Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient is customarily defined as a once-a-week visit to a professional therapist. This has now become a significant component of today’s treatment choices. More specifically, what has become known to be as effective of any current modalities is what is defined known as IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program). The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has created criteria for admission/discharge for this level of care. It consists of 10 hours of clinical interaction per week. The 10 hours is usually bit not always broken into group session and one individual session per week/per patient. Oftentimes, the IOP is connected with supportive drug free housing, sometimes owned and operated by the same agency, sometimes contracted out. Most importantly, the patient benefits most when support is available 24/7, and stable drug free housing is part of the treatment.
If you have insurance, be sure to contact them before deciding to attend first facility that calls back. Many times, the insurance company will have contracts in place with local treatment centers in your zip code. This will alleviate lots of stress for you. The first step is an assessment, then if detox is required, that is set up prior to formal treatment.
