I manage to find the Gould Farm booth just as the Exhibit Hall is to shut down for the day. The woman manning the booth is scooping up her brochures when I greet her.
Gould Farm in the Berkshires is based on the old-fashioned and now cutting edge principle that a work setting in the country, with a full range of clinical and rehabilitative services, can work wonders. The original institutions from the 1830-1840s were built on that enlightened principle. Originally these institutions had farms attached to them, and recovery rates were fairly high. Only later did these places deteriorate into unspeakable snake pits.
The day before, after registering, I had fortuitously come across an exhibit of vintage postcards of the old institutions and spas. Palatial buildings, country settings. My camcorder roamed Ken Burn style over the display.
Now the clinical director of Gould Farm and I are animatedly talking. I will definitely be paying a visit on my next east coast trip.
Tomorrow, it's a full day of solid brain science. Exciting discoveries are pointing the way to a new generation of meds, but they are also validating the venerable philosophy of Gould Farm. Smart meets humane.
Time to wind down ...
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