“This is not your traditional clinic,” said Erin Moyer, a licensed clinical social worker based at a behavioral health and substance misuse treatment clinic based at Our Daily Bread Employment Center. “Beyond talk therapy, we also provide food, clothing, benefits, and shelter.”
The Villa Maria Behavioral Health clinic opened on July 1, 2019, amid the bustling atmosphere of Our Daily Bread. It serves patients from Our Daily Bread as well as Christopher Place Employment Academy, the Weinberg Housing Resource Center, My Sister’s Place Women’s Center, Basilica Place Senior Housing, and My Brother’s Keeper in West Baltimore. View Catholic News Service video featuring the clinic https://youtu.be/QJpngYInyAg
The Fallsway clinic treats co-occurring conditions. Moyer works closely with four substance-use-disorder-trained therapists and an addiction psychiatrist to offer individual therapy, groups and medication-assisted treatment. Additional specialists offer wrap-around services so individuals have more complete support for self-sufficiency beyond addiction recovery.
This is also one of four Catholic Charities clinics offering medication to assist with treatment for opioid and alcohol use. The other three are in Cumberland, Fallstaff, and Dundalk.
“Since the summer opening, the staff has seen an increase in clients contemplating and moving toward a change in their substance use,” said Our Daily Bread Employment Center Program Director Lee Martin.
Effective talk, program-based support groups, and other supports help foster the difficult work of ending substance use.