Bridges

The Basics

With a long history dating back to 1957, Bridges is a behavioral health facility based in Milford, Connecticut with additional branches in the nearby towns of Orange and West Hartford. This CARF-accredited facility is the state-designated local mental health authority which offers Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) for substance abuse with dual-diagnosis care options as well.   

Treatment and Staff

There are no detox services offered at Bridges, so whenever necessary this process must be completed before enrolling. Clients participating in IOP for substance abuse should expect three group therapy sessions a week, held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 5 pm. There are no individual therapy sessions offered at the facility.

Group sessions are led by LADCs and generally consist of CBT. Over the course of the program, clients have access to a variety of specialty groups including trauma informed care and gender-specific topics. While the staff at Bridges does provide information about local 12-step meetings, treatment itself does not require AA or NA.

Bridges offers comprehensive dual-diagnosis services. Clients can attend group sessions which address issues such as anxiety related disorders, trauma and PTSD, depression and persistent mental illness issues. Clients can expect an initial visit with a staff medical doctor, regular visits with a staff psychiatrist and medication management provided by on-staff advanced practice registered nurses.

In addition to dual-diagnosis services for adults, Bridges offers a highly specialized program for young adults, particularly those who may be transitioning out of a Department of Children and Families Services or foster care program. The Bridges Young Adult Services (YAS) program assists clients ages 18 to 25 and offers comprehensive mental health services, primary care services, transportation assistance, vocational assessments, training and placement and 24-hour access to program staff.

While each person’s time in the program varies, typically the IOP lasts eight to 10 weeks. Following this, clients begin a long-term aftercare program which generally consists of attending one to two group sessions a week and working with a case manager to develop a plan for sustained recovery.

Extras

The Bridges facility also has a host of programs for children and adolescents, including a comprehensive outpatient family program which provides individual, family and group therapy. This includes psychosocial assessments, developmental evaluations, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, psychiatric consultations, case management and collaboration with the client’s school system. 

In Summary

Given its long tenure and broad range of services, Bridges has a clearly established name in recovery care. Clients can expect a IOP with dual diagnosis assistance and a variety of group sessions to individualize their program. Furthermore, the facility offers a wide array of services for young adults and adolescents. While the lack of individual therapy sessions for adults in the substance abuse program may be a drawback for some, those looking for a flexible program with support for co-occurring disorders may find the right program in one of Connecticut’s longest running behavioral health facilities.

Bridges
949 Bridgeport Ave
Milford, CT 06460

Bridges Cost: Sliding scale. Reach Bridges by phone at (203) 878-6365. Find Bridges on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

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Photo courtesy of By RHSHAW57 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons (resized and cropped).

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