Understanding Your Outpatient Treatment Options

Understanding your addiction and recovery treatment options will make you feel ready to take that step toward a better life. Within mental health and addiction treatment, there are inpatient and outpatient programs. Inpatient treatment involves residing at a facility while undergoing care. This allows the client to receive 24/7 care and supervision as they detox and establish sobriety. Next, outpatient treatment allows a client to live at home while they participate in treatment. Moreover, it is important to understand your outpatient treatment options and pick what works best for your life and your health. West Coast Recovery Centers offers outpatient care, allowing clients to keep up with their daily responsibilities while tending to their overall well-being.

Within outpatient treatment, there are general outpatient programs, intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), and partial hospitalization programs (PHPs). The latter two are longer-term intensive programs that consist of daily therapeutic classes. Overall, outpatient treatment helps give people the skills they need while also actively allowing them to integrate these skills into their own lives outside of treatment. 

Inpatient vs Outpatient Treatment Options: What Is the Difference?

There are many different forms of treatment available for mental health and addiction. When you first get into treatment for addiction, you may need something called detoxification (detox). Detox helps you safely come off of substance and navigate the symptoms of withdrawal. It is important to note that detox is not treatment; rather, it is typically the first step that an individual will take before they enter a treatment program. From detox, some people may go to stay in inpatient treatment centers. Inpatient treatment includes both short-term stay facilities that help in emergency settings as well as residential treatment programs. Residential treatment programs can vary in length, though they require clients to reside in a treatment environment. Both of these options require the patient to stay away from home and participate in highly structured and intensive care.

Meanwhile, when you participate in outpatient treatment, you will return home after receiving the treatment each day. This treatment is a more flexible form of treatment, which can be more accessible to different clients. Outpatient allows you to learn the skills that help you get sober and put them into practice when you go home. It is also more accessible for clients to work into their lives, as it does not require intensive commitment like inpatient care. Furthermore, understanding different outpatient options will help you know what to expect as you begin your recovery journey.

Your Outpatient Treatment Options

The most basic level of outpatient treatment is a general outpatient program. This level of treatment allows clients to schedule treatment as it fits their own needs. During treatment sessions, clients will engage with their clinicians through the use of a wide range of therapeutic approaches. In general, sessions will teach clients what they need to do between sessions in their daily lives for effective stress management and sobriety. General outpatient programs are also helpful for continuing care after a client completes a higher level of care. Oftentimes, people will transition through different levels of care as they go through their recovery journey. 

The other level of outpatient treatment is intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), where clients come to the clinic or hospital for a few hours to participate in therapeutic modalities. Within intensive outpatient, clients can engage in therapeutic classes, group therapy, family therapy, and more. This type of treatment can also be more intensive for people who need help transitioning to lower levels of care. Intensive outpatient requires a higher level of commitment from clients. 

Finally, PHPs offer the highest structure and most intensive form of care. They require a more intense time commitment compared to general outpatient and IOPs and are often the recommended treatment option for those experiencing severe symptoms of substance use disorder (SUD) or mental health disorders in their daily lives. 

Outpatient treatment allows you to bridge the gap in care, and work constantly toward recovery. Once you have achieved sobriety, the main goal is preventing relapse. While relapse can be a part of recovery, learning the skills that will help you through these feelings is integral. Outpatient care is an effective way to reinforce the skills in your life to stay in recovery. 

Path to Recovery

When you are dealing with addiction recovery, it is important to find the treatment that will help you throughout your journey. Recovery is a journey, not a destination, and the skills that you learn that help you stay healthy are the best ways to stay on this path. Even if your treatment starts with a higher level of care, outpatient care can help to connect your life between inpatient care and going home.

Planning for your life after treatment is what will set you up for success on the path of recovery. West Coast Recovery Centers offers discharge planning to start the transition between levels of treatment. This planning allows us to set goals, give clients resources, and connect them to providers to keep seeing once home. Creating a plan helps to set people up for long-term recovery and success. Outpatient treatment helps to connect the gap between more intensive care and independent, healthy living.

There are a lot of different forms of treatment available for addiction treatment. When people think of sobriety, they often think of inpatient facilities for treatment. It is important to note that outpatient treatments can also be effective for healing and recovery.Oftentimes outpatient treatment can teach the skills that make a difference in people's day-to-day. Outpatient care can make a difference in our client's lives by connecting them to the resources that they need. It is more accessible and can create healthy skills in our clients. If you are interested in learning more about our outpatient treatment options, we can help. Get in contact with West Coast Recovery Centers today at (760) 492-6509 for more.