Laura F. Martin, MD, is the new medical director of Valiant Living. Dr. Martin has a long, impressive track record as an addiction psychiatrist. She graduated from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 1997 and subsequently pursued residency training in psychiatry and a research fellowship at the University of Colorado and the Denver Veterans Medical Center."We are excited to bring on Dr. Martin in this new role as she is a perfect embodiment of the values and mission at Valiant Living," added Chief Operating Officer Scott Lister, BSN, RN, CARN. "She will help us continue to improve on the high quality of standards in patient care that we believe in."Dr. Martin is board-certified in general psychiatry and addiction medicine. She has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts in both general and addiction psychiatry. Dr. Martin worked with Valiant CEO Michael Dineen in a previous partnership where Dinneen served hundreds of patients for over a decade and was responsible for designing and implementing key parts of the clinical programming, including the 30-day primary program, the 60-day extended care program, the 71-day professionals program, and the intimacy disorder track. “I was super excited to work with Mike again, I really respect the work that he does,” says Martin. “He has a great passion for serving patients with addiction.” Martin and Dineen also share an interest in the same specialty: addiction treatment for professional men. “My specialty, along with Mike, is treating professionals who have substance misuse issues as well as process addictions, so I am passionate about working with that population” explains Dr. Martin. “I had relatives in my own family—physicians who suffered from substance use disorder and behavioral addictions. There is still a lot of stigma out there about addiction and it’s great that at Valiant Living I will be able to provide treatment that is trauma-informed, respectful, and full of compassion for patients.”As medical director, Martin will oversee the Valiant Living Detox and Assessment program as well as the partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs. “All those levels of care are already better integrated than at most places.” Martin is also very impressed with the emphasis on secondary intervention for patients in the detox program. “No program is for everybody as it should fit individual needs,” she says. “An effective secondary intervention is crucial because finding the best fit for patients keeps them in treatment long enough to get better. At Valiant Living, it’s about the patient—outcomes are better if we get them into the right place after detox.”To make that all-important transition more effective, Valiant Living Detox and Assessment created a transitional short-term residential program to make it easier for clients to consider the best way forward after the medical detox. The program helps clients and their families understand often unfamiliar treatment options better. Its emphasis is on post-detox stabilization and it prioritizes treatment planning and next-step care coordination.“It’s important to provide clients with a strong recommendation for secondary intervention based on a careful assessment of each individual case,” says Martin. Not everybody can go into full residential treatment at Valiant Living as it’s primarily a program for professional men while Valiant Living Detox and Assessment accepts patients of most ages and all genders.Most detox clients require follow-up intervention in another treatment program and ideally aftercare following that. Addiction is a chronic disease and the risk of relapse is high without maintaining an appropriate level of care. That’s why it’s crucial to find a program that fits the needs of each individual patient.Dr. Martin is most impressed with the enormous heart and compassion everybody at Valiant brings to the job. “It’s a value-based and patient-centered approach where everybody is always driven to learn more to provide better services.”If you are seeking a more comprehensive start for your treatment of addiction, contact us at 303-647-4932. We provide a safe, supportive haven in the earliest stages of recovery. Get the individualized attention you need for stabilization, assessment, and discerning the best next steps in your journey.