Every client that enters rehab comes in with a very specific set of circumstances. It’s for that reason that the addiction treatment community has abandoned the concept of treating all clients the same. The reality is that approach was never very successful as evidenced by relapse rates that would sometimes be as high as 70%. By offering more custom addiction treatment plans, the addiction treatment community has been able to collectively drive the relapse numbers into a downward trajectory.
When a client first enters a rehab facility, they go through an interview process. The purpose of that process is to help the rehab facility’s staff understand as much as possible about each client’s addiction and personal circumstances. Armed with that information, the staff is better able to determine the proper course of treatment for each client.
As part of that interview process, the interviewer might learn that a particular client has viable reasons why residential treatment might not work for them. Here’s a list of the reasons some clients don’t feel they can abide by the terms of inpatient care:
- The cost of inpatient care ks too prohibitive
- Residential treatment would adversely affect their the ability to support the family
- Responsibilities at work or school won’t permit absence
- Primary responsibility for the care of other family members
- Personal problems that require staying in close proximity to home
For clients with any reasonable excuse for avoiding residential care, they must be respected. They are also deserving of a treatment alternative. That’s why outpatient programs exist. Within the addiction treatment community, there are three primary forms of outpatient treatment that are available to clients. The outpatient treatment selection process will typically be determined by the extent of the client’s addiction and the likelihood the client will succeed in treatment. The three primary options include:
- Partial hospitalization
- Intensive outpatient
- Standard outpatient
Of the three options, partial hospitalization is by far the most restrictive. In such programs, clients are expected to report to the rehab facility at least five days a week for at least 6 hours of therapy a day. At the other end of the spectrum is a standard outpatient treatment, which is more like recovery maintenance. The client only has to report for treatment a time or two a week for no more than two hours at a time. In the middle sits intensive outpatient treatment.
What are intensive outpatient services?
When clients are assigned to intensive outpatient care, they are typically required to report to rehab at least three days a week for as much as six hours a day. During their time in the facility, the entire focus will be on therapy, either individual or group therapy when available.
With the primary of intensive outpatient care being on individual therapy, the client is challenged to delve deep into their past and psyche. It takes a lot of focus and strength to go through this level of therapy for close to 20 weeks, every week until the facility’s staff feels the client is ready to handle recovery on theirs.
During therapy, it’s incumbent on the client to open up about the nature of their addiction. If the client has any realistic chance of a full and lasting recovery from their addiction, they have to be willing to dig deep to identify the exact cause of their need to abuse substances. For a lot of clients, this is a serious journey of self-discovery. If they can come out on the other end with the knowledge of why they abuse substances, they are on the right path.
With the knowledge of what drives their addiction, the client will have an opportunity to build up an arsenal of coping skills they can use to manage life’s issues. The ability to avoid triggers and temptation is what ultimately makes it possible for clients to survive a lifetime without ever again falling victim to their addiction.
In a nutshell, that’s what intensive outpatient treatment is all about. If you are ready to come in for treatment, we can start working with you to develop a custom treatment program that fits your specific circumstances. If intensive outpatient care is the call, so be it. We would like you start the treatment process by calling one of our representatives at 800-411-8019. That will give us an opportunity to discuss that which we can offer you to help you recover from your addiction.