Fernside at McLean
978-464-2141
Call McLean's Addiction Treatment Center at Fernside
About residential addiction treatment at Fernside
Fernside is McLean Hospital’s residential addiction treatment program in Princeton, Massachusetts, for adults living with drug or alcohol addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, or personality disorders.
Since 2006, Fernside has provided individualized substance use disorder treatment in a private, supportive setting designed to help patients build skills for recovery, prevent relapse, and return to daily life with greater stability.
Part of Mental Health and Psychiatric Services
What sets Fernside apart from other addiction treatment centers?
Fernside is a small, private, nine-bed residential program that provides world-class alcohol and drug addiction treatment in the private, charming setting of a renovated mountain-side bed and breakfast.
Our seven-day-a-week model combines psychiatric care, medication evaluation and management, individual and group therapy, relapse prevention, and aftercare planning. Patients often come to Fernside when substance use disorder has not responded to previous treatment or is complicated by depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, or other psychiatric conditions.
In addition to intensive individual and group therapy, patients have access to comprehensive clinical and residential support, including:
- Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
- 24/7 direct care staffing
- Case management and aftercare planning
- Family and couples meetings
- Basic laboratory testing
- Private room and private bath, single occupancy
- Chef-prepared meals, snacks, and beverages
- Arrival and departure transportation, when available
- Transportation to scheduled clinical appointments
- Housekeeping services
- On-site fitness studio and art studio with professional easels and supplies
- Supportive recovery services, including smoking cessation, yoga, personal fitness training, and recreational cooking classes
Together, these services create a more comprehensive residential experience than a standard drug or alcohol rehabilitation program.
Our clinicians are experts in substance misuse recovery, rehabilitation, and relapse prevention and are here to help motivate individuals to take the necessary steps to overcome addiction.
Who would benefit most from Fernside’s addiction treatment program?
Fernside’s residential addiction treatment program focuses on adults who need more intensive support than traditional outpatient addiction treatment, many of whom will have co-occurring psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, or personality disorders.
With the patient’s permission, family members can be involved in assessment and in treatment/aftercare planning.
Our approach to addiction treatment
Relapse prevention therapy
As part of comprehensive residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment, relapse prevention therapy is a cognitive behavioral approach. This therapy focuses on building self-control, understanding high-risk scenarios, and developing effective coping mechanisms to support long-term abstinence.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
DBT is a highly effective, evidence-based approach integrated into Fernside’s drug and alcohol addiction treatment program. It empowers individuals to manage intense emotions and destructive behaviors that can fuel substance use. DBT focuses on developing four core skill sets:
- Mindfulness
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Emotion regulation
- Distress tolerance
McLean applies DBT as a therapy for both adolescents and adults throughout our various treatment programs.
Motivational enhancement therapy (MET)
MET is a counseling approach that focuses on helping individuals overcome their conflicting feelings about starting treatment and ending drug or alcohol misuse. It helps foster swift, self-driven transformation.
Integrated group therapy
Integrated group therapy is an evidence-based approach for people with co-occurring mood and substance use disorders. Through group-based support, patients learn recovery behaviors and relapse prevention skills that can help them manage both conditions and build a stronger foundation for long-term recovery.
Many Fernside patients report that the connections they make at Fernside’s addiction recovery center are lasting and life changing. To help support ongoing connections with fellow Fernside graduates and with the program, we offer alumni services.
This program begins prior to leaving residential care, where current patients join the program and meet alumni. The alumni program includes:
- Weekly group meetings run by program team members and including fellow Fernside alumni
- A quarterly newsletter
- Ongoing capacity to connect with Fernside staff whenever there is a need for support
The alumni program is provided free of charge and is intended to support each member and continue to establish a familiar, connected network invested in supporting long-term recovery.
Frequently asked questions about Fernside at McLean
Fernside fields inquiries for the program 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about program admission or to make a referral, please contact us at 978-464-2331.
Our knowledgeable admissions staff have information about resources nationwide and can help arrange drug or alcohol detoxification services as needed prior to admission.
- Visitors are permitted, following program policies. Visiting hours are 12-8 pm, Saturdays and Sundays.
- Smoking is allowed in designated outdoor areas only. No smoking is allowed inside any of our buildings. Use of chewing tobacco and “e-cigarettes” is not permitted.
- Individuals are permitted to hold and use their cell phones and computers, with some guidelines to prevent disruption of the program and other patients.
Privacy is of the utmost importance to Fernside. As an addiction recovery center, we ensure confidentiality through our highly trained, professional, and discreet staff.
No third party, whether known to the patient or not, has access to medical records, health information, or any information about a patient’s stay without prior written authorization from the patient.
Contact Fernside at McLean
978-464-2141
Call McLean's Addiction Treatment Center at Fernside
International Patient Services
Contact information for international patients