Testimonials
Jennifer - Clinical director at tara treatment facility
In March 2024, Tara enrolled in ASA blocking training with Mechie. All staff have completed the trainings and continued our working relationship with Mechie for weekly consultation. As a result, we have had an approximate 50% decrease in ASA discharges. As our staff began to implement the suggested steps, we began noticing a decrease almost immediately, with noteworthy improvements in the last 5 months.
As a long term employee of Tara Treatment Center and being the clinical supervisor for the past 6 years of my 27 years of employment here, I am happy to say this transition has drastically improved, not only our ASA discharge rates, but has provided myself and our staff with a new way of thinking and responding when it comes to client’s wanting to leave treatment prior to the recommended length of stay.
I would highly recommend this course to any facility and have no regrets with this decision to implement these changes for ongoing support and stabilization of our client’s and staff.
ASA Training Program
Comprehensive training sessions designed to create awareness and understanding of how ASAs (Against Staff Advice) impact treatment centers, clients, and families.
Focus on crisis management, emphasizing prompt and empathetic handling of situations to prevent ASAs. Training modules for all staff members, regardless of position, to effectively block ASAs.
Equipping staff with a proven system for managing atypical discharges.
Orientation Facilitation
Structured orientation sessions conducted for all clients within their first week of admission.
Documentation and analysis of critical components including client motives, reservations, and potential triggers for early discharge.
Proactive approach to engage clients and encourage commitment to the treatment process.
Outcome Data Collection and Analysis
Evaluation of results post-training and orientation phases.
Identification of successful strategies and areas requiring corrective measures.
Assistance in tracking and reducing ASAs through data-driven analysis.
Ongoing communication and support to ensure the effectiveness of implemented systems and procedures.
About Mechie Scherpereel, M.A.
In 2010, I was the runner.
It was a cold December day in West Texas and I had decided that I was leaving treatment, all because of a family call and the clients not receiving multivitamins. I made it about two miles down a cotton field and two men, working at the treatment center I was leaving, decided to take action. They caught up to me and asked me critical questions and created a breakthrough for me in the middle of that cotton field. Not only did I stay, and complete treatment, but I gave it my all and ended up extending my days. I even got us the multivitamins, but never ended up taking them... Who would have figured.
THIS COURSE was what changed my life and helped me further it. Because these men took the time and action, I was able to complete treatment, get both my bachelors and masters in communications from Texas Tech, and dedicate my life to helping the addict and alcoholic. While working in treatment, for more than a decade, I have also traveled the nation for public speaking events and helped develop systems and procedures that keep clients safe and in treatment. Recovery has saved my life, multiple times, and I possess the passion, resilience, and selflessness that is required to work in this field. I am here to help.
The Problem & The Solution
The Problem
Being a client in treatment can be tough, but working in treatment can be just as unnerving. The problem is the addict/alcoholic comes into treatment with no purpose or identity. It can be difficult, as well, to be rational with an irrational person. I have often seen the client can hyperfocus on inconsistent patterns in treatment, other clients, family issues, and ANY reason that avoids them focusing on the WHY they are there. Creating a breakthrough for a client that wants to leave can be daunting, but it is extremely possible. To the client, running can also be a pattern. How do you create that breakthrough? The treatment center can be extremely proactive to these issues, while still having no processes in place, missed communication opportunities, and no focus on family involvement. I have worked with so many facilities that show this epidemic within their system. This adds to more problems within the milieu, more clients wanting to leave, more issues with the families of clients, and an upset referral source. This means lost money for the facility and possibly a lost life for the client. With more than a decade of experience, working in the industry, I have seen first-hand how an ASA can affect a multitude of aspects within the facility.
The Solution
With a team-effort approach, the facility CAN increase retention rates and decrease atypical discharges through our services that provide education, curriculum, and outcome-data analysis for clients wishing to discharge early. ASA's can be prevented! Our job is to create an efficient process that practitioners and ALL STAFF can utilize to create effective ASA blocking. Communication, engagement, and boundaries that utilize the family, the facility, and the referral source are critical in the process of decreasing ASA's. We have tested this programming with many treatment centers and it is not only effective, but sustainable.
Going above and beyond is what separates good treatment centers. If the staff care, and are willing to help, there is NO REASON that facilities can't make a difference in clients leaving early. We understand it can be a daunting task, but with the clients life on the line it is worth every effort.