FAQ Frequently Asked Questions We answer your important questions. Information You Need to Know We know that deciding to seek treatment can come with some trepidation. Our goal is to help provide the information you need to make the right treatment decision and to ease any concerns prior to your arrival. We understand that knowledge is power, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for, our admissions specialists can also help you get the answers you need. GENERAL What are Spero stabilization patients not allowed to bring to treatment? Our main focus in on keeping out anything that poses a safety risk. Also, many personal items will be stored for Sky patients due to safety and space constraints. For full details and information on what to pack, visit Spero’s What to Bring page. Is Spero coed or are patients segregated by gender? Spero is not a gender-specific program and patients receive treatment in mixed-gender units. Rooms are assigned by gender, but all programming is coed and patients benefit from the experience of a coed treatment team as well. Does Spero allow smoking on campus? Yes, we allow smoking. Patients in our Sky wing have scheduled, supervised 15-minute smoke breaks throughout the day. River patients can smoke freely during non-programming time in their courtyard smoking area. TREATMENT Who is appropriate for Spero’s stabilization program? We are a safe and secure program that offers voluntary stabilization treatment with the goal of preparing patients to move on to their next stage of treatment. Why would someone come to Spero before going to another inpatient treatment program? Spero patients may have had a recent suicide attempt or experienced suicidal ideation or some dysregulation. For the safety of all our patients, Spero isn’t the right place for someone who is actively suicidal, actively homicidal, or is putting hands on others. What is the goal of stabilization treatment at The Meadows Seasons? Our hope is that upon conclusion of their time at Spero that each patient will be better resourced, primed for maximum participation and progress, and ready to hit the ground running, allowing them to smoothly transfer to the Meadows program that they came to Wickenburg to participate in. Ultimately, our goal is that patients will actually be more successful and be able to more fully utilize each day at their next program because they now have additional skills on board and will be more acclimated to treatment. Will everyone who goes through stabilization treatment at Spero transfer to another Meadows program? Our expert clinical team works with each patient to find the most appropriate next step for their recovery journey, but admission to The Meadows Seasons neither requires nor guarantees the eventual transfer to another Meadows program. A small percentage of Spero Sky patients may complete stabilization and still not be appropriate for another Meadows program or they may seek stabilization support at Spero and then transfer to a non-Meadows program. What if someone still has trouble stabilizing after spending time at Spero or new issues surface during stabilization treatment? If a patient continues to struggle, becomes a safety risk, or there’s some other destabilizing factor that makes Spero no longer an appropriate place to provide care for them, we will work with the patient to find the proper referral to a specialized program that can address their current needs. Our goal is always to have each patient in the most clinically appropriate setting where they can get the care they need. Can Spero handle someone experiencing a life-threatening emergency? If someone is currently in crisis, they need to go to the ER or another facility that can address crisis situations with the immediacy they require. While admission to Spero is fairly quick, it can take up to 24 hours or longer to complete the ATA process (appropriate to admit). For someone experiencing an emergency, we don’t want them to delay receiving the care they need while we complete the admission process. Is Spero able to handle psychosis and other thought disorders? These are taken on a case-by-case basis. Spero is able to provide the best and safest care when a disconnect from reality is the result of substances or medications and/or has an acute onset which is likely to remit within 14 days of care. As the treatment of choice, willingness to work with Spero’s psychiatric providers to determine the most appropriate medical care will be very important. Individuals with a history of psychosis that is now well-managed could be an excellent fit for Spero. Do those at Spero receive the same Meadows Model treatment as other Meadows inpatient and outpatient programs? The Meadows Model is woven throughout all we do at The Meadows Seasons, but Spero stabilization patients are with us for such a short period of time that it isn’t appropriate to introduce many of the key components of our other programs (Survivors Week, family of origin work, neurofeedback). Our hope is that once they’re stabilized, they will transfer to another Meadows program where they can take full advantage of all we offer. Those in our residential or “River” program, which includes a longer length of stay, will have the opportunity to go through our legendary Survivors program, but in a customized format, and will do individualized family of origin work and take full advantage of the neurofeedback and other tools available in our on-site Brain Center. Reach Out to Us If you’ve tried other options before but didn’t get the results you wanted, we’re here to help. Hope and healing are possible. Learn More
