, methods, and what sets us apart from other programs.
What Do We Mean By Lifestyle Enrichment?
Especially when it comes to nuanced and multi-faceted problems like addiction, one-dimensional therapeutic approaches are often not enough to stimulate the level of change needed to fundamentally restructure the patient’s life for lasting, meaningful change. Too often, substance abuse patients will experience rapid progress, only to relapse because of unaddressed trauma responses, social factors, family dynamics, and other triggers that can have detrimental effects on recovery.
The potential of relapse itself can introduce new layers of fear and anxiety, which is another reason why a holistic approach is the best response. By focusing on every area of the patient’s life that intersects with their addiction, we can rip the problem out by the root and plant a new seed altogether. All the while, we ensure each participant’s treatment is accurately centered around their specific beliefs, behaviors, and motivations.
Southside’s Adult Mental Health Services
In order to provide a customizable, yet consistent and well-structured program that works for people of all different backgrounds and circumstances, SBLEC offers an equally diverse range of therapies and services. Our well-credentialed, culturally competent staff provides counseling in various settings (individual, group, family, etc.), nursing care, drug evaluations and assessments, psychiatric assessments, and medication management to meet patients where they are and build on their day-one baselines with actionable treatment plans.
In addition, SBLEC practices Medicated-Assisted Lifestyle Enrichment Treatment, or MAT, which refers to an approach that combines therapies with FDA-approved medications to best manage substance use disorders. We use methadone alongside a patient-centered therapeutic approach to provide the most effective treatment throughout the 90-day program. Methadone is an FDA-approved drug that blocks the euphoric effects of opioids while considerably mitigating withdrawal symptoms.
What Makes Southside Behavioral Lifestyle Enrichment Center Stand Out?
SBLEC has structured its healthcare services to act as a complete one-stop-shop for underserved patients looking to completely rehabilitate their lives by overcoming not only substance abuse, but the many mental health disorders that cause, are caused by, or are closely related to substance abuse.
Mental health and substance abuse problems don’t form in a vacuum—they are life problems. Our team at Southside Behavioral Lifestyle Enrichment Center is not here simply to check boxes and refill prescriptions. We are here to actively listen to each patient’s unique story, to explore the motivations and thought patterns behind their behaviors, and to work as co-authors with them to write a new and more triumphant chapter in their lives.
In order to engage and relate with patients at a deep enough level to inspire true and lasting change, we employ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy strategies, Motivational Interviewing, and the Matrix Model. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps our patients to identify self-imposed roadblocks in their thought patterns, while Motivational Interviewing helps to remind patients of the significance of the positive changes they seek. Finally, the Matrix Model helps to tie behavioral therapies, counseling, self-help, and many other components together into one cohesive treatment plan.
Now What? How Southside Supports Patients After Graduation
While we are fully confident in our SBLEC programs, and have the testimonials to prove their effectiveness, we understand that some program participants will still benefit from follow-up care after graduating. This is why our Drug Abuse Treatment and Education Program (DATEP) also provides aftercare. Aftercare participants come in at least once a month for counseling sessions and other services. Recovery is different for everyone, but rarely comes without challenges and surprises, which is why aftercare may be just what you need to restructure your post-addiction life with greater understanding, patience, and perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the program inpatient or outpatient?
Our Lifestyle Enrichment Program is an outpatient treatment plan.
Does the Lifestyle Enrichment Program entail drug testing?
Yes, participants in the Lifestyle Enrichment Program are subjected to random urine screens throughout the program’s duration.
Which insurance plans do you accept?
We accept Medicare, Medicaid, Peach State, Amerigroup, Care Source and WellCare. The Adult Mental Health Program accepts all insurance plans.
What if I don’t have insurance?
Program participants can pay out of pocket for SBLEC services. Southside Medical Center offers sliding fee scales.
Is there an age requirement?
Program participants must be 18 years of age or older to qualify.
Does SBLEC use FDA-approved medications?
Yes, SBLEC only uses FDA-approved medications, including methadone.
Join Us In Creating a Brighter Future
Our team of friendly and knowledgeable care providers genuinely cares about everyone who enters the Lifestyle Enrichment Program, and we are deeply passionate about the much-needed work of substance abuse and mental health treatment.
When you’re ready to make a change for the better, contact Southside Medical Center and ask about our Behavioral Lifestyle Enrichment Center.