Frequently Asked Questions

To help people who want the high-quality program we offer but do not have insurance that will provide coverage, we have a scholarship program.  Most individuals qualify for our largest scholarship of $8,000.  The self-pay cost, after the scholarship, would be $18,500.  To help families, we work with financial institutions that offer payment plans.

Our scholarship program is very simple.  If the individual coming to treatment does not have health insurance that will pay for their treatment, and they make less than $100,000 per year, they qualify for our largest scholarship of $8,000.

If the income is greater than $100,000, there is a sliding scale that provides scholarships in smaller amounts.  Approval is a simple and quick process.  If you are interested, someone from the Business office will assist you.  A copy of your most recent tax return may be requested. Apply here.

Our program is very different from most other rehab centers.  Most programs use group therapy as their primary method of treatment.  We use very little group therapy.  Our goal is to help the individual identify and begin to resolve the underlying reasons that drive their addiction – anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and more.  By using one-on-one counseling and a very personalized approach, we see people heal faster and have better outcomes.

We are different in other important ways as well:

Our #1 criterion for admissions is that people want to get better.  We do not accept people who have no motivation to recover.  This allows us to maintain a much more positive environment that helps people heal.

We also treat the whole person – body, mind, emotions and spirit – not just their addiction.  This is so important because if these other issues are not addressed, addiction treatment can become little more than a Band-Aid.  By helping the whole person get well and find purpose, we greatly improve their success in recovery.

St. Joseph Institute is a faith-based environment.  We do not have a religious agenda, but we work with people to discover meaning and purpose for their life.  As millions of people have discovered, addiction is a physical disease with a spiritual cure.  By helping people grow spiritually – addressing issues like grief, forgiveness, and a relationship with a God who loves them – we help them find a deep strength for their recovery.

We use a very simple admission process.  If you have health insurance, we will take your information, confirm your benefits and provide our best estimate of your cost.  We hate financial surprises as much as you do.  The second step is a telephone interview that takes about 20 minutes.  In this conversation our admission counselor will gain an understanding of what has been going on in your life and the issues that you will need to address in treatment.  Our Clinical Team will conduct a review of this information and ensure that we are the right place to help you–and that your needs fit with our program.  If everything looks good, we will schedule your admission time.  The entire process is usually completed within a few hours.

Overcoming addiction has several steps. The first step is to get the drugs out of your system and get your body on a path to wellness. The second step is learning about the disease of addiction and how to stand strong against cravings and urges to use. In the third step, you need to learn how to live your life differently, manage your desire to self-medicate, reduce stress and rediscover your joy and a sense of purpose. You also need to learn the tools and techniques that will enable you to move into lasting recovery. Accomplishing all of this in 30 days is a big task. There are very few short cuts in overcoming addiction.

The Institute is not able to take payment in installments, but we work with a finance company that will help you pay for your treatment over time. They will offer payment plans, often with a 0% interest rate.  The application process is simple and fast.  Go to the “payment” page under the “admissions” tab on our website.  The finance company is listed on that page, and you can click there for a direct link to the application.  Complete the simple applications, and you will get an answer from M-lend within a few hours.

We demand a very high standard of training and experience from our staff. Many have special diplomas in the fields of behavioral health and addiction. Our doctor is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine.

A faith-based program acknowledges that overcoming addiction and remaining strong in recovery is not a journey that one takes alone.  Trusting God to provide help and support is a critical part of the healing process.  We encourage our residents to ask spiritual questions and search for their understanding of God.

We are a Christian, non-denominational program.  We are not connected to any church or religious group and do not have an agenda of what we want people to believe.  In appropriate situations we will share aspects of Christian teaching.  We encourage people to meditate and pray.  Our hope is that our residents will discover a faith that helps them boldly face life’s challenges and embrace a strong sense of purpose.

We can work with almost every commercial insurance program.  The Institute is an “in-network” provider for many programs, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield.  We will be happy to take your insurance information and confirm your benefits for substance abuse treatment with no obligation.

We try to provide the best possible estimate of what your treatment will cost.  We will tell you about our experience working with your insurance company and be very honest if we think there are hidden clauses that may affect your coverage.  Health insurance for addiction treatment is complex, and we want you to have all the facts so that there are no financial surprises.

Most people who come to the Institute are covered by health insurance, and their costs are limited to the deductible and co-pay detailed in their policy.  For those without insurance who need to self-pay, the cost is $26,500 for our full 30-day program.  To help with this payment, we have a scholarship program that can reduce this cost by up to $8,000.

Everyone coming into treatment with an annual income of less than $100,000 will receive our largest scholarship of $8,000, which reduces the total cost to $18,500.  There are smaller scholarships for people with higher incomes.  Financing can be arranged for those who need to self-pay, or if funds are needed to cover the deductible and co-pay.

Our kitchen strives to provide residents with meals that will be enjoyable and also help improve their health.  We serve a healthy diet that restores the nutrients the body loses through addiction.  There will be salads, roast beef, salmon, chicken, hamburgers, pizza and many other dishes.  We are able to accommodate people with food allergies, vegetarian diets and gluten sensitivity.

One-on-one counseling is a very important part of our program, and our residents work very closely with their counselors.  The counselors participate in various aspects of the program every day, ensuring regular interaction with the residents.  The ratio of residents to counselors is one of the lowest in the industry. In many rehab centers the counselor to resident ratio is as high as 30 to 1.

Residents are permitted to smoke during free time and breaks in the program.  If someone wishes to stop smoking as part of their recovery, our medical staff will be pleased to help them.

The Institute works with a finance company that provides payment plans for treatment.  The application process for M-Lend is very simple.  On the “payment” page, which is under the “admissions” section on the website, you can click on the company icon.  The Application form can be completed in less than two minutes.  Approval is usually received within a few hours.

