About
About Refuge A Healing Place
The Refuge, A Healing Place is a leading national residential treatment center located on 90+ acres of pristine national forest in Ocklawaha, Florida. The program specializes in treating adults who are confronting trauma, PTSD, eating disorders, addiction, depression, and co-occurring mental health concerns through a deliberately trauma-focused clinical lens. The Refuge’s premise is straightforward: addictive and disordered behaviors are most often coping responses to underlying trauma, and durable recovery requires working with the trauma itself rather than around it.
The continuum on campus is unusually full. Medical Detox handles supervised withdrawal management, then clients can step into Residential Treatment, the dedicated Trauma/PTSD Program, the Eating Disorder Program (housed at the 16-bed standalone Oak House), Partial Hospitalization, and Outpatient programming. A Virtual Intensive Outpatient option extends care beyond on-campus stays for clients ready to step down. The Service Resiliency Unit (SRU) is a dedicated track for military service members and first responders, addressing the specific trauma profiles common in those populations alongside addiction or mental health concerns.
Clinical work is centered on trauma-focused treatment using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 12-Step ideology, individual and group counseling, and supportive peer engagement. The 90-acre Ocala National Forest setting is intentional: clinicians frame the external calm of the forest as a way to access internal calm during the difficult work of trauma processing.
Two important payer notes: per the program’s own statements, The Refuge does not accept Medicare or Medicaid at this time. Coverage is structured around private insurance and self-pay/cash. CARF accreditation is in place, and the program operates under Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse Level 2 screening standards. For clients with private commercial insurance who are confronting trauma, eating disorders, or co-occurring conditions, The Refuge is positioned as a national-tier specialty option set in a uniquely restorative natural environment.
- 24/7 medical detox supervision on 90+ acres within Ocala National Forest for complete isolation during withdrawal
- CARF-accredited facility specializing in veterans, first responders, and trauma-related substance abuse cases
- Extended residential programs from 30 days to one year for complex detox and co-occurring disorders
- Dedicated 16-bed eating disorder treatment program (Oak House) alongside addiction detox services
- Integrated medical detox and mental health treatment for PTSD, depression, and dual diagnosis patients