As we gain a better understanding of mental health issues that commonly affect people in today’s society, we have begun to understand a healthy mind’s connection with an overall healthy lifestyle and overcoming substance abuse.
What Mental Health Conditions Can Be Treated with Outpatient Care?
Patients often mistakenly assume that their condition cannot be treated in an outpatient setting because their issues are too complicated or severe. This is usually untrue – in fact, the majority of mental healthcare in the United States is performed on an outpatient basis. Only the most extreme incidents of mental health emergencies result in in-patient care being necessary. Most patients actually appreciate the opportunity to apply insights or new pieces of knowledge they have gained with an experienced provider to their everyday life once they leave the clinic. If you are experiencing mood disruptions, uncontrollable anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-destructive activities, suicidal thoughts, or substance abuse, please consider seeking care immediately. With the right outpatient program, you can likely continue your daily life while getting the help you need.
How Does Outpatient Therapy Work?
Different providers bring different modalities and practices to their mental health provision. The aim of all outpatient programs, however, is to maximize the effectiveness of inpatient therapy without the massive disruption that committed living in a facility usually causes. Patients in these programs enjoy the freedom to return home each day and do not have to worry about rearranging their lives to the same extent as someone who is enrolled in an inpatient program. Nearly every outpatient program features an element of counseling.
Usually, this counseling takes the form of one-on-one intensive sessions with a trained provider to delve into underlying issues that may have triggered the mental health crisis. Strategies for coping with the patient’s mental health challenges are exchanged, and a plan for recovery is drafted between the provider and patient. Support networks are a crucial aspect of every outpatient program because the patient continues his or her daily routines during the times he or she is not at the outpatient clinic. This includes involving friends and family in the treatment (often even requiring counseling sessions for peers and caregivers) as well as a professional network of providers who can pool their experiences to design the best recovery plan for each individual patient.
Outpatient therapy is typically provided in one of the following settings:
- General hospitals
- Alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers
- Partial hospitalization programs (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient programs
- Outpatient clinics
- Community mental health centers
Finally, peer support groups can be enormously beneficial. Most providers recommend regular attendance at group meetings even after completing an outpatient program because their success rates are quite high.
Is Outpatient Therapy Effective?
The success of an outpatient program depends on individual circumstances such as the level of dedication of the patient to his or her own recovery, the chemistry between counselors and patients, and the level of family and peer support. In the right conditions, outpatient therapy can achieve remarkable results. Many peer-reviewed studies by researchers have shown that these kinds of interventions can help patients who have struggled to deal with their mental health challenges independently or in other settings.
Challenges Associated with Outpatient Care
Because people enrolled in outpatient care programs return to their normal lives each day after therapy, they are going back to the normal state of things that may have triggered substance abuse and other harmful outcomes in the past. The temptation to abuse substances may still linger. With that said, though, many patients find the challenge of overcoming their mental health issues in these setting rewarding as they gain inner strength and confidence in their ability to cope with the pressures of everyday life.
Only an experienced provider can decide for certain if a patient should be committed to inpatient or outpatient care. In most situations, outpatient care is the better option because it is less disruptive and resource-intense than inpatient options. If you believe that you or a loved one could benefit from outpatient therapy for mental health conditions, then you should consider reaching out to a well-respected provider in your community. A timely intervention by skilled providers could mean the difference between continuing to suffer unnecessarily and reclaiming your mental health. Call us today at 833-610-1174 .