AT CASCADE HEIGHTS

IN MEAD, WASHINGTON

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What is a Guest?

Guest, noun —

a: someone who is invited to take part in an event or visit a residence.

b: someone that receives hospitality from a host or host(s).

We at Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights are to call ourselves the hosts of the individuals, our guests, receiving treatment through our program. As your host, we follow certain etiquette, treating all of our guests with respect and compassion. Similarly, our staff members embody a culture of support through constant reassurance and care without criticism. This provides a safe space for our guests to rebuild their self-esteem and self-confidence—two components necessary for long-term recovery.

Respectful Fuels Recovery

Unlike the rehab centers that call the people in their care “clients” or “patients,” Cascade Heights welcomes you as a guest. Proud to accept the role of host, we help each guest navigate their recovery journey, offering support and assistance at every turn. The staff members of Cascade Heights accommodate each guest and present you with empathetic and compassionate care over course of your stay. You are our guests, and it is a privilege to care for you. Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights strive to rekindle your love for life in sobriety, promoting your collaboration throughout the treatment process. Our programs focus on your comfortability and security through inclusion, respect, and understanding.

Dedicated to our guest’s mental health, Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights treat each of our guests as equals. The term “patient” is never used by our staff. Similarly, we oppose the use of any language that is considered derogatory or offensive. Cascade Heights recognizes that, as a major treatment network, it is our job to facilitate the elimination of harmful stereotypes and stigmas associated with addiction. In addition, we endeavor to normalize person-first, guest-centric language in tandem with promoting awareness and education on substance use disorders (SUD).

We at Cascade Heights know that by altering the way society views and discusses SUDs, we benefit those in recovery. A non-profit organization called Shatterproof also supports the reversal of our country’s addiction crisis. Huge supporters of recovery-sensitive treatment, Shatterproof’s mission is to inspire a positive mental shift in our “country’s consciousness.” This shift in consciousness aims to end the stigma around substance use disorder. We at Royal Life Centers agree that the inclusion of respectful, recovery-sensitive treatment methods is a constructive step toward revolutionizing addiction prevention, advocacy, and recovery.

Respecting Royal Guests

To promote our guest-centric treatment methods, we at Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights treat all of our guests equally. Using non-judgemental language, Cascade Heights promotes open communication and trust between the staff and our guests. In fact, we utilize practices to reduce stigmas and promote respectful collaboration such as:

  • We address guests by their preferred name
  • Our staff entertains, accommodates, and welcomes each guest
  • Cascade Heights staff keeps the facility clean and suitable at all times
  • We encourage guests to ask questions and form common bonds with their peers
  • We monitor our guests 24/7, providing them support, company, and safety
  • Cascade Heights staff members introduce themselves and help each guest feel comfortable during their transition into treatment
  • We assure all guests that they are welcome to ask any questions and share all concerns with us directly
  • Guest tour of the facility, familiarizing themselves with the place they call home for the next few weeks or months

Moreover, all of our guests at Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights are treated as equals. We at Cascade Heights respect our guests, offering them consideration and support each and every day of their stay. Our mission is to offer a positive environment in which all guests feel secure while they heal. As such, we ensure that we position ourselves to be accessible and accommodating 24/7. One of the ways Cascade Heights integrates inclusivity and equality in our treatment programs is guest-centric language.

‘Guest-Centric’ Language & Treatment

Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights know the potential impact and ramifications of words. To clarify, the words you use have an immense effect on the feelings of others. We carefully choose the words we use, consciously considering the consequences of our conversations with each guest. For that reason, each staff member of Cascade Heights communicates with words that emanate positivity and encouragement.

As a result, our guest-centric treatment methods continue beyond our services and into how we address our guests. We do this knowing that while the wrong words can harm a guest’s growth, the right words promote healing.

In fact, family members and friends often wish to safely support and understand their loved one’s needs but find their words fall short. Unfortunately, the harmful stigmas about substance use disorders reinforce judgemental, accusatory language, acting as an obstacle to healthy, benefical communication. Regrettably, most people lack access to a constructive model of tolerant language that is considerate to individuals navigating the process of healing or finding help.

Guest-centric language and person-first language (PFL) position an individual’s identity before the disability. PFL focuses on the person and not the disorder they have, providing a distinction between the individual’s identity and their disorder. We at Royal Life Centers at Cascade Heights insert person-first language into every line of communication to emphasize each guest’s individuality and equal standing in our facility and life.

Person-First Language Helps in Recovery

All facilities that treat individuals with substance use disorders require addiction recovery-sensitivity practices like PFL to safeguard the mental health of their guests. This is because person-first phrases provide healthy consistency through accepting and unbiased communication. PFL assists others to create an effective connection by avoiding labels and over-simplifications often found in addiction-related terms. Contrary to the common blame language found throughout society, “they’re an addict,” PFL translates the statement into “person with a SUD.”

Do to this, person-first language discards any judgmental sentiments and replaces them with recovery-sensitive communication that highlights the separation between a person and a person’s illness.

“Addict” is offensive and outdated. Using insensitive language, blame-based words put the speaker on a pedestal above the person with a substance use disorder. Due note, however, most people use these words out of ignorance and not in an intentional attack against others. Tragically, this ignorance is learned behavior that is perpetuated by American educational systems and the media. In fact, a 1999 thought piece posted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) expressed the potential negative effects of using the medical term “patient” in addiction treatment care for its cold, clinical, and distance aspects.

Replacing stigma labels like “druggie,” “junkie,” and “addict” with person-first language such as “a guest with a substance use disorder” eliminates the deep-rooted judgment, blame, and disgust American’s associate with addiction. The blatant criticism of SUDs trained the public, and certain clinicians, to respond to addiction with punishment over treatment.

Regardless of whether we like it or not, words influence the way we view people and treat them. To help those with substance use disorders, society must shift how it talks about people with SUDs. For this reason, guest-centric language is found throughout treatment at Cascade Heights.

Reach Out

If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction, please call us at (888) 557-7990 or 877-RECOVERY. Our expert admissions coordinators are available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Because We Care.

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