About Jintara Rehab in Chiang Mai
Jintara is a small rehab in Chiang Mai, Thailand for adults who want real help in a calm place. We keep the group to 10 people, run medical detox on site with nurses awake all night, and use proven therapy methods. No hype. Just safe, steady care from day one.
- Adults aged 18 to 75+, with substance use and mental health needs
- Maximum 10 clients, supported by about 32 staff
- On-site medical detox with a full hospital health check included
- Private ensuite rooms, gym, ethical excursions, and aftercare planning
Fully Licensed Facility
Why Jintara Exists
Darren Lockie ran large rehabs in Thailand for years. He kept seeing the same thing. Adults felt lost in big mixed-age groups. They wanted safety, real therapy time, and privacy with people they could relate to.
He opened Jintara in 2022 to fix that. The idea was simple. Stay small. Stay adult-only. Do the basics very well. That means safe detox on site, a hospital health check early on, master's level therapists with small caseloads, and owner-led intake where fit and safety come first.
Why Darren Left Microsoft for This
Darren Lockie spent years at Microsoft. He set up Microsoft Asia subsidiary by subsidiary. It was a career most people wouldn't walk away from. He walked anyway.
Around 2008 he moved into addiction treatment in Thailand. He ran DARA Rehab on Koh Chang under Lanna Health Care Company Limited, then opened Jintara in 2022. By then he knew exactly what a rehab should look like when you strip away the marketing and focus on what actually helps.
One thing that surprises people: Darren has no personal history of substance use. He does this work because after 17 years he believes in it. He's seen what happens when rehab is done well and what happens when it's done badly.
At Jintara, Darren personally handles every enquiry and screens every admission. There's no call centre. No sales team. If you phone or email, you speak to the person who runs the place.
Evidence-Based Treatment With Qualified Therapists
Our Clinical Director, Denise O'Leary, holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. She completed Beck Institute training in CBT for addiction and is a certified EMDR therapist through EMDRIA. As far as we've been able to verify, she's the only EMDRIA-certified therapist practising in Thailand.
EMDR is one of the most effective treatments for trauma. Trauma sits underneath a large share of addiction. EMDR processing usually starts after medical stabilisation and works best for clients staying eight weeks or longer. Not everyone will reach the processing stage in a four-week stay, but the groundwork begins early.
Our therapists carry small caseloads. With 10 clients and three therapists, each person typically gets 65 to 70 hours of individual and group therapy across a 30-day stay. That's a lot more than most programmes offer.
- Non-12-step core framework built on CBT, DBT skills, EMDR, and trauma-informed approaches
- Master's level therapists with small caseloads so they have time to think about your case between sessions
- 65 to 70 hours of therapy per 30-day stay, individual and group combined
Medical Detox You Can Trust
Early in your stay you'll have a full health check at Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai. Blood work, liver and kidney function, EKG, chest X-ray. If you need a psychiatric consultation, that's arranged too. All of this is included in the programme fee. It's not an extra.
Our nurses are awake and on site around the clock. Not on-call. Not sleeping in a back room. Awake, doing rounds, preparing medication, and checking on you. Especially in the first 72 hours when withdrawal symptoms are hardest.
If you need hospital-level care at any point, we have direct pathways to both Bangkok Hospital and Chiang Mai Ram. No delay. No waiting until morning.
- Hospital health check included blood panels, liver and kidney function, EKG, chest X-ray, all covered by Jintara
- 24/7 awake nursing not on-call. Actually awake, doing rounds, checking vital signs every one to two hours during early detox
- Hospital escalation direct pathways to Bangkok Hospital and Chiang Mai Ram for emergencies at any hour
Detox and therapy run side by side here. Once you're stable on your detox protocol, therapy begins. We don't offer detox on its own. In our experience, detox alone only covers a small part of recovery. Each plan is adjusted to your situation.
Who Does Jintara Help?
Most people who come to Jintara are adults whose drinking or drug use has crept up on top of anxiety, depression, trauma, or burnout. They may have tried stopping on their own, seen a counsellor, or been to a larger rehab that didn't stick.
They care about privacy and safety. They want a private room, clear structure, on-site detox, and aftercare that fits their real life. Not a vague "see how it goes" plan. We're not a fit for everyone:
- Active eating disorders that need close meal and bathroom observation
- Unmedicated psychosis or very unstable bipolar disorder
- People who don't want to be here and are only attending because someone else insisted. Ambivalence is normal and we can work with that, but a basic willingness to engage matters
If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you. We refer people regularly. We'd rather you get the right help than sign up with us and not get what you need.
What Makes Jintara Different?
