Crooked River Counseling

Our Story

Crooked River Counseling was founded by Catherine Clough-Bell, LADC, CCS in 2005 when Catherine decided she wanted to provide services closer to her home community. The name Crooked River Counseling was born as a result of Catherine & Gary Bell’s love for the Crooked River and its symbolism to their family; they got married “in” the Crooked River and bought a home located on the Crooked River so when it became time to name the agency Crooked River Counseling was a natural fit.

Crooked River Counselng began in a small building on Winter St. in Norway Maine providing outpatient, group and family substance misuse treatment. In 2007 after providers voiced a need for more service in the area Crooked River Counseling added an Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program (IOP). In May of 2009 Crooked River Counseling partnered with Dr. Craig and Jen Smith from the North Bridgton Family Practice to provide integrated substance misuse treatment and expanded services for patients that needed Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction. Thus the treatment model of integrated substance misuse treatment within the primary care setting was born.

The program steadily grew and later that year of 2009 Crooked River Counseling moved to a larger space in South Paris to accommodate the growth. In 2013, the program began another growth process with the addition of a satellite office in Bridgton Internal Medicine working with Dr. Peter Leighton. In Early 2015, Crooked River Counseling recognized it would be more beneficial for clients that the main office be located in the Bridgton community and in March of that same year Crooked River Counseling was invited by the Bridgton Hospital to move onto campus. In May of 2015 we expanded our services and were granted a mental health license and began focusing on the co-occurring population. Later that year we integrated within the Fryeburg Family Medicine practice working closely with Dr. Eric Slayton to provide the same integrated care that had been so successful within other primary care practices. In August 2016 physicians requested Crooked River Counseling open an office in Rumford and integrate with Swift River Medical Practice and the Rumford Hospital. Our Rumford location provides all the services Crooked River Counseling in Bridgton provides including Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP).

CRC employs experienced and skilled substance misuse and mental health professionals in order to provide the best care possible utilizing evidence based practices. We focus not only on the substance use and mental health disorders but also take a holistic approach to treatment by incorporating the 5 dimensions of wellness into all treatments; emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual and social health which addresses home, health, purpose and community that supports recovery as a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.

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