Selecting a treatment center is likely one of the most challenging choices someone has to make when they’re finally ready to get help. There are residential programs, outpatient therapies, holistic approaches, medical detox centers – and they’re all legit and they’re all the best center for you. How do you know which one will actually work?
The answer is there is no best treatment center for everyone. What works best for you is contingent upon your situation, your substance(s), how long, if you have people at home supporting you – but there are best practices and standards of quality that distinguish the better facilities from ones who are collecting insurance checks.
Types of Treatment Programs
Most centers will offer different levels of care. Inpatient treatment means you’re physically there for the duration of your treatment, typically anywhere from 30 to 90 days. This is appropriate if the addiction is severe, if you’ve tried outpatient care already to no avail, or if your living situation is too complicated to stay sober.
Outpatient means you live at home and engage in a couple of therapy sessions a week. This is good if you have a supportive network, if the addiction isn’t in full swing yet, or if you have work and family obligations that prevent you from seeking inpatient care. Outpatient can be intensive (five days a week, multiple hours each day) or more casual (twice a week, shorter hours).
There is also partial hospitalization, an in-between option that requires daytime presence at the facility but allows you to return home at night. This is more structure than outpatient programs but not as intensive as formal admissions.
Is The Place Legit
Most people don’t think to find this out, but check if your facility is accredited. The Joint Commission and CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) are the two main organizations that review treatment centers and determine if standards of quality are met.
The bare minimum is state licensing; any accredited facility has this. All accredited facilities should have something extra. Licensing is not legally required so if a center goes out of their way to acquire it, it usually denotes an agency that’s dedicated to doing things right. You can check this easily on both The Joint Commission and CARF websites.
Staff credentials matter too. Are the therapists licensed? What is their staff-to-patient ratio? A center may have a great website and beautiful buildings, but if the professionals working there aren’t qualified enough or there aren’t enough staff working per shift, you’re not getting quality care.
What Therapies Do They Actually Use
Better centers use evidence-based therapies. These methods suggest the most effective treatments based on research outcomes. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is almost always a component of respectable treatment facilities, as it explores the connection between thoughts that cause people to use and how they can change those thought patterns.
Dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT) may be used for complications like co-occurring borderline personality disorder or emotional dysregulation problems; group therapy offers peer support; individual counseling for personal traumas or mental health challenges; family therapy – while often awkward – adds another dimension for potentially positive long-term outcomes related to sobriety.
Holistic wellness like yoga, meditation, art therapy, acupuncture, etc., should not be bad either – but they shouldn’t be the central focus as they don’t have significant research backing them as best standards. When a facility pushes alternative methods over alternative recognized therapeutic methods with valid evidence behind them, that’s a red flag.
If someone in Tennessee is looking for comprehensive treatment options, this drug rehab in Memphis offers multiple levels of care with qualified staff who will determine what’s actually in a person’s best interest instead of just plugging them into a program.
Can They Manage Mental Health as Well
Often, people addicted also have mental health considerations like depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder – that’s known as dual diagnosis/co-occurring disorders. This is far more common than people just having addiction without any other factors involved.
Not all treatment centers can accommodate such conditions. Some rehab facilities only seek to get someone off drugs/alcohol and pay no mind to the depression that created the reliance to begin with – and that’s planning for failure. Others may assist with mild anxiety but don’t know what else to do for complicated psychiatric needs.
You need to ask: Do you offer integrated dual diagnosis treatment? What kinds of mental health professionals are onsite? Can you prescribe/manage psychiatric-related medications? Answers to this question will help clarify whether they’ve got you covered on all fronts.
Money Talks But No One Wants To Discuss It
No one wants to hear about how much treatment costs – but it does – this is part of why many people fail to seek help. Costs run anywhere from a few thousand for outpatient programs up to $30,000 plus for luxury inpatient facilities.
Most insurance covers addiction treatment thanks to the Affordable Care Act and Mental Health Parity Act – but even still, coverage varies greatly; some cover 30 days inpatient while others only pay for outpatient; deductibles and copays can still cost thousands out of pocket.
Before making a commitment call your insurance provider. Ask: What addiction treatment coverage do you have? Is there an inpatient day limit? Is preauthorization required? What’s my out-of-pocket expense? Get this in writing.
Many facilities have financial counselors onsite who can assist with billing/invoicing needs and some offer sliding scale fees based on income. There are also state-funded programs for uninsured people – but these often come with waiting lists.
What Happens After Treatment?
Many facilities fail in this area: What’s the plan when you’re done with your 30- or 60-day program? Recovery doesn’t stop once you walk out the door – it starts when you’re out – this should be part of discharge planning, so you’re set up for success.
Positive options include connecting you with outpatient services, recommending support groups or sober living arrangements should you need one, even alumni-related outreach groups which can help maintain accountability from peers from rehab who are now outside in the real world, trying to remain sober.
Ask up front what type of follow-up support do you provide? Are there alumni groups available? Do you have information that’s applicable to outside therapists/doctors? Centers that regard treatment as an ongoing process rather than finite results gain more positive outcomes post-treatment.
Trust Your Gut
Once you’ve established credibility through research and inquiries about practical matters – then get a sense about how you feel about the place. Does it seem right? Do staff care or do they just want to clock in/clock out? Is it safe?
Many places allow tours or private consultations before signing up – take advantage of this! Speak with someone from each department, see how they respond to questions about the place and its patients – recovery requires vulnerability and hard work – make sure it’s conducive from the very beginning.
Finding the right treatment center will take some doing and due diligence – but it matters. Not only does time in a center matter but potentially your life depends on the right choice because quality care, proper accreditation, correct level of care and devoted aftercare support lay the foundation for sustained sobriety long-term.
