Why Do Detox & Treatment Professionals Trust Burning Tree?
Because complex clients and treatment-resistant chronic relapse requires a dedicated long-term approach.
Guiding Clients from Stabilization to Real Recovery
As a detox or treatment provider, you stabilize crises and assess next steps—but what happens when short-term programs fail?
When patterns repeat:
- Multiple returns to detox or short-term treatment
- Stabilization achieved but lasting change elusive
- Client readiness present but traditional approaches insufficient
- Families exhausted by repeated failed attempts
Your Role Matters.
You’re often the first clinical contact—and best positioned to recognize when short-term solutions aren’t enough.
Referring clients to appropriate long-term care can:
- Break the revolving door of repeated treatment
- Provide the extended time needed for deep change
- Transform stabilization into lasting recovery
When Should You Recommend Long-Term Treatment?
A client may need long-term care if you observe:
- Severe or prolonged substance use that hasn’t responded to traditional models
- Dual-diagnosis complications (e.g., PTSD, bipolar disorder, trauma)
- Repeated relapse after short-term rehab or IOP
- An unstable home or toxic social environment
- Medical complications directly tied to substance use
These are not just risk factors—they’re indications that your client needs something more structured, intensive, and durable than what’s been tried before.
What Red Flags Might You See in Your Client?
Detox and treatment professionals witness firsthand the deeper issues driving addiction:
- Complex withdrawals requiring medical oversight
- Behavioral chaos, including denial, manipulation, or aggression
- Clear patterns of self-sabotage after stabilization
- Trauma histories that surface during initial detox
- No sober supports waiting on the other side of discharge
“Our clients aren’t just stuck in addiction. They’re stuck in a loop of short-term solutions. We rely on detox professionals who recognize when to break the cycle—for good.”
Brook McKenzie, LCDC
CEO, Burning Tree Programs
Why Do Detox Professionals Refer to Burning Tree?
Burning Tree Ranch offers the nation’s only long-term residential program specifically designed for chronic relapsers and co-occurring disorders.
We specialize in:
- 8–14 months of inpatient treatment, with dual-diagnosis support
- 12 months of structured aftercare
- Close coordination with referring professionals
- Confidential support for families and care teams
We serve patients who do not get well anywhere else and walk with them through the recovery journey.
How Can You Ethically Support a Client in Crisis?
As a clinician, your responsibilities extend beyond stabilization:
- Conduct comprehensive assessments that include mental health, social, and relapse history
- Advocate for the right level of care, even when families or clients resist
- Educate clients and families on why long-term treatment may be their best (and only) path forward
- Coordinate directly with long-term programs to ensure seamless transitions
- Stay engaged post-referral to reinforce accountability and maintain therapeutic alignment
How Can You Motivate the Client and their Family to Pursue Treatment Options?
Clients don’t usually walk into detox wanting long-term care. But they do respond to trusted voices, structure, and hope. You can help guide them toward willingness by:
- Framing long-term care as a clinical solution, not a punishment
- Normalizing the need for deeper work, especially after multiple failed attempts
- Sharing success stories of those who walked the same path
- Bringing the family into the conversation, especially to help establish leverage
- Personalizing the recommendation based on what the client stands to gain
How Can You Use a Therapeutic Approach to Create Leverage?
You can also use the momentum of detox to build commitment:
- Set short-term goals that build confidence and direction
- Use your clinical bond to reinforce trust and the next steps
- Connect clients with trusted long-term programs immediately
- Help families understand the leverage they hold (housing, finances, boundaries)
- Reduce barriers—transport, insurance, placement logistics—so momentum isn’t lost
Burning Tree Ranch works best for treatment-resistant, high-acuity, and historically underserved clients by short-term models. The more leverage in place, the better the outcomes.
Let’s Make the Next Step Count
If you’ve stabilized the crisis and need a trusted long-term partner to take it from here, we’re ready.
Have a referral?
I’d be happy to help.
Call or submit an inquiry, and feel free to request me directly.
Brook McKenzie, LCDC
CEO, Burning Tree Programs
“Burning Tree not only saved my sons life they gave him a life we could have only imagined. It was his last chance since all other programs had failed. Our lives had been a living hell. They educate the entire family and you will never find a more understanding or compassionate group of people dedicated to your loved ones recovery.”
Lisa M.
Family of Burning Tree Alumni
Have a Referral?
If you suspect a client is facing a crisis bigger than balance sheets, we’re here to help. Confidentially, ethically, and without pressure.
