About Wild Acre Inns
Mental Health Treatment Programs in Massachusetts
Founded A Tradition of Innovation
In 1972 Dr. Bernard Yudowitz completed his training as a psychiatrist and developed a vision for an innovative way to treat mental illness. His model for treatment was based on two guiding principles. First, he believed that people suffering from mental illness would improve more rapidly in the most normalized environment possible and that the goal of treatment should be to bring individuals to their highest level of functioning. Second, his experience revealed that people did better in a facility that more closely resembled a home than an institution and that symptoms decreased more rapidly when treatment teams stayed intact as the client proceeded through the various stages of therapy in a "Continuum of Care."
Dr. Bernard Yudowitz, Founder, CEO & Medical Director Continuum of Care
One of the difficulties with traditional mental health care services is that there are usually different clinicians and facilities providing services at each level of treatment. Clients often enter the mental health system needing structured care and progress to a more independent program as their functioning improves. In a traditional system, the client moves from facility to facility, and is treated by different clinicians at each location. Many times the only bridge between the different levels of care is a trail of paper work. This can lead to lapses in treatment continuity, and can exacerbate difficulties the client may experience during transition. In an age of decreased services provided under managed care, precious days of treatment can be lost under these conditions while the clinicians get up to speed on the client's history, and the clients readjust to their new therapists and surroundings.
Wild Acre Inns has developed a "Continuum of Care," a comprehensive system of services in which all phases of mental health treatment are administered by a single treatment team. With facilities in the Greater Boston Area providing residential, day treatment, and independent living, the client is held in a compassionate and continuous therapeutic environment as they progress through the system toward their highest possible level of functioning. The client's therapist from outside the Wild Acre system is encouraged to take part in the client's progress, further enhancing treatment continuity. Wild Acre Inns' Continuum of Care ultimately provides a closer, more responsive relationship between client and clinicians, reduces inefficiencies in program transition and administration, and accelerates the recovery process. A Unique Clinical Environment
From its inception, Wild Acre Inns has been set apart by its attention to the clinical setting. A departure from the institutional or hospital environment, For residential facilities, Wild Acre Inns utilizes large suburban homes and well-appointed apartments located in prime urban locations. The agency's commitment to providing the latest in mental health therapies in the least restrictive environment is evident in the open architecture of the buildings as well as the design of the clinical programs. The result is a normalizing effect for the client, which improves quality of life, facilitates healing, and speeds transition to the client's highest level of functioning. Dr. Yudowitz opened Wild Acre Inns' first community residence in a restored historic inn in Lexington, Massachusetts. Named for its location on an acre of wooded land, this Inn became the foundation of all our programs dedicated to serving individuals with mental illness. Today, the name Wild Acre Inns represents an extensive and growing complement of high-quality, community-based mental health residences. All of our treatment programs promote emotional healing in a structured environment of therapy, understanding, cooperation and support. Wild Acre Inns' expert leadership continually develops innovative programs to meet the mental health needs of individuals.
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