Following approval, the company will forward the funds within 10 days.  Treatment can begin immediately upon confirmation that funding is approved.  A deposit may be necessary at the time of admissions.

The resident rooms at the Institute are designed like hotel rooms, each with its own private washroom.  There are two residents in each room.  Research has demonstrated that this is the best approach for treatment, as isolation and separation work against a successful recovery.

At the time of admission there is a medical assessment to determine the best course of treatment. The doctor will usually prescribe medications to manage the symptoms of withdrawal – which may include nausea, diarrhea, joint pain or sweats. The medications will vary based on the type of addiction and any concerns our doctor might have. When appropriate, a short course of Suboxone is used to help those with an opioid addiction detox with minimum discomfort. A variety of nutrients and food supplements will also be provided to help the body recover as quickly as possible from the effects of addictive drugs and alcohol. We usually find that residents are ready to fully engage in the program within a few days. During the detox stage of recovery our residents are carefully monitored by the medical staff.

The age range of our residents is commonly between 18 and 65.  We usually have residents who belong to every decade.  This creates a diversity of life experience that benefits our residents as they learn from one another about the recovery strategies that have been most successful.

Residents over 40 usually find the Institute environment comfortable as we probably have other residents of a similar age.  Some rehab facilities have the majority of their population under 25, which can make it difficult for an older person.

The Institute’s 200-acre campus is located on a very private mountainside about 20 minutes from State College in central Pennsylvania.

We help our residents reach the Institute by many methods of transportation.  Most residents are brought by a family member or friend.  However, if this is not possible, we can help with travel arrangements or provide pick-up service.

Holistic treatment means that we are concerned for the well-being of the whole person, not just their addiction.  We want to address areas of pain and difficulty that may be physical, mental, emotional, social or spiritual.  If you have chronic pain, we want to treat it.  If you are troubled by anxiety, grief, trauma or depression, we offer treatment.  If you have lost your sense of purpose or can’t forgive yourself, we want to address that as well.  What we know is that if these areas of life are not addressed, it becomes much, much harder to live in recovery.

Nutritional therapy is a state-of-the-art treatment that focuses on stabilizing brain chemistry and rebuilding health and strength.  Drugs and alcohol affect the body’s ability to absorb and use essential nutrients that are critical to the production of neurotransmitters – the molecules used by the brain to transmit messages and balance moods. For example, opioid users often have trouble sleeping, which may be related to low levels of serotonin.  Nutritional therapy helps the brain rebuild its supply of serotonin, and sleep improves.

We encourage you to let us inform your work that you are away and set up medical leave and short term disability.  Confidentiality laws make it easier for us to speak with your employer, as we are not required to answer questions that the employee may feel obligated to answer.  We speak only to the Human Resources staff who are bound by the same confidentiality laws as the Institute.  We set up the FMLA leave and provide all of the paperwork necessary for short term disability, if this benefit is offered by your employer.

We ask you to leave your electronics at home.

It is important for you to break away from the outside world and focus on your healing.  You will find that life at the Institute is full, and you will manage just fine for a few weeks without your technology devices.

Our residents can have visitors every Sunday afternoon except the first Sunday.  They will also have an opportunity each day to call their family.  We think it is important to keep these relationships strong.

There is also an opportunity for residents to have counseling with their families and have them participate in aspects of the program so that they learn more about addiction and how to support their loved one.  A special family program is also available that includes a weekly counseling session for family members.

A strong aftercare program is critical to a successful recovery.  We work closely with our residents to build the program that will give them the best chance to avoid relapse.  Before a resident graduates, we strive to have all of the pieces of the aftercare plan fully arranged.  If they need a counselor, we want to identify that counselor and have the first appointment set up.  Meeting times will be researched and a schedule prepared.  An out-patient program or a sober living home may be arranged.

Every aftercare plan is unique. However, all plans provide multiple sources of support. Whatever seems necessary to help recovery will be identified, and we follow up after discharge to make sure the aftercare program is working.

We encourage families to send letters and cards.  These provide an important source of support and are very important to the residents.

The Institute draws upon the most successful techniques for treatment from both Eastern and Western medicine.  Different types of massage have been found to reduce stress, and there are treatments that use finger pressure on different points of the body to facilitate healing.  Meditation is a good way to relax for many people who find stress a big factor in their addiction.  We have staff trained in all of these techniques, which are included as part of our standard program.

Treatment works best when you are not part of the day-to-day busyness of life and stressors such as your job or certain people. That said, it is not necessary to travel across the country to be removed from the temptations and stressors of home. The Institute provides a safe and private environment for healing.

Every day will have a mix of activities.  There will be a class and small group discussion that focus on an important topic, such as how to manage stress or control the emotional impulses that are such a big part of addiction.  There will be one-on-one time with a therapist or counselor, time to relax, reflect and read, the opportunity for exercise, and a seminar on relapse prevention.  While their days are full, residents have several hours of personal time each day to enjoy the property and its amenities.

We believe the family is an important part of treatment, and we encourage our residents and their families to fully participate in our family program.  The program varies from one person to the next.  For some residents there may be some family counseling, with the family visiting the campus or joining us by Skype or telephone.  Some family members come and spend a day or more, attending classes, participating in counseling and learning about addiction.

We make every effort to understand your insurance plan and determine how much coverage you should expect before you come into treatment.  Insurance companies often try to use the fine print in policies to avoid payment.  We work hard to prevent this from happening and strive to obtain the maximum coverage.

Confidentiality laws allow the residents to determine who we can talk to and how much we can say.  We encourage our residents to allow us to speak regularly with their family and keep them informed.  When this consent is provided, the counselor will reach out to the family within a day or two of admission and remain in regular communication.

We try to complete the admission within one hour and get a new resident settled into their room.