Choosing the most effective treatment for a loved one can be a fearful process full of uncertainty. As you conduct your research, you will likely find some treatment centers claim: luxurious facilities, cutting-edge therapy, maid service, private chefs, and more. In this article, you will not find any promises for a cozy transition. Practical Development is Prescott’s newest treatment center, designed to reverse the privilege, bias, and entitlement issues are so common.
Practical Development knows addiction is a deadly disease and is anything but luxurious. After working for several years in drug and alcohol addiction treatment, Practical Development’s Program developer, Clint Richards, couldn’t help but realize the majority of his clients were suffering from severe entitlement issues. As time progressed, he felt these issues were often more harmful to his clients than the addiction itself, and leaving them unresolved would result in chronic relapse or an insufficient quality of life. As he processed hundreds of intakes for three highly accredited treatment centers, he found the request was always the same: “please fix my child.” Clients receive a “one size fits all” treatment style, engage in therapy, take a 6-18 month vacation, and eventually leave with a lot of knowledge about recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
While this treatment can be extremely beneficial to many, consider this scenario: what if the client has only experimented with drugs and is more of a case of a “failure to launch” than a case of addiction? If so, these clients have just spent half a year or more exposed to serious drug addicts who give free pro-drug education. The outcome can be fatal.
Practical Development was created as an Early Intervention Program for young men ages 16-26.
Early intervention is specifically created for young men suffering from the early signs of addiction which include (but are not limited to) entitlement, affluenza, authority defiance, anger problems, excessive video game use, chronic impulsivity, depression, and experimenting with drugs/alcohol. At Practical Development, every client is treated as an individual. The staff is trained, licensed, and fully dedicated to focusing on the unique aspects of each client’s personality and struggles. Practical Development has a maximum capacity of 6 clients and each client receives full one-on-one attention for the entire length of stay.
Practical Development uses true social justice experiences that simulate many walks of life. The first phase of the program is a true test of humility, gratitude and appreciation for the small things in life. Clients focus on a life of poverty. Many people in today’s economy live with nothing but the clothes on their backs, eating in soup kitchens and pan handling to get their next fix, meal, or (if they’re lucky) a hotel room to keep the rain off their heads. This is a class of society many neglect to empathize with. If we don’t work hard and learn to value the life we have been given, we could all very easily become a part of this subculture. With exposure and slight integration to this population, Practical Development uses this social experience as a prime motivating factor to reach progress points.
If you woke up tomorrow with nothing but the clothes on your back, no money in your pocket, no education or credentials, and a minimum wage job, what would you do? In the second week, clients begin to build a foundation for their success. With more ambition for a better way of life, it’s time to work their way from the bottom up. At this point, the clients are provided a job and personal assistance to advance forward to a self-sustaining life.
The second phase focuses on several different social aspects of life. First and foremost, Practical Development covers Financial Reality. Many clients have come to treatment saying, “I don’t need to go to college! I can make it on my own!” After a few weeks of “making it on their own,” they often have a change of heart. Today’s economic structure makes it impossible to live a financially secure life on a minimum wage salary.
The following weeks and social focuses revolve around responsibility: paying your own bills, buying your own groceries, maintaining your own home, etc.
This is followed by a period called “1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back.” Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything just goes wrong? We all have. Every journey endured at Practical Development facility is 100% proportionate to reality.
The next phase is “White Collar Week,” where the focus is on professionalism, ethics, appearance, and representation. To wrap up the second phase, clients focus on their accomplishments and begin to set their personal goals.
For the final week, clients have graduated from the work program and spend one week focusing on the next step of their lives. During this time, they fully engage with their therapists and support groups to finalize all individualized goals that were set prior to entering the program. Clients work diligently with a Certified Life Coach to build a 6-month, 1-year and two separate 5-year plans. This is an exit plan designed by the client and his financial sponsors to truly “prepare to launch.” Clients do not graduate from Practical Development until all of phase three criteria are complete and approved by their financial sponsors and all clinical staff.
Knowing first-hand the personal challenges of finding appropriate treatment placement, Practical Development is committed to helping all families and loved ones to find the best option for themselves. If you discover that Practical Development is not the right center for you or your loved one, they will assist you in finding the appropriate facility to meet your needs.