Lois believed that cutting ties with her family when she went to college would give her the distance she needed to recover from years of sexual abuse at the hands of a family member.
But her recovery began in earnest nearly 40 years later, when she was recently admitted to a small psychiatric hospital in Bergen County. Surrounded by other women who share their stories of abuse and other trauma, she sees firsthand how years of incest led to decades of alcohol and drug abuse and a trajectory of failed relationships. did.
Lois (her name has been changed to protect her privacy) was one of the first patients at Haven, a 12-bed unit at Ramapo Ridge Behavioral Health, a 58-bed psychiatric facility in Wyckoff that opened in January. . Haven at Ramapo Ridge is New Jersey’s first residential treatment program exclusively for women.
It was almost full since the start, but Christian Health, The company that operates Ramapo Ridge is already considering expansion, said Alexis Totaro, vice president of mental health services and chief nurse.
“From a young age of 5 or 6 to college, she was always worried about what would happen at night,” Totaro said. “She’s curious about what happens to her brain over time when she’s constantly stressed, hypervigilant, worried, and angry, and how that affects all of her other relationships. I was never educated about the impact it would have.”
Through group and individual therapy sessions, Haven’s patients receive treatment for everything from childhood abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and pregnancy loss to postpartum depression, grief, infertility, military tours of duty, and drug use. , explores the mental and physical damage caused by traumatic experiences. It’s an obstacle, Totaro said. Some women in their 70s and 80s are seeking help to cope with their lonely lives after losing family members and friends.
They call it “trauma-informed,” a therapeutic approach that recognizes that traumatic events like these are pervasive, highly harmful, and can contribute to physical as well as mental illness. She said she was receiving “care.”
The American Medical Association is 2021 Policies that Recognize Trauma-Informed Care as “the practice of treating patients by recognizing the pervasive effects of trauma on patients, identifying the signs and symptoms of trauma, and fully integrating trauma knowledge into procedures to avoid re-traumatization.”
Kanani Titchenan adolescent medicine specialist and pediatrician at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Rady Children’s Hospital. Explained in AMA briefing on trauma-informed care Many patients, especially victims of domestic violence and child abuse, can take years to process and understand their pain.
“Many teenagers and young adults I meet may believe that abusive tactics and romantic relationships, such as intimate partner or family violence, emotional violence, manipulation, and control, are normal,” Titchen said. Told. “They may not have the context to understand that they are being victimized or that they are victims of trauma.”
Anticipating re-trauma, these patients may be afraid to seek medical attention or refuse routine but invasive procedures such as pelvic exams and Pap smears. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration advises clinicians to avoid prescribing treatment and adopt a collaborative approach where “we can find solutions together.” According to administrative guidance for mental health professionals.
Totaro said the 72-year-old woman in a wheelchair came to the Ramapo Ridge geriatric ward for treatment for depression. Totaro said her spinal stenosis limited her mobility and required assistance to bathe her and use the toilet, but she refused.
“She wouldn’t let anyone change her dirty diaper,” Totaro said. “When she revealed what happened to her and that she had been sexually assaulted in her early teens, we explained the program and transferred her to Haven.
“At age 72, she opened up to medical professionals for the first time. She attends our therapy group every day.”
Although The Haven is part of a psychiatric hospital, it is also an independent environment. A door was installed to separate Haven patients from other residents. Although some psychiatrists are male, patients can choose whether they would like to see a female psychiatrist. According to Totaro, all nurses and nursing assistants are women.
“Over the past few years, we have observed a growing need for a female-only inpatient trauma information service and were surprised that one did not yet exist in New Jersey.” said Doug Streich, CEO of Christian Health. “Women benefit from safe shared spaces, and we are proud to provide them with compassionate, professional care from our highly trained clinicians and staff.”
The need for a women-only psychiatric program emerged from a community health needs assessment led by the Bergen County Health Department. Bergen County Community Health Improvement Partnership And Christian Health, Totaro said. In co-ed programs, women often sign themselves out after a few days.
“It’s because they don’t feel safe. That was really the impetus for opening Haven,” she said. “We said we need a safe place…where women can go to sleep, go to their rooms, and know that no one is coming through the door.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four women has experienced sexual violence or stalking.
The Haven receives referrals from doctors, emergency hospitals, county prosecutor’s offices and domestic violence shelters in Bergen, Morris and Passaic counties. The average length of stay is 11 days, during which patients participate in group therapy, art therapy, journal writing, and breathing exercises.
“We are only a small part of the stabilization. The rest of their healing actually happens after they are discharged from the hospital,” Totaro said. And they do. Some people came back. They call it a tune-up. ”
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Susan K. Livio may reach [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
