Why Our Clinical Director Choose Residential Addiction Treatment

TL;DR:

Dr. Tiffany Towers shares her journey to becoming a licensed clinical psychologist, explaining how training with addiction and co-occurring disorder populations introduced her to different levels of care. Her experience across various treatment settings led her to discover that residential treatment is her preferred and most effective therapeutic environment.

About Dr. Tiffany Towers:

Dr. Tiffany Towers’ path to addiction treatment reflects a thoughtful evolution rather than a single defining moment. Her early aspiration to become a licensed clinical psychologist led her through comprehensive training that exposed her to the full spectrum of mental health and addiction treatment modalities. This systematic exploration of different approaches and populations during her education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology gave her a broad foundation that many clinicians lack.

Her mention of “co-occurring disorders” reveals her early recognition that addiction rarely exists in isolation but typically intertwines with mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, trauma, or bipolar disorder. This understanding became foundational to her treatment philosophy at Seasons, where she integrates both addiction and mental health treatment seamlessly.

Dr. Towers’ experience across multiple levels of care – from outpatient to intensive outpatient to residential treatment – has given her unique insight into when different interventions are most appropriate. Her discovery that residential treatment is her “current favorite” reflects both personal affinity and clinical effectiveness. The residential setting allows her to implement the comprehensive, individualized approach she values while providing the intensive support that complex cases often require. Her theatrical background also aligns well with residential treatment, where she can create immersive therapeutic experiences that extend beyond traditional office-based sessions.

Video Transcript:

Tell me about your background and how you ended up in addiction treatment.

I wanted to be a licensed clinical psychologist for a very long time, and I went to school, and some of my training included working with populations struggling with addiction and co-occurring disorders. And what interested me in that training was learning about the different levels of care that are offered and when some levels might be more appropriate than others. So I’ve had a lot of experience in different settings at different levels of care, and residential treatment ended up being my current favorite.

Key Insights:

Dr. Towers reveals a methodical approach to her career development, gaining experience across the full continuum of care rather than limiting herself to one setting. This breadth of experience enables her to make informed recommendations about appropriate levels of treatment intensity for different clients.

Her interest in understanding when different levels of care are “more appropriate than others” demonstrates clinical sophistication and client-centered thinking. This knowledge helps ensure clients receive the right intensity of treatment at the right time, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

The term “current favorite” suggests both personal satisfaction and clinical effectiveness in the residential setting. It implies that she’s found residential treatment to be where she can make the most meaningful impact while also finding professional fulfillment.

Her focus on co-occurring disorders from early in her training shows recognition that effective addiction treatment must address underlying mental health conditions simultaneously rather than treating them as separate issues.

Reflection Questions:

• What experiences in your own life have helped you discover your strengths or preferences?
• How important is it to have treatment providers who understand different levels of care and can recommend what’s most appropriate?
• What draws you to seek help from someone who has found their professional “sweet spot” versus someone still exploring different approaches?

Related Topics:

This video addresses career development in clinical psychology, understanding levels of care in addiction treatment, the importance of co-occurring disorder training, and finding professional fulfillment in specialized treatment settings.