CommQuest — Smith House

ABOUT COMMQUEST - SMITH HOUSE

Located in Canton, Ohio, Smith House is one of four residential facilities maintained by CommQuest, formerly known as Quest Recovery and Prevention Services. The 24-bed Smith House exclusively treats adolescents and young men (ages 16 to 21) struggling with substance abuse. Only 28.9 percent of Ohio facilities offer programs specifically tailored to adolescents. The Smith House is a non-medical facility, and detoxification services are not available on-site. Along with its gender-specific residential facilities, CommQuest also offers a range of outpatient-based services.

TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT

Before beginning treatment, residents may first participate in a substance abuse assessment to help clinicians form an individualized treatment program. To promote long-term sobriety and positive lifestyle changes, the Smith House offers a therapeutic community model of treatment, which emphasizes peer support and highly-structured programming.

Smith House’s treatment approach blends evidence-based treatment methods with 12-step participation. The typical length of the residential program is 90 days, making the facility one of only 71 in the state to offer long-term residential treatment.

While residing at the Smith House, residents participate in a structured schedule of individual counseling and group therapy sessions. Counseling sessions help promote self-awareness and identify underlying issues that may contribute to addictive behavior. As a gender-specific program for adolescents and young men, counseling sessions may focus on topics relevant to the clientele, such as anger management, peer pressure, and stress management.

In addition, residents are introduced to the principles and practices of the 12-step model of recovery, which are a part of treatment in 73.1 percent of facilities in the state. Residents may attend on- and off-site 12-step meetings, study fellowship literature, and perform associated “step-work.” Residents may also attend educational classes on relapse prevention, participate in recreational therapy, and attend coping skills workshops.

Throughout the residential program, families are encouraged to remain actively engaged in their loved one’s treatment. This could include assistance with discharge planning and family counseling session. Before discharge, clinicians may assist the resident with aftercare planning, which may include referrals to CommQuest’s outpatient programs to continue treatment. The facility is qualified to treat individual with mild to moderate co-occurring mental health disorders.

STAFF CREDENTIALS

Smith House leadership includes a house director, who holds dual credentials as a licensed social worker (LISW-S) and licensed chemical dependency counselor (LICDC), as well as a chemical dependency counselor assistant, who also serves as the facility’s house manager.

ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES

Situated in a rural area of Canton, the 24-bed facility provides simple yet spacious accommodations. The facility’s online photo gallery shows a fully-equipped kitchen, a small snack bar, an outdoor patio, and common room with a flat-screen TV. As a therapeutic community, residents may be required to perform household chores and attend house meetings. Family visitations are allowed at designated times.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY

The sole alum to date who has responded to the Rehabs.com survey gave a negative review. "For the first 8 of10 days there was no doctor I could talk to bcs he was away at a conference. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life," wrote R.S.B.

Secondary sources revealed positive alumni opinions regarding CommQuest as a whole. On CommQuest’s official Facebook page, which the organization may have the ability to manage, 24 individuals awarded CommQuest an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars.^[1] Many reviewers praised the organization’s effectiveness. “I have worked really hard to stay clean and follow the program to the letter... It hasn't been easy for me either but the people here have helped when I needed,” K.C., a representative reviewer, wrote. On Google a single reviewer gave a perfect five star rating and simple commented "food was good."^[2]

WHAT FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY

The two loved ones polled by Rehabs.com gave the facility fairly positive ratings. When asked if they would recommend the facility to others they gave respective ratings of three and four out of five stars. B.H. cited the long wait list as a weakness but wrote "Once your in its a good place be." B.G. added that "It was not a fancy place, but they had counseling classes all day long and NA/AA meetings every evening. "

FINANCING

There is currently no information provided on the facility's website or otherwise regarding its costs.

^[1] https://www.facebook.com/pg/questrs.org/reviews/
^[2] GoogleReviews