Intensive Outpatient Program

Living with an addiction is one of the most difficult things a person can try to endure. Why? Drugs and alcohol in the wrong hands can drain the life out of someone. For that reason, addiction treatment facilities like ours do all we can to make sure we have very specific treatment options for any addiction sufferer who is ready to seek help. If someone has a significant addiction issue, inpatient or residential care would be the preferred option. The addiction sufferer benefits greatly by living in a sober world while they work towards recovering from their addiction illness. With that said, not all prospective clients can or will submit to residential treatment. Why? The restrictiveness of living in a rehab facility could materially interfere with some aspect of the individual’s life, If they are distracted by concerns over what’s going on in their home environment, it could interfere with their ability to focus on treatment during residential care. The solution: we like to make outpatient options available as an alternative treatment option. By offering outpatient care, we give clients the treatment they need while permitting them to continue attending to their everyday lives. Of course, outpatient treatment requires a certain amount of discipline on the part of the client. They have to be willing to follow very strict guidelines. That would include showing for all appointments on time, acting responsibly towards remaining substance-free, and fully committing to the requirements laid down by their therapist. If a client can do these things in earnest, there is a good chance outpatient care would suffice. As for outpatient care, there are three primary levels of care, distinguished primarily by the amount of time a client would spend in treatment at the rehab facility. At the most restrictive level, we offer partial hospitalization (5 to 7 days a week, 6 to 8 hours a day). At the next level down, we offer intensive outpatient care (3 to 5 days a week, 4 to 6 hours a day}. Finally, our standard outpatient programs generally require clients to report for therapy no more than a couple of days a week for maybe an hour or two per session. In all cases, clients need to show progress. Good progress is often rewarded with fewer restrictions while poor progress is often met with more restrictions, including and up to a recommended move into residential care. For a moment, we want to focus on intensive outpatient care. With this option, we require clients to spend the majority of their treatment time working with a therapist in one on one therapy. The goal of therapy is very clear: clients need insight into the nature of their addiction issues. They need an understanding of what’s happening within their minds and lives that lead them to try to self-medicate away their problems. The intensity of the therapy is from where the term intensive outpatient care derives. If a client can learn the truth about their addiction, they can also learn the appropriate coping skills they will need to combat temptation and the triggers that create within them the need to use drugs/alcohol. Clients can learn the coping skills they need through discussion or by completing projects. Every task one of our therapist assigns is intended to teach the client how to deal with certain aspects of their life. Recovery becomes a reality when a client feels empowered to leave treatment with a better sense of self and the ability to live life on life’s terms without relapsing. After completing an intensive outpatient care program, a client will be eligible to fine-tune their recovery with some basic outpatient care. Recovery is a lifelong endeavor that demands a constant commitment to staying sober.