Austen Riggs Center

Since its founding in 1919, the Austen Riggs Center in Massachusetts has been dedicated to helping others who are struggling with complex mental disorders and addiction issues. They focus on uplifting their patients to move forward towards a better life, and this involves a focus on what they call the Four Freedoms of Mental Health: freedom from stigma, freedom from dehumanizing treatment, freedom to pursue recovery, and freedom of access to medically necessary treatment.

The Austen Riggs Center achieves this mission through building a large therapeutic community on their beautiful estate that includes their Inn residential patient buildings, library, medical office buildings, and social work offices. Their main goal is to help those who have struggled with treatment in the past, and they accomplish this by addressing sources of suffering. They have a range of different treatment programs that include inpatient, residential, and day treatment programs. They also combine psychotherapy with activities programs that include theatre classes, ceramics, and gardening. The Austen Riggs Center helps each person reconnect with their love for life through family, friends, and their passions.