Laguna Treatment Hospital (CA)

Care for Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders

Clinicians at Laguna Treatment Hospital are equipped to treat patients with co-occurring mental health disorders and co-occurring physical conditions. Using a whole-person approach to rehabilitation, Laguna Treatment Hospital may utilize medications and behavioral therapies to adequately treat patients.

Chronic Medical Conditions & Physical Challenges

Laguna Treatment Hospital is equipped to care for medically compromised patients and patients with physical health challenges. The medical director will review patients’ medical records prior to admission and determine if Laguna’s sub-acute environment is equipped to treat each person’s presenting medical problem in conjunction with their addiction to drugs.

For example, if you are diabetic, you will receive a nutritional consult from a registered dietitian at Laguna Treatment Hospital. The nursing staff will help you monitor your blood sugar, administer insulin if needed, and provide you with lots of education about a healthy diabetic diet. Similarly, the resident chef will be aware of your condition and whether they must design a specific diet for you.

If you suffer from chronic pain, our clinical staff may prescribe you non-opioid pain medications. If we determine that your pain is related to an underlying issue such as a traumatic injury, neurological issue, or orthopedic issue, we may refer you to outside specialists or physical therapy to ensure you get the appropriate care and that you are as comfortable as possible during your treatment.

Individual Therapy

Individual Therapy Individual therapy generally lasts around one hour and takes place at least once a week. Laguna Treatment Hospital clinicians may employ certain therapies including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and motivational interviewing (MI) to patients depending on their particular needs.

Group Therapy

Group therapy sessions at Laguna Treatment Hospital last 90 minutes and may take place 4 times a day, 7 days a week. The focus of group therapy depends on the particular session, but may include topics such as relapse prevention, CBT groups, substance use disorder specific DBT groups, and clinical process groups. For patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), clinicians typically discuss traumatic events in private, 1-on-1 therapy sessions rather than in a group setting.

Psycho-educational and Alternative Therapies

Additional treatment interventions are offered to therapeutically support your overall care and wellbeing. Below are a few of our noteworthy offerings:

• 12-Step recovery groups.
• 12-Step alternatives: SMART Recovery, WellBriety.
• Therapeutic recreation: A recreational therapist will work with you several times a week, using music, art, outings, and physical conditioning as ways to improve physical, mental, social, and/or emotional functioning.
• Yoga and meditation: At Laguna, a master’s-level therapist with advanced yoga training provides therapeutic yoga sessions. Weekly gender-specific yoga sessions are held in the yoga center or outside when weather permits.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Laguna Treatment Hospital utilizes some forms of Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) alongside behavioral therapy to treat those who are suffering from substance use disorders. MAT can be especially effective in treating opioid use disorders and alcohol use disorders. At Laguna Treatment Hospital, clinicians may or may not use MAT to help patients manage chronic pain.

At Laguna, our treatment team of professionals consists of 4 case managers who are certified drug/alcohol counselors, 6 primary licensed or license eligible therapists, board-certified physicians and medical staff (physician assistant and nurse practitioners), registered nurses, an advanced level yoga instructor/therapist, recreational therapist, and a crisis counselor/therapist.

Our clinical team is staffed with master’s-level professionals and certified substance abuse counselors. Our medical director, Dr. Gary Mitrevolis, previously provided care to incarcerated patients as an addiction medicine specialist with the state of California Correctional Health Care Services.

A high staff-to-patient ratio helps optimize individualized patient care, and approximately 40% of Laguna’s direct patient care staff are in recovery.

Trace Swartzfager, Chief Executive Officer

Trace Swartzfager is the Chief Executive Officer of Laguna Treatment Center. Trace’s personal recovery journey led him to his behavioral healthcare administration career more than 30 years ago.

Prior to joining the American Addictions Centers team, Trace served as CEO of both Acadiana Treatment Center and Vermilion Behavioral Health System in southwest Louisiana. In addition, he served as Vice President, Behavioral Health Services at St. Dominic Health Services and Administrator, Behavioral Health at Pine Grove Recovery Center in Mississippi. In all of his previous positions, Trace worked to create behavioral healthcare centers of excellence including addictions treatment programs that contained all levels of substance use disorder treatment.

Trace is a former member of the board of Trustees of the National Association of Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) and the American Hospital Association’s Section for Behavioral Health Services. Trace is board-certified in healthcare management and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Gaurav Gandotra, MD, Behavioral Health Director

Dr. Gaurav Gandotra brings in a wealth of knowledge in the field of psychiatry, addiction medicine, managed care, and leadership. He is a highly accomplished and well-known expert in the field of psychiatry. Double-boarded in psychiatry and addiction medicine, he serves as behavioral health medical director at Laguna Treatment Hospital.

After completing psychiatry training at prestigious Western Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Gandotra joined the clinical faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he precepted residents, medical students, nurse practitioners, psychology students, and PhD students while providing quality evidence-based care and authoring numerous publications. He spent 15 years in academia before moving to California in 2020. He took on medical directorship/leadership roles at a managed care company and various hospital settings prior to joining Laguna Treatment Hospital in 2021. He also holds a voluntary faculty position at UCR to continue his passion for teaching.

Dr. Gandotra’s interests include the interplay of mental health and substance use disorders, relapse prevention, and emergency and inpatient psychiatry. He strongly believes in the biopsychosocial model of behavioral health and strives to provide individualized and holistic treatment planning rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Gary Mitrevolis, MD, FASAM, Medical Director

Dr. Gary Mitrevolis graduated from the University of Toronto and obtained a bachelor of science degree with honors with a specialization in toxicology in 2000.  He then went to St. George’s University in Grenada, Wisconsin, for medical school and obtained his doctor of medicine and was part of the Iota Epsilon Alpha honor medical society.  After graduating from medical school, he completed an internal medicine residency at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York.

After residency, Dr. Mitrevolis practiced as a hospitalist in Dover, New Hampshire, where he was exposed to the devastating consequences that the disease of addiction had on many of his patients.  This inspired him to complete a fellowship in addiction medicine at Maine Medical Center.  From there, he provided care to incarcerated patients as an addiction medicine specialist with the state of California Correctional Health Care Services.  Dr. Mitrevolis now joins Laguna Treatment Hospital as medical director.

Programming

Laguna Treatment Hospital, our rehab in Aliso Viejo, CA, offers family therapy to patients during treatment. If they wish, they may facilitate a Skype, telephone, or in-person meeting through their therapist. Additionally, our team can help you or your loved one find Al-Anon, Narc-Anon, and other family support groups in your area.

Upon the patient’s admission, Laguna’s clinical team will contact their family within 24 hours if given consent by the patient to release information to them. Family members looking to contact their loved ones may contact the staff directly. If a ROI (release of information) is on file, staff may communicate. Otherwise, patient information is confidential. We take patient privacy very seriously.

Visiting Your Loved One

During your loved one’s treatment, we can work with you to plan a visit to our treatment center in Aliso Viejo. Your loved one’s treatment team will provide you with all of the information you need to schedule your visit. Laguna Treatment Hospital is easily accessible by car or plane. We are just minutes away from Laguna Beach and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana.