Outpatient level care is often the last step in the addiction recovery journey. Once an individual completes their time as a residential inpatient, they become an outpatient and continue to attend therapy sessions through the center. Findlay Recovery Center is on hand to support individuals as they begin to move on and reintegrate into their local community.
What Is An Intensive Outpatient Program?
An intensive outpatient program typically refers to the final stage of a residential program post-detox or partial hospitalization. Someone in an intensive outpatient program may live in the center’s living quarters but with significantly reduced medical visits. They may cook, clean, and generally care for themselves as an outpatient, but might have nutritional, medical, and emotional support on hand from the center. An outpatient will usually have left the residential setting provided by the center and be living in either transitional housing or their own home.
A Guided Transition
Continuing to provide support during the transition from inpatient to outpatient is essential for preventing relapse. Although a person might leave the residential center, they will still have therapy sessions with their primary therapist and attend group sessions up to three times a week. Maintaining this initial level of support can help guide the client from a more monitored environment to an independent setting. An outpatient may feel daunted at resuming their lives after inpatient treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. Regular therapy and outpatient care can help provide support and reassurance at a critical stage of their recovery.
A Scaled-Back Approach
As the individual becomes more confident in their recovery journey and starts to approach the end of their treatment, outpatient care becomes more scaled back over time. This ‘step-down’ approach gently reduces sessions from once a week to once a fortnight and eventually, once a month or less. The person might change from in-person therapy to teletherapy as they take on a more active role in the community.
Everyone Is Different
No two individuals will require the same outpatient care, which is why treatment plans are tailored to each recovery program. Individuals seeking addiction recovery will have their own treatment needs, requiring a unique approach to post-inpatient care.
The level of outpatient care could depend on:
- The severity of the original addiction
- Any co-occurring mental or physical health conditions that can impact recovery
- The individual’s home living situation
The center and therapist will discuss the level of outpatient care with each client before they begin the transition to life outside of the facility.
Support In Adjusting To Normal Life
It could be challenging for someone undergoing inpatient treatment for alcohol or drug addiction to explain or relate to people in their everyday lives – even close friends or loved ones. Outpatient level care ensures that the client has ongoing support and understanding to avoid relapse and adjust to life in an everyday setting.
Do you want to find out more about outpatient level care and how it can help in recovery? Speak to our experts at the Findlay Recovery Center for comprehensive advice on outpatient care in Ohio.