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THE LAST WORD

Aug/Sept 2011 www.esb.ie/em

HELPING PEOPLE TO GET THEIR LIVES BACK ON TRACK

Addictions, substance abuse and process disorders relating to eating difficulties, gambling or internet use problems that can affect people of any age and background. Together they represent a serious medical and social problem that responsible employers like ESB have taken seriously for many years.

ESB’s Medical Insurance Scheme covers members for treatment at a number of specialist addiction clinics should they require it. Among these is Toranfield House near the Powerscourt Waterfall in north Wicklow.

It is one of the newest clinics of its kind in Ireland, as chief executive JC Durbin explains. “This is a family-owned clinic run on social entrepreneurship principles,” he says. “Maurice Leahy took over the Powerscourt Springs spa which was here before Toranfield House. It is a legacy project for him and we have worked hard at creating a world leading institution.”

The first steps in the development of the clinic were the demolition of much of the old health spa and its replacement with the new purpose built facility with the aim of becoming “an addiction clinic that doesn’t feel like an addiction clinic”. “What we have tried to do here is make it feel more like a B&B and not at all like a clinical environment,” says Durbin.

First impressions certainly bear this out. The complex of single storey buildings are bright, airy and not at all imposing and help generate a sense of peace and healing.

With the building in place it was then a case of getting the right people. “We are very proud of our team. Our medical director is Dr Michael Doran, a leading psychiatrist who specialises in addiction; our detox director is Dr Hugh Gallagher who has a particular expertise in substance abuse medicine; we have Coleman Dunne, a psychologist and counsellor with more than 30 years experience in addiction counselling and rehabilitation. The team is led by our clinical director Miriam Finnegan who has several years experience of working in a national frontline addiction treatment service.”

A feature of Toranfield and other modern addiction clinics is the fact that it is not just the counsellors and doctors who participate in the treatment. “The basis of the organisation is that everyone contributes to the wellbeing of the clients. And that’s everyone from the nurses to the chefs to the people who look after the grounds. For example, the majority of our clients have eating issues and our chefs have to be aware of that. All our staff are trained to observe and interact with participate in the care of our clients.”

In line with modern thinking the clinic’s treatment programmes are tailored to individual needs and circumstances. “Our addiction treatment programme is centred on the dynamic individualised care plan we develop for each client. This plan is fully comprehensive with input from our psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians and addiction counsellors to address the addiction and any co-occurring mental health issues. There is a really strong energy coming from that sense of teamwork and when clients come here they find good energy greeting them.”

The treatment itself also reflects some of the latest thinking in the area. “We don’t believe in the old Minnesota model of addiction treatment,” JC explains. “We have developed our own non-confrontational system that combines several different therapies tailored to the needs of individual clients. For example, you have to look at how people receive information – sometimes it’s cognitive and sometimes it’s empathetic and we have to understand this if we are to communicate properly. In many cases we are dealing with trauma, big traumas like sexual abuse and little traumas like failure to get a job promotion and we use different tools and techniques to allow clients talk through that trauma.”

Trauma isn’t the only issue that underlies addiction. “Others have issues around sex, eating, self-esteem and so on. It’s important not to just treat the addition; you have to treat the individual and all of the issues that surround the addiction. We deliver a fully integrated, evidence based, dual diagnosis therapy programme that is continually tailored to clients’ evolving individual needs. Our goal is to address all the issues that have derailed their life, family, relationships and health. We treat the whole person and help them to develop the tools needed to get their lives back on track.”

Among the most important aspects of successful addiction treatment is the work carried out with families. “Addiction is a fascinating thing,” JC notes. “When a person has an addiction it is not just them but all of the people in their network who is suffering. They can be affecting up to six other family members and others in their network. And this is a bidirectional relationship.”

When people leave an addiction clinic after a treatment programme they go back home as a different person, but their family members and friends are sub-consciously normalising them back to where they were before they came here. This is a result of the co-dependency that exists. This is why Toranfield and other clinics have family therapy programmes that run in parallel to the addiction treatment. “The 28 days here is just the start, the family and after care are very big issues as well,” says JC.

Ultimately, the goal of Toranfield and other such clinics is to bring people back to where they had been before they became addicted. “We help people to come full circle and become valued and important members of their families and communities again. If a person feels valued and has something to contribute they don’t feel the need to escape and medicate.”

To find out more about the addiction clinics and services covered under ESB’s Medical Insurance Scheme contact a member of the Medical Provident Fund team on 01 6765831.