To incorporate Compassionate Care, in 2008, Crestwood decided to reform several longstanding behavioral health practices by discarding all forms of coercive treatments that were commonly identified as industry norms. To establish new standard operating procedures, Crestwood brought in Kevin Huckshorn, RN, MSN, ICADC, and Janice LeBel, Ph.D., two internationally known experts on the topic of restraint reduction and trauma-informed care. Since the training in 2008, Crestwood has developed a comprehensive corporate plan to support the elimination of coercive treatment across all Crestwood campuses.

After introducing new standards of care, our staff holds greater awareness of the issues surrounding coercive treatment and have helped Crestwood obtain a 91% decrease in the use of restraints and seclusion. In many cases, Compassionate Care has allowed us to completely eliminate the use of restraints at our locked campuses. By taking a more empathic approach to mental health care, Crestwood has been able to successfully minimize stigmatizing practices and foster a more amicable recovery environment.

In 2013, Crestwood was awarded a SAMHSA-sponsored training on Integration of Trauma-Informed Care in our programs, with goals of creating a coercive-free environment. In March 2015, Crestwood was recognized by CARF for the elimination of coercive treatment in many of our programs. Alongside these acknowledgements, Crestwood was recognized as one of the national leaders in reducing seclusion and restraints at the Effective Use of Peer Programs to Prevent the Use of Seclusion and Restraints Conference in Boston. Our level of seclusion and restraint for similar programs was one third the national average.

Trauma-Informed Approaches

At Crestwood Behavioral Health, we leverage Trauma-Informed Approaches, a Foundational Tool, that supports our staff in helping persons served overcome negative past experiences. We believe that addressing trauma is a vital component of effective mental health service delivery.

Trauma is a widespread, harmful, and costly public health problem, affecting many regardless of age, gender, socioeconomics, race, ethnicity, geography or sexual orientation. In 2008, Crestwood introduced Trauma-Informed Approaches as a core element to enhance the quality of care offered at our campuses and reject coercive treatment. Trauma-Informed Approaches is a Foundational Tool that utilizes a trauma-informed lens to support the effective advancement of our operations, treatment, employment, and community relationships.

At Crestwood, we seek to maintain an awareness that the majority of the people we serve have experienced traumatic events that altered the way they view and navigate through the world. In helping these individuals overcome the aftereffects of their experiences, we leverage Trauma-Informed Approaches as the basis for resiliency skills building. To implement effective individualized treatment plans, we use Trauma-Informed Approaches along with culturally sensitive multidisciplinary behavioral health techniques that provide a rich source of recovery tools to mitigate and heal the impact of trauma affecting persons served. These tools include evidence-based practices such as Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as well as Peer Providers, Spiritual Groups, and other recovery-oriented activities. Through our Crestwood programs, we work to support our persons served with developing a strong emotional foundation from which they can build from and use during their recovery.

Over the years, the implementation of Trauma-Informed Approaches has had a positive impact on the design of our programs, particularly, our environmental planning, which now incorporates comfort rooms, serenity rooms, and library areas. To sustain and continue the growth of our Trauma-Informed Approaches, we are continuing to work with national trauma trainer, Raul Almazar and others. To learn more about our journey to Trauma-Informed Approaches, consider the article "Crestwood's Journey" from the Fall 2015 edition of our Touch magazine.