Spokane Mountain Program Opens

L Jay Mitchell and Dennis Thompson have opened a new addiction program, Spokane Mountain, for adult males 18-28 in December 2009. The program is a minimum 7 month stay and works with all types of addictions. L Jay and Dennis created the SUWS Adolescent Program in the early 80's, the longest lived program of its kind in the U.S. with thousands of graduates. L Jay and Dennis's work have been featured on PBS, ABC, The Seattle Times Parade Magazine, and Parabola Magazine. Mitchell has founded and directed two other programs, which have successfully and innovatively helped thousands of other young people and their families struggling with addictions of various kinds. Mitchell and Thompson are familiar with establishing new treatment programs. Spokane Mountain is the culmination of over 50 years of innovative effort to provide opportunity for change. We recognize that addiction consists of multiple complex factors. Our philosophy integrates research-based psychology, neuro-psychology, relational and spiritual components of AA/NA.

Residents spend the first 30-45 days in the home-like environment at the 7,500 square foot facility with Dennis and his wife Laura and Master Level therapists who also live at the facility. As residents progress, they move out onto the 180 acres, across the wetlands to the Village Site, where they experience an immersion in indigenous cultural activity designed as a challenging existential journey. Here Residents explore the "meaning" of their addictions while engaging in cognitive practices that continues to decrease the conflict between the sober and the addicted self. Simultaneously, residents discover spiritual connections which are healing in and of themselves. Ultimately, Spokane Mountain works with each resident to discover purpose and meaning in life beyond the hedonistic objectives of comfort and sensation.

Spokane Mountain is nestled NE of Mt. Spokane in Washington state. Only 50 minutes from the Spokane International Airport, the complex consists of a facility including a state-of-the-art work out gym, a pristine lake on the property with private swimming/boating and fishing, a 2,400' workshop with spacious room for woodworking and a commercial kiln to fire pottery, in addition to an indoor art studio for "students choice" expressing creativity and learning new skill sets. A team of Clydesdale draft horses are used for deliveries on the property as well as firewood logging. Old logging roads remain cleared for horseback riding, hiking, biking, and jogging. The land is a mecca for wildlife including moose, bear, deer, elk, upland game birds and waterfowl. The environment is private and sufficiently remote with ready access to outside resources to support individual treatment plans.

Spokane Mountain employs master level therapists who not only provide one on one therapy and group therapy for residents, but they guide each resident through important programmatic components. Thompson and Mitchell have extensive backgrounds in wilderness therapy, and Spokane Mountain incorporates some of those elements in its "rite of passage" indigenous village, taking young men from victims of addiction to free agents. Additionally, under Dennis' tutelage residents will develop real life skill sets by completing projects of their choosing based on their interests and innate talents. The projects will encourage critical thinking and problem solving with stages of planning, preparation, execution. During this project period residents will experience living in small personal cabins which collectively create an interactive community responsible for their environment and cooperative activities. Dennis and his wife Laura use their extensive musical experience with African percussion instruments and guitar to teach the value of rhythm and song in celebrating life as part of ritual and ceremony in recovery.

Caring for the body is an important feature at Spokane Mountain. In addition to medical care, residents heal and strengthen through individually designed regimens of nutrition, natural craving reduction supplements, internal body cleansing, rigorous recreational activity and techniques for attaining positive states of mind. This regimen can continue for life after they leave Spokane Mountain.

Spokane Mountain provides a diverse, nurturing environment where young men have opportunity to simultaneously heal the body, mind, spirit and relationship with self and others.