We work with a maximum of 10 clients at a time. The group is calm and adult-only. People tell us they can relax, stop performing, and speak honestly for the first time in years.
We only charge four weeks at a time. If a therapist thinks a longer stay would help, that conversation stays clinical. Therapists don't discuss money. That's to respect your finances and keep advice honest.
- 10 clients, 32 staff a ratio of more than three to one. Nobody falls through the cracks
- Owner-led admissions Darren personally screens every enquiry. No call centre. No sales pressure
- Hospital health check included at Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai, fully covered. See medical safety for details
If we're not the right fit, we'll say so and point you somewhere better. We'd rather you get the right help than fill a bed.
4.8 out of 5 from 17 verified Google reviews
“Darren and the team at Jintara are very caring and have a system which works for those clients who put in an effort. They certainly laid the groundwork for my son to successfully learn how to live with and control his addiction.”
Frank Buck, Oct 2025
Privacy as a Core Value
Many of our clients are professionals. Lawyers, doctors, executives, athletes. They need to know their treatment stays private. We take that seriously.
Clients can't photograph other clients during their stay. On excursions, photos of scenery and yourself are fine. Photos that include other people in the programme are not. No press releases. No social media posts. No exceptions.
Confidentiality extends to families. Even when a family member is paying, we don't share clinical details without the client's written consent. The only exceptions are where Thai law requires disclosure or where someone's safety is at immediate risk.
- Ministry of Public Health licensed fully registered and inspected residential treatment facility
- Hospital Accreditation underway currently undergoing the HA process, which audits every protocol and clinical standard
Meet Our Team
Qualified & Experienced Staff
Talk with Our Admissions Team
Common Questions About Jintara
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people who do well here are adults whose drinking or drug use has built up alongside anxiety, low mood, trauma, or burnout. They want privacy, clear boundaries, and straight answers about their health. If that sounds like you, talk to us. Being ready to engage matters more than having all the answers.
People who only want a break from stress without looking at their own patterns usually find this setting harder. The programme asks you to be honest, sit with discomfort, and try things differently. A degree of willingness matters more than motivation on day one.
You work with master's level therapists who keep small caseloads, so they have time to actually think about your case between sessions. The core is evidence-based work, structured CBT, trauma-informed approaches, and trauma processing methods such as EMDR treatment where appropriate. Groups are small, which makes it easier to be honest without feeling you need to perform.
Education, skills training, and practical relapse planning sit alongside deeper work instead of being treated as an afterthought. Your therapist coordinates with the medical and nursing team so that medication, mood, sleep, and therapy all move in the same direction rather than being handled in separate silos.
Jintara is built for adults who often have teams, clients, or families depending on them, so limited work contact is possible. The priority is treatment, not your inbox, so phone and laptop time is controlled and scheduled. Short focused check ins with work are usually fine. Long days on email, trading apps, or Zoom are not.
If work starts to become a way to dodge feelings or groups, the team will tighten boundaries fast. Most clients find that stepping back from the constant noise actually helps them think more clearly, and that the business survives just fine without them for a few weeks.
Family and partners are important in long-term recovery, but constant contact can derail early work. The team usually starts with clear limits on calls so you can stabilise first. Once you are more settled, your therapist may invite a structured family call or meeting, often with simple ground rules and preparation on both sides.
The focus is on clarity and realistic plans, not blame or dramatic confrontations. Many families find that having a therapist guide the conversation prevents the usual loops that go nowhere. By the time you leave, both sides have a clearer picture of what support looks like going forward.
Discharge is planned, not sudden. In the final phase of your stay you and your therapist map triggers, high risk situations, and support options in your real life. Jintara offers structured aftercare that can include online sessions, and liaison with local therapists or doctors where you agree.
You leave with a written, practical plan that covers the first weeks back home, not just a vague "stay in touch if you need us." The goal is that you walk out knowing exactly what to do in the first 48 hours, the first week, and the first month, with real contacts and a clear schedule rather than good intentions.
No. Darren has no personal history of substance use. He came into addiction treatment through operational and management roles and has spent over 17 years running licensed rehabs in Thailand.
People sometimes ask about this. His answer is simple: he does this work because he believes in it. He's seen what happens when rehab is done well and when it's done badly. Clinical decisions at Jintara are based on evidence and the team's collective expertise.
Jintara is licensed by the Thai Ministry of Public Health as a residential treatment facility. Our Head Nurse, Khun Khwan, holds the facility licence and oversees compliance across all medical and operational procedures.
We are currently undergoing Hospital Accreditation (HA), a comprehensive quality standard that audits all clinical and operational protocols. Our clinical team includes an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist who, as far as we have been able to verify, is the only one practising in Thailand.