Executive Treatment Services
Executives may be poised, calm and successful, with everything clearly under control. They’ve reached a high level of success in their jobs, and they’re easy to spot in a crowd. While many executives may truly fit this description, there are other executives who have deep secrets lurking behind their confident exteriors. They may have an addiction to drugs, alcohol or gambling. Or, they may have mental illnesses that they’re barely able to keep in check.
Living with an addiction or a mental illness can be difficult for anyone to deal with alone, but executives may resist entering treatment programs. They may feel that they don’t have the time, or they worry that their admission of an addiction will cause them difficulties at work. Executive treatment programs have been provided to address these concerns. Here, executives can get the help they need in surroundings in which they’ll feel comfortable.
Executives, Addiction and Mental Health
According to the journal Advances in Mental Health Treatment, a low economic status is often linked to mental illness and addiction. Being poor can cause people to turn to drugs or alcohol in order to reduce daily stress, or mental health issues can lead people to behave in such a way that they can’t get the jobs they need to move up the economic ladder. This may all be true enough, but it doesn’t discount the fact that many executives do develop substance abuse disorders, and many executives also develop mental illnesses.
For example, medical professionals can be considered executives. They have advanced degrees and jobs that are associated with high salaries and high levels of personal satisfaction, yet doctors are not immune to substance abuse and mental health problems. In fact, according to an article published on Medscape, 73 percent of psychiatrists report an episode of depression. And, of those doctors who commit suicide, 40 percent are associated with alcoholism. It’s clear, from these statistics, that these problems aren’t confined to the lower economic classes in any way, shape or form.
The Concept of Customization
Since so many people who develop addictions or mental illnesses are from lower socioeconomic classes, some treatment programs are specifically designed to address the issues common to this group. These programs may focus on finding people a stable place or live, or they may try to provide participants with job skills they’ll need to improve their station. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the best treatment programs for drug abuse are tailored to the needs of that person at that time. No treatment program is right for everyone. Executives who enter a treatment program tailored for lower economic classes may be told that they’ll receive targeted therapies, but the fact may still exist that their needs are far removed from the needs of the other people in the program. It can be hard to provide enough customization to make them happy, unless they enter an executive program that’s designed around their needs from the outset.
Some executives may not even consider therapies for addiction or mental illnesses because they believe that the programs won’t help them. For example, a study in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment found that some women didn’t enter treatment programs for addiction because they had stereotypical views about the people who entered these programs. In other words, they didn’t think the programs were for “people like them.” The study goes on to point out that the women had concerns about:
- Stigma
- Range of options
- Childcare
- Time required
These are the sorts of issues that can be managed in an executive program. Perhaps if these women were shown brochures for executive programs, it could have put their minds at ease and made them more comfortable with the idea of getting therapy for the problems they were facing.
An Executive Program
While executive services may vary dramatically, a few basic concepts seem to drive most programs. For example, most programs for executives are held in secure, private locations that are far off the beaten path. Executives may fear for their jobs when they enter a program for addiction, for example, and they may have a right to be a bit worried, as the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t specifically prevent an employer from retaliating if an addiction is found. Executives don’t want to lose their jobs due to their need for help, so privacy is of the utmost importance. The location keeps them from being spotted as they enter the program, and the client list is never shared.
In addition, many executive programs are held in beautiful and comfortable surroundings. People who work at the executive level are accustomed to enjoying the finer things in life, and asking them to live in an uncomfortable hospital setting may just not work. Providing them a place that is relaxing, clean and lovely to look at may encourage them to stay and complete the treatment.
Executive programs may allow the person to do a specific amount of work each day. This can help those professionals who are concerned about their jobs. Since they’re answering email messages and reading reports each day, albeit for a short period of time, they stay in touch with their companies, and they can reduce their fears that their jobs won’t be waiting when they return. In addition, some people simply love their jobs and they can’t imagine leaving those jobs behind for weeks or months. By allowing these people to stay connected, the programs give the person something to be proud of and look forward to, and this can be important in recovery.
Aspects That Don’t Change
There are some aspects of treatment programs that remain the same, no matter where the person chooses to receive treatment. For example, if the executive has issues with drugs or alcohol, the program is likely to use behavioral therapies. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, these therapies can take many forms, including:
- One-on-one counseling sessions that address the person’s willingness to change
- Group counseling sessions in which many people share their ideas and provide support
- Family counseling sessions in which the person’s entire family attends and they work on issues together as a group
- Incentive programs in which a person is rewarded for hitting treatment milestones
The person might also be asked to take medications to help ease drug withdrawal symptoms and keep side effects of a mental illness from appearing. Not all programs provide these sorts of therapies, but they can be quite helpful for some people. Executives with mental illnesses may also use therapy in their recovery process, and they may use medications to control symptoms and allow them to achieve stability.
Drawbacks of Care
While some executive programs do take payments from insurance programs, some executives may choose to pay for the programs alone, so there is no paper trail related to the employer that they have accessed services for their condition. While this might be a smart idea, it can also become quite expensive. Executive programs provide therapies, food and board, after all, so the care they provide does come at a cost. Some people may find the bills a bit difficult to pay.
In addition, people who do enter an executive program are stepping away from their homes and their jobs for 30 to 90 days. Programs may work to minimize the impact of this decision, but in the end, it’s important to remember that the absence is inevitable. The person won’t be home for dinner or present in the Monday morning meeting. Instead, the person will be in a rehabilitation program. Executives who cannot commit to this idea and who simply must go to work every day in order to feel productive may find it too difficult to commit to these demands. Outpatient programs, in which the person commits to treatment at specific times of the day but continues to live at home, may be a better choice.
Getting Help
According to an article in the journal Addictive Behaviors, some people resist treatment programs because they’d like to deal with the problem alone, without outside assistance. Busy executives may be particularly prone to this type of thinking. After all, they’ve reached success in their fields through their hard work and determination, and stepping back and asking for help may prove incredibly difficult. It may take some time and effort to break through this denial and get the person needed help. Families can assist by prompting the person to remember that these conditions are common. For example, according to the website Drug Abuse Recognition Training, 32 percent of workers claim that drug and alcohol use impairs their work performance. It’s likely that many more conceal their mental illnesses while at work, at considerable cost to themselves and their coworkers. The person is not alone.
It’s also important to stress that recovery is possible. Executive rehabilitation programs can provide real help. Families that open up this treatment discussion can make the talk go easier by providing brochures or written information about the programs and allowing the person to study those documents. Allowing the person to choose between several treatment facilities may also be a good way to preserve the person’s dignity and sense of control. It’s quite possible that, once they realize the good that can come of treatment, they will agree to go and get the care they need. The family can then step back into a supportive role, providing encouragement and praise for the progress the person makes in treatment.
If you’d like more information on executive treatment services for addiction, give us a call. We can answer your questions and put you in touch with a program fit for you.