127: Addiction Treatment is a Cesspool; Here’s How I Would Navigate It with Heidi Voet

Jan 13, 2025

Heidi Voet, a seasoned mental health professional and owner of Chapter House Counseling, dives deep into the murky waters of the addiction treatment industry. She reveals the troubling practices in treatment centers, like exploiting insurance loopholes and the commercialization of recovery. Families often face tough dilemmas as they navigate a flawed system. Heidi offers crucial advice: ask probing questions, understand the types of care available, and consider gender-specific treatment options to ensure the best for loved ones.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Ethics and Challenges in Addiction Treatment

01:32 • 8min

Exposing Unethical Practices in Addiction Treatment

09:08 • 6min

The Dark Side of Addiction Treatment

14:51 • 9min

Navigating Trauma and Addiction Recovery

23:32 • 18min

Navigating Addiction Treatment: Inquiries and Ethics

41:53 • 8min

Navigating Gender-Specific Addiction Treatment Options

50:19 • 2min

Navigating the Complexities of Addiction Treatment

51:50 • 9min

Navigating Individualized Addiction Treatment

01:01:02 • 4min

Where can you turn when a loved one is in the throes of addiction and needs help? How do you know what professionals to trust and if a treatment center is reputable? So many questions surround the topic of addiction treatment, and it’s a murky industry. We are discussing the seedy underbelly of the addiction industry with my guest. Heidi Voet, LPC, is a longtime mental health professional and the owner of Chapter House Counseling and Sober Living. Heidi and I take on this important topic and explain why, despite the problems, we would still send a loved one into treatment. Join us to learn more!

Show Highlights:

Heidi’s take on the ugliness of the treatment industry
Understanding the medical model of treatment vs. the community model
12-step programs, legalism, insurance corruption, and integrity
The truth: Exploitation has bled into addiction treatment.
The real dilemma for family members
The struggle for political correctness while trying to intervene for an addict
Heidi’s advice to families who want to intervene:
Don’t intervene too fast.
Find the lowest level of appropriate care (think of a ladder of options).
Be wise and ask questions of the consultant, case manager, or interventionist. (“Are you on the payroll of a treatment center?”)
Speak to current clients, alumni, and families of the center.
Red flags in your interaction with a treatment center and helpful questions to ask
The need to consider gender-specific treatment
Why KC would never recommend a wilderness treatment center
Assessing a center’s approach to trauma, medications, and religious philosophies/affiliations

Resources and Links:

Connect with Heidi Voet and Chapter House Counseling: Website

Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook

Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning

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