FAQ

Social recovery means reaching a place where individuals feel like they truly matter. We believe that if people don’t feel valuable, they won’t have the motivation to make change. Ellenhorn’s approach centers around stages of change, and focuses on helping individuals who are experiencing significant psychological suffering to recover socially in empowered and dignified ways. Our goal is not just symptom reduction but enabling people to reconnect with the world in a meaningful way.

Each location offers the same comprehensive clinical care. All utilize the PACT model and offer mobile and flexible care to clients in each community. Our Boston location offers a residence, called Brackett House, for those who may need more support, while our NYC and Los Angeles locations do not have a residential component. Ellenhorn can, however, provide recommendations for living arrangements in each of our locations, or add PACT support services if clinically indicated.

At all three Ellenhorn locations, clients must be at least 18 years of age in order to participate. Many clients are in their early 20s to early 30s, however we work with adults of all ages.

Length of stay varies based upon the needs of each individual. Most participate an average of nine to 12 months; however, many clients utilize the program in some way for longer.

Each client’s day varies based on the makeup of his/her team, recommended level of service intensity and outside commitments. Most clients start at a medium intensity level, which may include two to three clinical-service hours per day. They may also add therapeutic or recreational groups to their schedules. After the first month, the team makes a clinical recommendation regarding ongoing level of service intensity, which ranges from one to five clinical-service hours per day.

Clinical-service hours encompass an array of direct and indirect services. When we speak about level of service intensity, we consider direct time spent with individual clinicians or in groups, but also indirect time clinicians utilize to the client’s benefit. Indirect hours include transportation to/from a client’s home, emergency on-call usage, calls/meetings with family without the client present, coordination with outside contacts (therapeutic/medical providers, schools etc.) and team coordination, planning and communication regarding client care/status.

Ellenhorn is a private-pay program and does not accept insurance. However, we provide families with monthly statements that include the necessary information for potential reimbursement through out-of-network benefits. While traditional clinical services such as psychiatry may be eligible for partial reimbursement, the majority of our work is typically not covered by insurance. Please note that reimbursement outcomes vary depending on individual insurance plans and are not guaranteed.

Teams are individualized to meet needs, though each client has a psychiatrist, primary clinician (similar to a case manager) and registered nurse on their team. Other team members may include a vocational/educational counselor, IDDT clinician (substance use,) family clinician, wellness clinician, personal trainer, arts and expressive therapist, individual psychotherapist, peer specialist, recovery coach, music therapist, and/or social-integration clinician.

The first month includes relationship building, exploring clinical-support needs/goals and completing a multidisciplinary health assessment. If neuropsychological testing is clinically indicated that will be recommended at this time. Most clients enter the program at a medium level of service intensity, which might include up to two to three clinical-service hours per day. Days may also be rounded out with therapeutic and recreational groups, though the majority of treatment is 1:1 work with clinicians.

At Ellenhorn, we take a harm-reduction approach to treatment, which means we prioritize meeting individuals where they are, without judgment or expectation of immediate abstinence. Screening for drug and alcohol use may be requested upon admission to help us better understand needs and provide the most supportive care. Throughout treatment, the clinical team determines the necessity and frequency of future screenings and reserves the right to request toxicology screenings as needed.