Alumni Profile:
David Ockert
Dr. David M. Ockert '84PhD, a visionary in medically-assisted substance abuse treatment, says he founded Parallax Center, Inc., a private, state-licensed outpatient detoxification and chemical dependency treatment center, out of necessity.
"Back in the early 1980s, chemical dependency treatment was only inpatient," says Dr. Ockert. "I was trying to find data where an outpatient service was integrating medication into a treatment strategy." Discovering that there were none, Dr. Ockert opened the doors to Parallax Center in Manhattan in 1984.
"We believe we may have been the first free-standing outpatient facility on the East coast," says Dr. Ockert, who oversees Parallax Center's operations as executive director. "There was no other competition and this was generally a new concept."
At the time, he says, it was not uncommon for patients to go into the hospital for up to 10 weeks to treat an addiction. However, inpatient treatment was considered a revolving door because one came out into the community and had no structured treatment support. In addition, such lengthy hospitalizations interrupted patients' lives and carried a stigma.
The Parallax Center offers a unique treatment that incorporates psychosocial, cognitive and behavioral therapies to treat not only the chemical dependency but also any psychiatric or medical problems as well. With ambulatory detoxification, addicts receive medical treatment on an outpatient basis, allowing them to safely withdraw from alcohol or opiates without undue pain. It is part of Dr. Ockert's treatment philosophy of taking care of "biological recovery," which means stabilizing brain chemistry and decreasing drug cravings following detox or abstinence.
Last year, there were 16,500 visits to Parallax Center, with patients ranging in age from 18 to 60 who are addicted to alcohol, opiates, stimulants and other drugs. The success of the Center's approach is apparent in its patient outcome data. While the national success rate for outpatient detoxification from opiates alone is only 20-40 percent, the Center has a success rate of 70 percent for patients participating in its ambulatory opiate detoxification program. In addition, 80 percent of those who have completed the program continue in aftercare treatment at the Center.
Dr. Ockert credits his studies at Columbia and his dissertation on treatment combining medication and psychosocial cognitive treatments for his work today.
"As a research methodologist coming out of Columbia's School of Social Work, this is what I learned to do. The training has really helped me to develop new and innovative treatments and evaluate them. You must know about medications that are being developed for chemical dependency treatment and psychiatric conditions such as mood disorders. It is a very important part of a treatment strategy," he says.
Parallax Center combines medication with talk therapy at the individual, couple, family and group level. Dr. Ockert's long term goal for the Center's treatment plan is to assist patients in identifying environmental and emotional stressors and helping them learn how to intervene with adaptive behaviors or reactions to prevent relapse.
He recalls a case involving a patient who had been through treatment many times before. "He came up to me andsaid, 'I can focus. I can remember. I have never been this clear three weeks after stopping.' That is very good to hear. If somebody feels good and can reintegrate into their life, you've really given them a helping hand."
As a graduate of the School of Social Work, Columbia is still very much a part of Dr. Ockert's life. He is currently collaborating with Dr. Allen Zweben, associate dean of research and academic affairs at the School, on a clinical trial for a new medication for alcohol-dependence treatment. Dr. Zweben says he agrees with Dr. Ockert's approach, noting that the entire field of addiction treatment is moving toward a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Parallax Center recently donated $25,000 to the School to develop clinical trials that involve combining medications and behavioral treatments for substance use problems. Dr. Ockert will work with Dr. Zweben, who does most of his research work at the Center.
Dr. Ockert says he is considering opening centers in other New York City boroughs based on the Parallax Center model. "I know this is the direction the field has to move towards,"says Dr. Ockert. "Ultimately, you wantto have an impact on best treatment practices."