Spa
Pool
Pet Friendly
Basketball Court
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Tequesta, Florida, United States
Futures of Recovery Healthcare specializes in treating adults 30 years and older suffering from substance use, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorde...
$29,500 - $82,500
Learn / Pet-Friendly Rehabs: How Animals Can Aid Your Addiction Treatment
Pet-Friendly Rehabs: How Animals Can Aid Your Addiction Treatment
By
| Published June 12th, 2018| Professionally Reviewed By
Reviewed by Olivia Mueller on June 12, 2018
Completing primary addiction treatment is challenging, even in the best of circumstances. To smooth your path to recovery, addiction specialists may use a range of medication and therapy-based options. One option that’s gained popularity in recent years is pet therapy, or animal-assisted therapy (AAT). This type of treatment helps improve your chances of success by cultivating the strong emotional bonds that often form between people and animals. In rehab, pets can create a feeling of familiarity and comfort, soothe raw emotions, calm your mind and even help you open up to your therapists—all of which is a significant boon to your recovery progress.
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Vail Valley, Colorado, United States
All Points North Lodge is a comprehensive wellness and personal development campus specializing in addiction, trauma, and mental health.
$49,000-$200,000
Ad
Malibu & Los Angeles, California
Oro House provides compassionate treatment focused on connection and a full continuum of services. Voted California's Best Addiction Treatment Center of 2021 by...
$30,000-90,000/month
Ad
Canton, Massachusetts, United States
Located on 6 acres of greenery, Bedrock Recovery Center is a hotel-style rehab providing trauma-informed and evidence-based treatment plans for adults.
Ad
San Clemente, California, United States
Located in sunny Southern California, Chapters Capistrano provides holistic, evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and addiction.
$39,500 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nestled in the private hills of Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills Recovery is a boutique substance abuse treatment center offering holistic care.
$30,000+/month (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Houston, Texas, United States
J. Flowers Health Institute provides personalized, concierge care, for busy professionals, adolescents and young adults, and highly complex individuals.
$49,500 - $129,000
Ad
Raymond, Illinois, United States
Located in the countryside, Lincoln Recovery takes an evidence-based approach to treatment, offering onsite detox, individualized programming and luxurious priv...
$25,000 - $35,000
Ad
Dana Point, California, United States
Monarch Shores offers luxury housing with beautiful ocean views and individualized addiction treatment in Southern California.
$34,500
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Malibu, California, United States
A 5-star Yelp-rated Luxury Treatment Center in Malibu, offering a majestic ocean view, 1-1 doctorate-level therapy sessions, and private ensuite rooms.
$90,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Using an innovative treatment program called The Sierra Model, Sierra Tucson has been rated one of the region’s top-ranking hospitals by U.S. News.
$20,000-$45,000
Ad
Newport Beach, California, United States
With multiple facilities strategically located on magnificent Newport Beach, Sierra by the Sea provides gender-specific, primary and long-term treatment.
$16,500-$33,000
Ad
Ashby, Massachusetts, United States
A 70-acre secluded retreat offering tailored treatment plans, evidence-based therapies, and a family-like atmosphere in the Massachusetts woodlands.
$22,000 - $31,000 (Insurance Accepted)
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Florida, USA
Tikvah Lake Recovery is an extremely personalized executive treatment center for those who seek the ultimate in treatment, privacy, and luxurious comfort.
$60,000–$85,000 per month
Ad
Hollywood, Florida, United States
A multi-structured program that offers gender-specific residential housing and personal treatment plans.
$30,000-$60,000 (Insurance Accepted)
What Is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)?
Animal-assisted therapy is the use of animals to enhance healing processes. Used in a variety of therapeutic settings, AAP has a number of benefits, which include:
- Releasing endorphins, producing a calming effect on the mind
- Lowering heart rate and blood pressure
- Reducing anxiety, anger and aggression
- Improving feelings of self-worth
- Enhancing trust between clients and counselors
- Fostering a sense of purpose
- Increasing physical activity and socialization
Dogs and cats are the most commonly employed therapy animals, but several rehabs offer programs such as equine therapy and even dolphin therapy! In fact, the benefits of AAT aren’t exclusive to any specific type of animal—it’s the companionship and unconditional love that counts.
