Therapeutic Recreation Specialist joins staff

Oxford Center welcomes Tori Beeler, CTRS

Oxford Treatment Center is advancing its commitment to a holistic recovery approach with the addition of Tori Beeler to its staff of experiential therapists.

Beeler, a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, joined the staff in August. She works closely with ACCT-certified ropes course facilitator Hank Holmes and will be adding new dimensions to Oxford Treatment Center’s outdoor therapy program in the months to come.

“With Tori’s arrival, we look forward to taking even greater advantage of the natural setting this beautiful property provides,” said Billy Young, CEO of Oxford Treatment Center. “Outdoor experiences can be a powerful tool in the therapeutic process, as patients define a new context for life in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. Experiential therapy is a core piece of our treatment program and one we will continue to grow.”

New programs ahead

Beeler, a native of Illinois, comes to Oxford Treatment Center from Community Health and Wellness LLC in Austin, Texas, where she provided recreation therapy to U.S. veterans under age 40. Her patients included veterans with physical disabilities as well as those with substance abuse issues.

At Oxford Treatment Center, Beeler is looking forward to broadening outdoor therapy programming with outlets like hiking trips, meditation walks and canoeing.

She has also enabled the addition of more sessions for patients on Oxford Treatment Center’s ACCT-adherent challenge course of low-ropes elements.
Beeler holds a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from Southern Illinois University. Her prior experience also includes working as recreation coordinator at a physical rehabilitation facility and as a fitness instructor.

Her interest in recreational therapy grew from seeing how different patients responded to a variety of therapy modalities.

“Each person is different,” she said. “For many of us, there are lessons we can learn in the outdoors that we wouldn’t absorb the same way in a classroom setting.”

Making a difference

Since joining Oxford Treatment Center, Beeler has had a chance to learn from her patients as well — particularly, to hear from their experiences how a holistic approach can be rare among other treatment centers.

“Some patients will tell me they’ve been through multiple treatment attempts, and Oxford Treatment Center is the first one that has made an impact on them,” she said. “I hear that so often — on a daily basis — and it blows my mind.”

For Beeler, it’s rewarding to take part in an addiction treatment program dedicated to bringing about deep and lasting effects on patients’ lives.

“I feel like we offer so many different types of therapy, everybody can find something that they relate to,” she said. “We’re attacking the disease of addiction from every angle, to offer our patients the best chance of recovery we can.”