Sierra Tucson is a licensed inpatient rehabilitation
hospital, nestled in the rural Sonoran Desert, offering five
unique 30- to 45-day programs addressing (a) addiction
recovery, (b) mood disorders, (c) trauma recovery, (d)
complicated chronic pain, and (e) eating disorders. Although
each program may be clearly defined, patients who
admit themselves to Sierra Tucson bring with them a
complexity of issues. A recent internal summary found that
86% of all patients treated at Sierra Tucson in 2013 were
comorbid for two or more Axis I diagnoses. Whether
referred to as coexisting disorders or comorbidity, such
psychological profiles are the expected norm for today’s
treatment facilities (Hawkings & Gilburt, 2004). As we
come to acknowledge the multifactorial nature of mental
health issues (which I often refer to as ‘‘not occurring in a
vacuum’’), it is imperative to integrate mental health
programs to combine a variety of therapeutic approaches
to treat the myriad issues affecting the whole person