According to a study published by the US National Library of Medicine, “It has been suggested that AAT might help to develop the therapeutic relationship between patients and healthcare professionals,1 and could improve the therapeutic atmosphere; animals in AAT can act as social facilitators, social modulators, and amplifiers of emotional reactivity.” Another advantage of pet therapy is that it works well for people with a wide range of disorders and personal backgrounds—its core benefits are largely universal.
The Benefits of Pet Therapy in Rehab
Interacting with pets has a calming effect—one that’s surely welcome during the early days of addiction treatment when dealing with stress, frustrations and unfamiliar surroundings can test the limits of your willpower. Animals improve your mental state and provide you with a much-needed sense of comfort and security, helping you get settled into your program and adding an extra layer of support.
Pets also release feel-good chemicals in your brain (which get depleted over the course of an addiction), such as the “love hormone” oxytocin, enhancing your ability to connect with others. This not only helps you open up more easily in therapy, but establishes positive emotional patterns you can take with you well into recovery.
It’s not just human-to-animal connections that are established during AAT; pets can strengthen human-to-human bonds, too. A study on companion animals as a conduit for getting to know people2 published in the journal PLoS One found that people who walked their dogs were far more likely to know their neighbors than non-pet owners. In fact, pet owners were 60 percent more likely to get to know people in their neighborhoods they hadn’t known before. As establishing new, non-using friends is a key component of successful recovery, pet companionship can go a long way in maintaining sobriety. And the increased physical activity that comes along with it isn’t bad, either—it can help you maintain a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure in check and keep your stress levels under control.
Rehabs That Allow Dogs
Can you bring your own pet with you to substance treatment, or will the facility provide access for you? That depends. Some programs may rely exclusively on service animals that have gone through formal training and know how to interact with people from all walks of life. Others allow you to bring your own pet, or make it possible to choose either option. Here are some examples of luxury rehabs with pet-friendly policies:
Journey Malibu recognizes the benefits of pets in treatment and encourages their clients to bring their furry friends along with them, provided they’re friendly, unaggressive and comfortable around other people. They even have an animal handler on staff in the event that clients need a sitter.
The Hills Center allows clients to bring pets into inpatient treatment and incorporates pet therapy into their addiction treatment program to help brighten the early days of recovery and ease the transition to sobriety.
White River Manor welcomes clients’ pets, and also has their own, onsite pets that help clients settle in and feel right at home. Says the center’s art therapist Marlize van der Merw, “The clients really enjoy it. (Our resident dog) Lily is so little, so fluffy and so cute. It immediately almost makes them feel at home, when they come into the studio, because it’s something familiar. She’s friendly. They will cuddle her first. We will talk about her and, therefore, they will relax a little bit more.”
Finding the Right Pet-Friendly Rehab Center
Whether you bring your own pet to treatment or form a relationship with a service animal as part of your program, pets can be incredibly expedient to your treatment progress, and make rehab a far more enjoyable experience. As AAT programs vary from center to center, the key is to find a program that best fits your unique set of needs. Visit our directory to learn more about pet-friendly luxury rehabs, and find a facility that meets your needs for top-quality care in an attractive treatment environment.
