Aftercare

Aftercare – What Is It and Why Is It Important?

When treating substance use disorder (SUD), trauma, and mental health, a continuum of care is crucial for symptom management and long-term recovery. Continuum is defined as something that keeps going, but changes slightly over time. Levels of care generally refer to the intensity of services received by the client. When treating addiction and co-occurring disorders, the goal is to slowly lower the intensity of support surrounding the client to allow them to develop the skills and tools they need to live a recovered life.

While in active use, the addicted individual abandons the ability to develop healthy coping and life skills. Essentially, the client has to relearn a new way to live. This process does not happen overnight. 

The proven continuum of care for long-term recovery slowly shows the client how to develop and implement the new coping and life skills they are learning through the treatment process. As intensity of treatment transitions lower, the client is able to practice the new skills they are learning in a supported environment. 

When an addict decides they are ready to make changes in their life and work towards sobriety there is a proven continuum of care, which is as follows:

Detox – 5 to 10 days

Residential Treatment – 30 to 90 days 

Partial Hospitalization (PHP) – 30 days

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) – 60 days

Outpatient Services – Up to 6 months

We continue to stand behind our current ideology: 

“Outpatient services play an integral part in the aftercare process, and if delivered effectively, directly contribute to improved treatment outcomes.” 

Definitions:

Detox – First stage for many addict and alcoholics to safely remove all traces of drugs and alcohol from their body. Oftentimes medical stabilization is required to remove drugs and alcohol safely. 

Residential Treatment (Inpatient) – For most addicts separation and monitoring is required in the early stages of recovery. Inpatient treatment is where the client lives on property, has 24/7 staff monitoring and is receiving clinical services 6-8 hours per day. 

Residential Treatment utilizes the therapeutic community model.  Re-socialization is important because isolation is always included when defining addiction. Inpatient programs utilize the complete community–including other residents, staff, and the social context—as active components of treatment. Inpatient treatment focuses on developing personal accountability and responsibility as well as socially productive lives. Inpatient treatment is typically anywhere between 30 to 90 days.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) – Clients participate in scheduled treatment sessions during the day and return to supportive living or home at night. PHP is not a replacement for inpatient treatment, however, in some cases it can shorten a clients inpatient treatment stay. PHP is an essential step when transitioning to lower levels of care. PHP typically consists of 5 – 6 hours of programming, 5 days per week. Typically a client will not be back to working at PHP level of care. Drug/alcohol screening takes place on a weekly basis. 

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) – IOP is typically 3 to 5 days per week, lasting approximately 3 hours per day. Most IOP programs are completed within 60 days or around 8 weeks. IOP may also include 1 hour of individual counseling sessions per week. IOP programs help clients shift from active addiction to a fulfilling life of long-term recovery. The IOP level of care may include: therapy groups, learning social skills, support groups, and development of healthy life skills. Drug/alcohol screening takes place on a weekly basis. 

Outpatient Program (OP) – OP is defined as less than 6 hours of programming per week. This level of care typically takes place once per week and includes 2 clinical groups (1.5 hours each) and 1 individual counseling session per week. As a whole, a standard OP typically lasts about 6 months. As the lowest level of care in the continuum, OP allows gives clients the most freedom, allowing them to take what they’ve learned back into their lives, with a minimal, but vital support system.