Q: Why was looking outside the Wonderland EPA system so valuable for developing future goals?
Bernadine Fried: In the effort to truly understand effective treatment we had to look at many different treatment models, read numerous research studies, understand the value of 12 Step programs and talk to many of the leading experts in the industry. In addition, we added in our personal and professional experience to develop the Wonderland EPA model.
Q: What were your general impressions of effective treatment?
Bernadine Fried: The best treatment is holistic i.e. that means treatment addresses the whole person rather than just a person’s addictive substance or psychiatric condition. This requires care for the family, the client’s work or lack of work, the client’s physical health, the client’s mental health, the client’s spiritual health while encouraging the client to be of service to others.
Q: How does community encourage or discourage the client’s progress?
Bernadine Fried: The community is a critical part of effective treatment. It is natural and healing for human beings to be a part of a village. We are an artistic and creative community at Wonderland EPA.
Q: In summary, what influence did these observances have on the Wonderland EPA team?
Bernadine Fried: When we look at different treatment centers we see the majority lack the necessary resources to be effective. We first need a new blueprint for treatment followed by the necessary resources to build capacity. Wonderland EPA is our blueprint of the next generation of treatment. We started from scratch designing a treatment center that includes the best practices from our research, incredible doctors and clinicians we interviewed and our personal experiences acquired over the last 20 years.