- Calvo, P., Fortuny, J. R., Guzmán, S., Macías, C., Bowen, J., García, M. L., Orejas, O., Molins, F., Tvarijonaviciute, A., Cerón, J. J., Bulbena, A., & Fatjó, J. (2016). Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program As a Useful Adjunct to Conventional Psychosocial Rehabilitation for Patients with Schizophrenia: Results of a Small-scale Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 631. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4858645/ [↩]
- Wood L, Martin K, Christian H, Nathan A, Lauritsen C, Houghton S, et al. (2015) The Pet Factor – Companion Animals as a Conduit for Getting to Know People, Friendship Formation and Social Support. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0122085. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122085 [↩]
Return to Blog Home
By
| Published June 12th, 2018| Professionally Reviewed ByReviewed by Olivia Mueller on June 12, 2018
Learn / Pet-Friendly Rehabs: How Animals Can Aid Your Addiction Treatment
Pet-Friendly Rehabs: How Animals Can Aid Your Addiction Treatment
By
| Published June 12th, 2018Professionally Reviewed By
Reviewed by Olivia Mueller on June 12, 2018
Completing primary addiction treatment is challenging, even in the best of circumstances. To smooth your path to recovery, addiction specialists may use a range of medication and therapy-based options. One option that’s gained popularity in recent years is pet therapy, or animal-assisted therapy (AAT). This type of treatment helps improve your chances of success by cultivating the strong emotional bonds that often form between people and animals. In rehab, pets can create a feeling of familiarity and comfort, soothe raw emotions, calm your mind and even help you open up to your therapists—all of which is a significant boon to your recovery progress.
Ad
Tequesta, Florida, United States
Futures of Recovery Healthcare specializes in treating adults 30 years and older suffering from substance use, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorde...
$29,500 - $82,500
Ad
Vail Valley, Colorado, United States
All Points North Lodge is a comprehensive wellness and personal development campus specializing in addiction, trauma, and mental health.
$49,000-$200,000
Ad
Malibu & Los Angeles, California
Oro House provides compassionate treatment focused on connection and a full continuum of services. Voted California's Best Addiction Treatment Center of 2021 by...
$30,000-90,000/month
Ad
Canton, Massachusetts, United States
Located on 6 acres of greenery, Bedrock Recovery Center is a hotel-style rehab providing trauma-informed and evidence-based treatment plans for adults.
Ad
San Clemente, California, United States
Located in sunny Southern California, Chapters Capistrano provides holistic, evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and addiction.
$39,500 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nestled in the private hills of Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills Recovery is a boutique substance abuse treatment center offering holistic care.
$30,000+/month (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Houston, Texas, United States
J. Flowers Health Institute provides personalized, concierge care, for busy professionals, adolescents and young adults, and highly complex individuals.
$49,500 - $129,000
Ad
Raymond, Illinois, United States
Located in the countryside, Lincoln Recovery takes an evidence-based approach to treatment, offering onsite detox, individualized programming and luxurious priv...
$25,000 - $35,000
Ad
Dana Point, California, United States
Monarch Shores offers luxury housing with beautiful ocean views and individualized addiction treatment in Southern California.
$34,500
Ad
Malibu, California, United States
A 5-star Yelp-rated Luxury Treatment Center in Malibu, offering a majestic ocean view, 1-1 doctorate-level therapy sessions, and private ensuite rooms.
$90,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Using an innovative treatment program called The Sierra Model, Sierra Tucson has been rated one of the region’s top-ranking hospitals by U.S. News.
$20,000-$45,000
Ad
Newport Beach, California, United States
With multiple facilities strategically located on magnificent Newport Beach, Sierra by the Sea provides gender-specific, primary and long-term treatment.
$16,500-$33,000
Ad
Ashby, Massachusetts, United States
A 70-acre secluded retreat offering tailored treatment plans, evidence-based therapies, and a family-like atmosphere in the Massachusetts woodlands.
$22,000 - $31,000 (Insurance Accepted)
Ad
Florida, USA
Tikvah Lake Recovery is an extremely personalized executive treatment center for those who seek the ultimate in treatment, privacy, and luxurious comfort.
$60,000–$85,000 per month
Ad
Hollywood, Florida, United States
A multi-structured program that offers gender-specific residential housing and personal treatment plans.
$30,000-$60,000 (Insurance Accepted)
What Is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)?
Animal-assisted therapy is the use of animals to enhance healing processes. Used in a variety of therapeutic settings, AAP has a number of benefits, which include:
- Releasing endorphins, producing a calming effect on the mind
- Lowering heart rate and blood pressure
- Reducing anxiety, anger and aggression
- Improving feelings of self-worth
- Enhancing trust between clients and counselors
- Fostering a sense of purpose
- Increasing physical activity and socialization
Dogs and cats are the most commonly employed therapy animals, but several rehabs offer programs such as equine therapy and even dolphin therapy! In fact, the benefits of AAT aren’t exclusive to any specific type of animal—it’s the companionship and unconditional love that counts.
