Initial Consultation and Evaluation

The initial consultation is a comprehensive assessment with feedback and recommendations. This service is available to clients wanting an expert evaluation of their substance use and related problems, whether or not they are ready to enter formal treatment here or elsewhere. The assessment covers a wide range issues: substance use, other addictive behaviors, level of psychosocial functioning, psychiatric and psychological problems, motivation and readiness for change, obstacles to change, and available social supports. Based on the assessment, we work collaboratively with clients to develop an understanding of how their problem has developed over time, the functional role that substance use and other addictive behaviors play in their lives, the pros and cons of changing versus not changing, and the “triggers” and “high-risk situations” that initiate and maintain these behaviors. The evaluation culminates with objective feedback and a discussion of treatment options.

Brief Motivational Therapy

Following from the initial assessment, we offer individuals who are not ready to enter formal treatment the option of brief motivational therapy to broaden their perspective on their substance use and enhance their motivation for change. This brief intervention offers a starting point for clients in the pre-treatment or “contemplation” stage who are still questioning the severity of their substance use and vacillating about the need for change, but are nonetheless willing to examine these issues more intensely and receive non-confrontational feedback. Clients are seen individually once every two weeks to review the specifics of their substance use, consequences, and related issues, and identify reasons for change. For clients receiving outside psychotherapy and/or medication, this brief intervention provides useful feedback to the outside practitioner regarding the client’s substance-related issues that may be hampering their ongoing psychotherapy and/or medication management.

General Information

Types of Services.  Treatment services include individual and group therapy. Family and couples treatment are also available.  Services can be provided alone or in combination to increase the intensity of treatment and/or address special needs. Most services are available on weekday afternoons/evenings and some on Saturdays to minimize interference with work and other responsibilities.

Frequency of Sessions.  How often a client comes here for treatment sessions is based on information gathered during the initial evaluation and what seems to be most appropriate and desirable. For example, some clients come here once or twice a week for individual sessions, others come here for group sessions, while still others come here for both individual and group sessions.  In addition, some clients receive couples therapy to resolve marital conflict and improve communication.  Family members are encouraged to attend the Family Group, held on Saturdays, and can also receive individual therapy for themselves.

Length of Treatment.  Treatment may last several weeks, several months, or sometimes longer— depending on the nature of problems to be addressed and the client’s desired goals. All treatment plans are individualized, not boilerplate. We fit the treatment to the client, not vice versa.

Coordination with Outside Practitioners. Clients already receiving outside therapy and/or medication can continue to work with their psychotherapist and/or psychiatrist while participating in treatment here.  We will gladly coordinate the services we provide with outside practitioners. Our clients typically find that the progress they make here in overcoming substance use and related problems enhances the effectiveness of their outside therapy and/or medication.

Referral for Medication.  We refer clients, when needed, to physicians who can prescribe appropriate medication to ease withdrawal discomfort, reduce relapse potential, and/or treat psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. Some of these physicians are also licensed to prescribe Suboxone or Subutex (buprenorphine) to facilitate withdrawal from painkillers and other opioids and to prevent relapse.

Referral for Inpatient Care.  Through our collaborative relationship with premier inpatient facilities we can readily refer clients, when needed, to inpatient programs and provide structured aftercare upon discharge to insure continuity.

Drug Testing. For clients needing additional help in maintaining abstinence, we offer onsite drug testing as a supplementary treatment tool.  Drug testing is not provided as a stand-alone service, but only to clients actively involved in treatment here. We utilize this tool solely on a voluntary basis with the client’s permission and for clinical purposes only. We do not make test results available to outside persons or agencies and we never use drug testing as a disciplinary measure to impose consequences on our clients.

Self-Help.  We strongly encourage and support our patients’ involvement in AA and other 12-step programs and routinely provide interested newcomers with “mentors” to help them get started on the road to recovery.  We recognize, however, that 12-step programs are not for everyone and that AA is not the one and only pathway to recovery.  Accordingly, we do not make attendance at self-help meetings a requirement for receiving our professional help.

Specific Treatment Services

Phase 1:  Intensive Groups

Held on Saturday afternoons to minimize interference with work and other responsibilities, Phase 1 Groups (3 hrs) are designed to enhance motivation for change, improve coping skills, and help clients break free of substance use and other compulsive behaviors. Available family members are encouraged to attend the Family Group (see below), also held on Saturdays.  Clients in this phase attend two 90-min groups every Saturday afternoon for 12 weeks or longer. One group session is topic-oriented, designed to provide education about issues relevant to early stage recovery. The other group is process-oriented, designed to enhance coping skills and help group members deal more effectively with personal struggles. Groups can be supplemented, as needed, with individual and/or couples therapy sessions.

Phase 2: Relapse Prevention (Aftercare) Groups

These weekly groups (90 min) are for clients who have achieved stability through participation in Phase 1 Intensive Groups and/or completed other inpatient or outpatient treatment programs. The focus of these groups is on learning how to utilize relapse prevention strategies, enhancing emotional and behavioral coping skills, and facilitating changes needed to improve overall functioning and achieve greater life satisfaction. Groups are held on Saturdays or on weekday afternoons or evenings. Groups can be supplemented, as needed, with individual and/or couples therapy.

Phase 3:  Advanced Groups

These weekly groups (90 min) provide recovery-oriented group psychotherapy for individuals in stable recovery for 6 months or longer who want to solidify their therapeutic gains and work through issues underlying substance use and other compulsive behaviors to facilitate recovery over the long term. These groups are scheduled during weekday afternoons or evenings and can be supplemented, as needed, with individual and/or couples therapy.

Healthcare Professionals Groups

Designed for physicians and other healthcare professionals, these weekly groups (90 min) are sensitive to the unique personal, professional, workplace, and confidentiality issues faced by medical caregivers grappling with their own substance use and related problems.

Family Groups

These groups (90 min) provide education, support, and positive guidance for family members affected by a loved one’s substance use, whether or not the substance-using person is currently involved in treatment here or elsewhere. Family members learn how to refrain from negative interactions with their loved one and utilize strategies more likely to motivate and encourage change. The Family Group meets once per week on Saturdays and can be supplemented, as needed, with individual therapy for the family member and/or couples therapy.

Women’s Group

These weekly groups (90 min), led by female therapists, provide a safe, sensitive, and supportive environment in which female clients can address issues of self-esteem, sexuality, body image, relationships, self-care, etc. These groups provide women in recovery with a unique opportunity to solidify therapeutic gains and prevent relapse over the long term. Participation in this group can be supplemented with individual and/or couples therapy.

Individual Therapy

Individual sessions are offered to clients in all stages of treatment either alone or in combination with participation in any of the above groups. Individual therapy is also available to family members. The frequency of sessions is tailored according to each client’s needs.

Couples Therapy

Couples sessions are offered to clients in all stages of treatment either alone or in combination with participation in any of the services listed above.  The frequency of sessions is tailored according to each client’s needs.