HOFH Elite Care Center Spotlight:Free By The Sea

By: HOFH

Located in Ocean Park, Washington on a beautiful beach-front 5-acre campus, Free By The Sea provides a wide array of support and resources including detox referral, residential rehab, outpatient rehab, and addiction counseling and therapy. The family-owned facility places a high value on creating a compassionate environment where individuals receive a holistic approach to rehabilitation. Offering residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient care, the addiction treatment center utilizes DBT, CBT, EMDR, and trauma-informed treatment to address underlying issues of addiction that include depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and relationships. Adding to its treatment modalities is truly personalized care that focuses on the person as a whole.

“We want to empower our clients with exposure to different modalities in recovery so that the individual can connect with what’s being presented to them and then use that once they leave our facility,” says Kayla Hernandez, SUDP, Clinical Director for the Substance Use Program at Free By The Sea. “Our evidence-based programs create an all-encompassing approach so that the client can figure out what works best for them including a 12-step based approach and alternatives such as wellbriety, Celebrate Recovery, and Refuge Recovery.”

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Including Gambling Addiction

Among its programs, Free By The Sea offers treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Also known as dual diagnosis, the program addresses the connection between the disorders and implements a treatment plan. For example, one area of dual diagnosis that Free By The Sea addresses is gambling addiction when it is accompanied by a substance abuse disorder.

Gambling addiction is classified as an impulse-control disorder. Although gambling can be professional or social, it becomes problematic when a person loses control over being able to stop. They will find any reason to gamble their money and material things even when they believe they have a low chance of winning the bet. With certified substance abuse counselors, including licensed mental health therapists, Free By The Sea’s dual diagnosis team works with clients to help them overcome their addiction to gambling. During treatment, the team will assess the individual’s current state and are sometimes able to pinpoint other coexisting factors of addiction, including depression and anxiety. In addition, Free By The Sea utilizes high-quality, evidence-based addiction treatments that have been tested over time to prove their effectiveness.

Supporting Athletes in Recovery

As an Elite Care Center with HOFH, Free By The Sea is hopeful that they can work together to expand their capabilities to both create awareness and help more individuals enter treatment by breaking the stigma and offering high-quality personalized services. With its family feel environment, the staff is both compassionate and welcoming in treating each individual as a whole human being.

“Our team looks forward to coming to work and they love what they do here so clients feel that,” says Krysti Nelson, Alumni & Admissions Director & Transportation Supervisor. “Adding to that, we create a safe space by emphasizing confidentiality. Every client and staff member signs a confidentiality agreement, which we adhere to very strictly.”

While the caring space and high-quality treatment modalities create an ideal environment for treatment, Free By The Sea takes extra steps to make the experience as holistically guided as possible for all clients. With a fully modern, outfitted, on-site kitchen, the center prioritizes nutrition to help the body restore a proper state of health. Ideally located on a beachfront property, exercise and fresh air are part of the lifestyle at Free By The Sea including beach walks, barbeques, yoga, and recreational areas including a volleyball court and basketball court. 

“Free By The Sea is a stunning beachfront treatment facility, but what’s really incredible is the healing that happens within the space,”  says Ryan Cain, President of the behavioral health division for Hall of Fame Health. “We are truly honored to welcome them to our family of Elite Care Centers.”

“In general, athletes are on full display and this creates a lot of pressure in how they present themselves and perform. For some, they may experience mental health deterioration and subsequent substance abuse to try to cope or perform better,” says Hernandez. “We are excited to work with Hall of Fame Health because it will allow us to work together to help even more people by addressing mental health and substance abuse disorders or co-occurring disorders.”

The HOFH Elite Care Centers is a network of elite facilities across the country specializing in mental health and substance use disorders. Each treatment center is vetted and accredited to provide high-quality, customized care to former players and their families, veterans, and beyond. Financial aid options are available through Fund Recovery, which serves athletes, veterans, their families, and others seeking assistance for mental health or addiction issues.

For more information on Free By The Sea, please visit https://www.hofhealth.com/elite-care-centers or call the HOFH concierge line at 866-404-HOFH.