According to a study published by the US National Library of Medicine, “It has been suggested that AAT might help to develop the therapeutic relationship between patients and healthcare professionals,1 and could improve the therapeutic atmosphere; animals in AAT can act as social facilitators, social modulators, and amplifiers of emotional reactivity.” Another advantage of pet therapy is that it works well for people with a wide range of disorders and personal backgrounds—its core benefits are largely universal.
The Benefits of Pet Therapy in Rehab
Interacting with pets has a calming effect—one that’s surely welcome during the early days of addiction treatment when dealing with stress, frustrations and unfamiliar surroundings can test the limits of your willpower. Animals improve your mental state and provide you with a much-needed sense of comfort and security, helping you get settled into your program and adding an extra layer of support.
Pets also release feel-good chemicals in your brain (which get depleted over the course of an addiction), such as the “love hormone” oxytocin, enhancing your ability to connect with others. This not only helps you open up more easily in therapy, but establishes positive emotional patterns you can take with you well into recovery.
It’s not just human-to-animal connections that are established during AAT; pets can strengthen human-to-human bonds, too. A study on companion animals as a conduit for getting to know people2 published in the journal PLoS One found that people who walked their dogs were far more likely to know their neighbors than non-pet owners. In fact, pet owners were 60 percent more likely to get to know people in their neighborhoods they hadn’t known before. As establishing new, non-using friends is a key component of successful recovery, pet companionship can go a long way in maintaining sobriety. And the increased physical activity that comes along with it isn’t bad, either—it can help you maintain a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure in check and keep your stress levels under control.
Rehabs That Allow Dogs
Can you bring your own pet with you to substance treatment, or will the facility provide access for you? That depends. Some programs may rely exclusively on service animals that have gone through formal training and know how to interact with people from all walks of life. Others allow you to bring your own pet, or make it possible to choose either option. Here are some examples of luxury rehabs with pet-friendly policies:
Journey Malibu recognizes the benefits of pets in treatment and encourages their clients to bring their furry friends along with them, provided they’re friendly, unaggressive and comfortable around other people. They even have an animal handler on staff in the event that clients need a sitter.
The Hills Center allows clients to bring pets into inpatient treatment and incorporates pet therapy into their addiction treatment program to help brighten the early days of recovery and ease the transition to sobriety.
White River Manor welcomes clients’ pets, and also has their own, onsite pets that help clients settle in and feel right at home. Says the center’s art therapist Marlize van der Merw, “The clients really enjoy it. (Our resident dog) Lily is so little, so fluffy and so cute. It immediately almost makes them feel at home, when they come into the studio, because it’s something familiar. She’s friendly. They will cuddle her first. We will talk about her and, therefore, they will relax a little bit more.”
Finding the Right Pet-Friendly Rehab Center
Whether you bring your own pet to treatment or form a relationship with a service animal as part of your program, pets can be incredibly expedient to your treatment progress, and make rehab a far more enjoyable experience. As AAT programs vary from center to center, the key is to find a program that best fits your unique set of needs. Visit our directory to learn more about pet-friendly luxury rehabs, and find a facility that meets your needs for top-quality care in an attractive treatment environment.
- Calvo, P., Fortuny, J. R., Guzmán, S., Macías, C., Bowen, J., García, M. L., Orejas, O., Molins, F., Tvarijonaviciute, A., Cerón, J. J., Bulbena, A., & Fatjó, J. (2016). Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Program As a Useful Adjunct to Conventional Psychosocial Rehabilitation for Patients with Schizophrenia: Results of a Small-scale Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 631. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4858645/ [↩]
- Wood L, Martin K, Christian H, Nathan A, Lauritsen C, Houghton S, et al. (2015) The Pet Factor – Companion Animals as a Conduit for Getting to Know People, Friendship Formation and Social Support. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0122085. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122085 [↩]
Return to Blog Home
By
| Published June 12th, 2018Professionally Reviewed By
Reviewed by Olivia Mueller on June 12, 2018
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