Gateway

Gateway Community Services Great Falls has been serving Great Falls, Montana, for over 50 years. They provide addiction and co-occurring treatment services for people of all ages, and they welcome everyone regardless of background to partner with them in their care. They are an outpatient treatment center that collaborates with other providers in the community to deliver comprehensive care to each client.

One aspect of their program that stood out to me is their pricing. They offer discounts to those who qualify and ultimately won't turn anyone down if they can't afford to pay. They also accept Medicaid and some private insurance.

Proactive Prevention Through Community Outreach

No one can deny the importance of treatment, but just as important is addiction education. When someone has been taught and shown the dangers of substance use disorder, it reduces the odds that they'll adopt addictive behaviors themselves.

Gateway has teams whose job is to enter the community through schools and workplaces to provide these educational services. These include hands-on workshops, with options available for all age groups.

Helping Families Grow

I want to draw attention to Gateway's case management services, too. As an extension of treatment, case management focuses on your goals and how to achieve them. Ultimately the services they provide empower you and encourage you to develop independent living skills. Case management includes advocacy and planning and is especially useful for helping you find the resources you need for your day to day life.

Notably, Gateway's case management program is not focused on the client but rather on the family. I like this because it recognizes the importance of helping everyone in the unit grow together while acknowledging that those close to someone in recovery may be facing their own challenges, too.

Special Care for Adolescent Offenders

Gateway's Adolescent Substance Abuse Program is open to anyone aged 13 to 18 who has previously completed a first offenders program. It's an eight week program that emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility in decision making, linking actions to consequences as they relate to substance use.

It's not just for teens, though. Throughout the eight week program, parents will be involved too. I like how this not only expands the learning to a client's parents but also allows them to see the classes first hand. The added insight can help put troubled minds at ease.