Blogs from Stockbridge, Massachusetts, United States, North America

Hello! So, it's been a good week at Riggs - very interesting and feel a lot more resilient now (thanks to the help of Riggs!) On Thursday (donut day :) ), I had my last supervision session with Dr David Mintz - he's away at a national conference this week, so we had our final meeting on Thursday evening, after work. We decided to go for a hike (yes, a hike!) up Monument Mountain - a trail that has amazing views at the top (pics included). It was a great supervision and got loads out of it! Barbara and Steve are away this weekend, so I have the place to myself. The weather this weekend has been fantastic! Yesterday (Saturday), I decided to explore Stockbridge. Spent lots of time looking in the quaint local shops, and ... read more

Hi All, So I thought I'd share with you a couple of bits of information that has really struck me... Firstly, how costly it is for patients to be here. This is a quote from the website: "Austen Riggs offers a range of programs, from the initial six-week intensive evaluation and treatment phase to other residential day treatment and aftercare programs. Fees range from $1,190/day at the highest level of evaluation and treatment to $220/day for aftercare. While the total length of stay can vary, individuals are strongly encouraged to stay for the minimum period of six-weeks of intensive evaluation and treatment, and a pre-payment of $47,000 is required on the day of admission. This pre-payment covers most of the cost of the evaluation and treatment phase, depending on program admitted to. There is also an ... read more

Hi all! So, this is going to be mainly photos. The weather was amazing today - spent the morning walking with my supervisor, considering boundaries in psychodynamic practice, and then I grabbed coffee (see pic of the choices we have!) and sat outside in the grounds of Riggs, reading notes on schizoid personality. Had more patient contact time today and also found my local gym - getting orientation there tomorrow. Anyhow, check out the photos and I hope all's well back home. xxx... read more

Barbara bought me two scones - she didn't want me to go into withdrawl! (Do Americans think we consume scones everyday???), so I had one for breakfast and Steve made me a black coffee. Drove to Riggs, and had an orientation day. OMG! What a place! The work they do is fantastic, but intense doesn't even begin to describe it! I've uploaded some more pics btw! I was taken to my office (next to the library) - I have my own office! There's free tea and coffee and snacks on-tap and lunc is free for staff! I can even eat breakfast and dinner with the patients for free! Will be giving that a go later this week! I was taken for a walk round the local golf-course by my supervisor - Dr David Mintz, who explained ... read more