Nearing its 40th anniversary, The Gables of Rochester is a residential co-occuring substance use and mental health treatment facility for women that has helped thousands of women on their path to sobriety.
“We’re looking forward to our 40th anniversary,” says Erin Bachman, program manager at The Gables. “It’s a phenomenal feeling to be a part of something so amazing. Rochester has a rich history already, but to be able to work somewhere that has provided services to the women in the community, it’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of that.”
Women come to The Gables from throughout the state and typically stay for 30 to 45 days. The facility has 30 beds.
Programming includes psycho-educational lectures, peer-led meditations, a mental health focused group and even yoga. “Ladies absolutely love the yoga,” Bachman says. “We encourage healthy habits and routines, so yoga is a phenomenal attribute that we offer.”
The Gables has two full-time counselors and two part-time counselors on staff. They have a mental health counselor, as well, and nursing support 24 hours a day.
Staff at The Gables encourage women to go out on passes and build up sober support in the community, as well as take care of regular appointments such as the doctor and the dentist.
Women being served at The Gables are given daily and weekend passes to leave the facility.
“A lot of our ladies choose to stay (in town),” Bachman says. “They go to sober support group meetings, go to church, have families come down and visit with them. That’s one of the things we strongly encourage is repairing those relationships and making sober supports.”
Bachman credits Rochester with being a healthy place for those struggling with addiction.
“I have noticed a lot of clients who come into our care, they like to stick around the Rochester area,” she says. “Rochester is a very strong recovery community. There are lots of sober support group meetings, lots of sober housing in the area. Rochester is very accepting and forgiving and willing to give people who are starting over a second chance.”
Many of their clients find their way to The Gables from its website at gableshome.info.
“We touch these lives,” Bachman says. “We utilize a client-centered approach. We treat everybody’s individual needs. When it comes to fitting those needs, it’s important to treat everyone as if their needs are important. It’s important to feel heard and that you matter.”
September is Recovery Month, and Bachman is happy to report that our community has done a lot of work when it comes to erasing the stigma around substance abuse use disorders.
“Recovery Month is important for so many different reasons,” she says. “There is something about acknowledging that I do need help. I need to let it be known I’m not alone. And there are people out there who can assist me with being successful, who want me not to repeat that cycle of addiction. That’s where our client-centered approach comes in.”
“Recovery Month allows others to see that recovery is real,” Bachman continues, “that it is possible and that it exists in the Rochester community.”
