My name is Casey Castronova and I am the Clinical Director at Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I have worked in the field of substance use treatment since 2010, and have treated both adolescents and adults throughout the entire spectrum of care. I started working at Pinelands as a Primary Therapist when we opened in December 2014 and transitioned into a more administrative position as Clinical Director in 2018. I am very proud of the work that is done at Pinelands Recovery Center and am confident that all clients are met with compassion, empathy, understanding and kindness from every staff member they encounter across the different disciples including the dining department, operations department, clinical team and nursing team.

As the Clinical Director at Pinelands, I oversee the clinical programs in both the residential facility and our extended care program.  I provide all clinical staff with hands-on supervision and support in order to provide superior care to our clients. We are currently rolling out some new and exciting ways to set our treatment apart from other facilities. All clinical staff members are undergoing psychodrama training currently in order to offer unique therapeutic interventions with our clients. Psychodrama is a more interactive way for clients to get in touch with their feelings and address some internal pain and trauma that often leads to relapse. In March 2019 we launched our Recovery Coach program. We have five Recovery Coaches who have attended the recovery coach training and are working towards becoming Certified Peer Recovery Specialists. They are providing an additional level of support to our clients outside of therapists, and are really embedded in the client community. We will also be rolling out an evidenced-based curriculum entitled “Living in Balance” published through Hazelden to ensure our clients in both programs are gaining as much information and skills as possible prior to their discharge.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have worked in several substance abuse treatment programs and have never experienced a program quite like Pinelands. The first significant aspect of the treatment at Pinelands that I believe makes it unique and special is the individualized care that is offered to the clients. When admitted to one of the programs at Pinelands, a client is assigned a Primary Therapist, Case Manager and Recovery Coach immediately. They are formally welcomed to the program by the entire clinical team. A treatment plan is created by the therapist with input from the client about what they want to work on therapeutically, and this plan differs with every single client. Then a recovery plan is created by the Recovery Coach to, again, help a client buy in to recovery, improve sober behavior, and offer a client additional accountability during their treatment. Our Alumni Coordinator builds a relationship with all clients while they are in treatment and maintains contact with our alumni for years after discharge.

The second aspect of treatment that clients receive at Pinelands which makes it superior is the compassionate care they receive from the staff. This is something that is noted as a treatment highlight by most discharging clients in their discharging surveys. Each client is viewed as an individual deserving of respect, dignity and a happy and thriving life in recovery from drugs and alcohol. When I was a therapist, I looked forward to seeing my clients on a daily basis and watching them grow to rediscover themselves as sober men and women. Some of the most memorable clients I have seen throughout my career did not want to be in recovery when they admitted to Pinelands, and were seeking admission to appease their loved ones, their employers or a judge. But after about a month of quality treatment and some tender loving care from staff members, they began to have hope and courage to explore a new lifestyle and the willingness to give themselves a chance.