e and suboxone treatment in Austin, Texas

About our clinic

Addiction & Psychotherapy Services has been serving the Greater Austin area since 1982. It is a private clinic operating without any government funding or other outside support. It is our philosophy to work without profits. We are proud to have highly qualified staff and to offer the broadest range of services of any opiate treatment provider in Texas.

Our mission is to provide comprehensive, high quality outpatient services for our patients. We strive to offer services at the lowest possible fees. Our goals are to:
     (1) stabilize opiate-addicted patients on methadone or buprenorphine rapidly, allowing normal functioning,
     (2) treat psychological/psychiatric problems, assist with pain management, and assist in referrals for medical and other problems,
     (3) offer a wide range of services, including relapse prevention, educational and therapy groups, and auricular acupuncture
     (4) offer assistance when tapering patients off opioid medication and treatment is concluded.

Access: The clinic is easily reached by public transportation or car. We have bicycle racks. It is fully wheelchair accessible.
Privacy/confidentiality: The clinic follows strict confidentiality standards. Clinic computers are not connected to the internet, and our staff does not use the internet to communicate with clients or about client matters.

Please read more about our clinic by clicking on any area listed below. For a print version of all the information contained on this page, click here.

Clinic Staff

Staff

Heinz Aeschbach, MD, Board cert. psychiatrist
Margaret Aeschbach, MLS
Paola Arreola, RN
Christine Constable, RN
Coleen Moreno, LMSW
Linda Nowotny, RN, MSN
Earnest R. Pouncey, RN
Henry M. Stevens, RN, MSN

Qualifications of Medical Director

Qualifications of Heinz Aeschbach, M.D.

Dr. Aeschbach studied medicine at the University of Zürich in Switzerland and received his MD degree in 1972. He also attended the Music Academy of Zürich and earned a Swiss federal diploma as piano teacher in 1969. He completed his psychiatric residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas and is board certified in adult psychiatry.

Personal studies include cultural anthropology, ethology (research of animal behavior, biology of animal and human behavior), and other subjects.

Prior to opening this clinic, Dr. Aeschbach already had seven years of experience with methadone medical withdrawal and maintenance and other substance abuse treatments. From 1975 to 1982, he served as the Medical Director to the Austin Travis County MHMR Drug Abuse Special Services Unit. Since 1975, he continuously worked more than half-time with methadone clients. Additionally he worked with other substance abuse patients, both hospitalized and outpatient, and he worked with general psychiatric patients, particularly patients with mood disorders, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociated disorder (including multiple personality disorder), and personality disorders. He supervised non-MD psychotherapists and served as consultant for TXMHMR.

His continuing education includes many conferences, seminars, and taped presentations on general psychiatric therapies, family medicine, psychotherapy of posttraumatic stress and dissociative disorders, family therapy, NADA acupuncture, hypnotherapy, pain management, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Dr. Aeschbach has given numerous seminars at TCADA (Texas Commission of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, now the Texas Department of State Health Services) conferences, as well as at conferences for the United States Association of Opioid Treatment Providers (USAOTP), formerly Texas Methadone Treatment Association (TMTA). He is currently President of the Board of Directors of the USAOTP.

Clinic History

History of Addiction & Psychotherapy Services

Since its founding in 1982, the Addiction & Psychotherapy Services clinic has gradually grown in size and significantly expanded its range of opiate addiction services. Although we initially served a variety of substance abuse clients as well as clients with general psychiatric diagnoses, we now only accept clients with opiate dependence as a primary diagnosis.

In 1990, the clinic sponsored Fr. Mark Pemberton, who introduced NADA (auricular) acupuncture for withdrawal and craving, into Texas and surrounding states. Dr. Aeschbach has been practicing NADA acupuncture longer than anyone else in the State of Texas.

The clinic introduced LAAM, a long-acting form of methadone, as soon as it was FDA-approved and available. Despite the high cost and the higher level of knowledge required for its administration, the clinic was committed to offering this excellent medication to clients for whom it appeared medically appropriate. Unfortunately, LAAM was taken off the market in September 2003 due to the possibility that it exacerbated a rare heart condition in some patients.

Since January 2003, we offer the sublingual form of Suboxone (buprenorphine) to clients who wish to use this medication and for whom it is considered medically appropriate.

When federal and state regulations became more flexible, the clinic started giving take home privileges much more liberally. Some qualifying patients attend the clinic only once or twice a month.

Group teaching and counseling has been gradually expanded and now includes many types of groups held five days a week. Groups begin as early as 6:00 am and continue throughout our hours of operation. One time monthly a Saturday group is offered.

Dr. Aeschbach and one master's degreed nurse on the clinic staff are trained to practice Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a treatment that is offered individually to selected patients with PTSD and/or some other conditions.

Frequently communicating with regulatory agencies on the state and federal levels, Dr. Aeschbach has influenced the language of new regulations relating to the administration of methadone.

The clinic staff are invited to teach, consult, and give lectures. Dr. Aeschbach often consults with other physicians.

Client Testimonials

Clients who previously were treated at other clinics frequently state that this clinic is the best they have ever attended.

"This clinic is extremely special in that every patient receives unlimited attention, care, counseling, and
understanding. I cannot express how Dr. Aeschbach and his counselors have helped me personally."

     "This clinic cares more about their patients than any doctor or psychiatrist I have ever been to before.
      Dr. Aeschbach without a doubt gave me at least an extra 10 years of productive life by giving me a
      thorough physical examination."

"Methadone has enabled me to work, save money, and not die."

"Dr. Aeschbach is readily available to his clients."

"Every time I attend a group, there is always something positive that I can take home with me."

"[The clinic provides] intimate care, caring staff, convenient, [and] reasonable rates."

"Everyone is friendly and helpful. The groups are casual and very helpful. I get a lot out of them."

"This clinic makes you feel welcome and part of a 'family'. Also you feel no judgment."

"The clinic has always taken our living far away into consideration and helped us work to keep our
take homes."

"Aeschbach's clinic offers courteous, professional services in a wonderful new facility that is safe
and clean."

     "I am grateful for the methadone clinic because it offered a change over 12-step and 'faith' based
      recovery - none of which helped me. After 7 years of painkiller abuse, I am now clean [and am]
      doing things in my life I never thought possible."

     "The clinic has helped me changed my life completely, as recovery is a process. Being on maintenance
      has helped my drug cravings go away and the staff and doctor are very caring and compassionate as
      well."

"I went to another clinic - it seemed to be 'profit' motivated. Everyone at this clinic is accessible and
kind. You are treated as an individual not an 'addict'. Thanks!"