Our general outpatient program is a step down from our intensive outpatient program (IOP). Although the level of care is comparable to IOP, the frequency and duration are different.
Our outpatient treatment programs can be scheduled at your convenience throughout the week. This flexibility allows individuals to continue with their day-to-day schedules and responsibilities while checking in with our master’s level therapists, attending counseling sessions, and having a strong support network.
What to Expect From General Outpatient Treatment?
General outpatient treatment begins with an overall assessment of your condition to ensure you are a good candidate for the program. If you do not currently have a case manager, one will be assigned to you. Based on your assessment, you will receive a treatment plan incorporating counseling and behavioral therapies. These counseling and therapy sessions focus on helping you find the root causes of your addiction and/or mental health disorder and ways to cope with or overcome them for long-term sobriety and a healthier life.
At Turning Point Centers, we provide physician-directed treatment along a continuum of care. The role of the physician is to assess for any medical needs that should be included in the treatment, provide medically-assisted treatment interventions when necessary, monitor you during different phases of treatment, look out for any co-occurring disorders, and become a long-term source of assistance to maintain your recovery journey.
Types of Therapies Provided
General outpatient treatment provides a range of therapies to help individuals achieve prolonged recovery. These include:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – This psychological treatment focuses on identifying and changing maladaptive thinking patterns, beliefs, and perceptions that affect emotions, mood, and behavior. Numerous studies show that CBT is as effective as or more effective than other psychotherapy or psychiatric medications.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – This modified version of CBT aims to teach individuals how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate emotions and improve relationships with others. Unlike CBT, dialectical behavior therapy takes place in a group setting.
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-Informed Care – Individuals learn about the impact of trauma on their substance abuse and vice versa. It also focuses on recognizing and increasing resiliency, empowering oneself, learning to love oneself, asking for help, and taking good care of oneself.
Self-Care
Self-Care – This group therapy teaches individuals how to care for themselves physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. It emphasizes the importance of eating healthy, sleeping well, exercising regularly, maintaining mental health, and establishing healthy relationships.
Family Therapy
Family Therapy – We have discovered that family group sessions benefit both individuals in treatment and their loved ones. During family therapy sessions, relationships are improved, a safe environment for healing is created, and judgments are cast aside.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution – Individuals learn to effectively respond to powerful emotions, manage anger and conflict without violence, and see a different perspective. It helps individuals improve their communication, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills.
Psychotherapy Process Group
Psychotherapy Process Group – This group therapy helps individuals process their daily struggles, fears, worries, and anxieties through feedback from peers and therapists. These feedbacks help individuals in recovery increase their self-awareness, understand the world around them, and how to relate to others. The process, feedback, and awareness cycle are designed to aid individuals in identifying the changes required in their personal lives.
Psychoeducation and Life Skills
Psychoeducation and Life Skills – Individuals learn more about themselves, understand the reasons behind their actions, learn certain coping skills, and identify the changes necessary for a healthy recovery. They also learn skills that help them make amends with others, embrace change, improve communication skills, and create and maintain social networks.
Men and Women in Recovery
Men and Women in Recovery – This group therapy is designed to help men and women process gender-specific topics relating to stereotyping, sexism, racism, social stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. Some topics covered include perceptions of the socially accepted right and wrong behaviors for each gender, perceptions of strength, courage, and failure for different genders in different situations, sexuality and substance abuse, body image, and sexual identity.
Recovery Management
Recovery Management – Individuals learn skills conducive to long-term, successful recovery by addressing how to create an effective recovery management plan, including a sober schedule, creating a life with meaning and purpose, and identifying and coping effectively with internal and external triggers.
Recreational Therapy
Recreational Therapy – Also called recreation therapy, this therapy uses leisure or recreational activities such as art, music, meditation, mindfulness, and yoga to help individuals explore their feelings, increase self-awareness and uniquely express themselves.
Shame Resilience
Shame Resilience – This group therapy helps individuals recognize shame as a universal experience, understand where it comes from, and encourages them to be vulnerable and open in discussing their feelings to embrace their authentic selves. Some topics covered include understanding shame, reactions to shame and shame resiliency, practicing critical awareness, and defining vulnerability and authenticity.
Experiential Education
Experiential Education – This group therapy encourages learning based on doing. Individuals participate in activities that foster self-acceptance, identify individual strengths, challenge areas that need emotional growth, improve communication skills, develop a sense of belonging, and promote emotional wellness.
While engaging with individuals in the recovery process, we remember abstinence is not the final objective. In reality, abstinence is merely the first step in stabilizing the brain and initiating the healing process. Once stabilization is achieved, we support the individual in preventing a relapse.
Benefits of General Outpatient Treatment
There are many advantages to general outpatient treatment. The main advantage is that participants have more autonomy and freedom as they are only required to commit to less than 10 hours of treatment per week.
Other benefits of general outpatient treatment include:
- Participants can apply the skills learned during treatment in real time.
- Participants can continue to maintain their personal, professional, and academic life.
- Outpatient treatment provides access to support groups and social networks.
- General outpatient treatment costs less than day treatment and IOP.
The Ideal Candidate for General Outpatient Treatment
General outpatient treatment is usually recommended for individuals with the following:
- Mild to moderate addiction and/or mental health conditions that do not require supervision and care around the clock.
- A strong support system at home.
- Have the motivation and commitment to attend sessions regularly.
- Low risk of relapse or medical complications.
- Unable to commit to full-time treatment due to work, school, or home obligations.
What Happens After General Outpatient Treatment?
In most cases, individuals will be advised to follow an aftercare program after the successful completion of general outpatient treatment. All of our program grads are eligible for free lifetime aftercare at Turning Point Centers. Aftercare programs are custom-made to meet the unique needs of all participants and usually include follow-up therapy, medical evaluations, and support groups. We understand that staying sober requires active participation within the recovery community. We believe that a strong presence in the communities we serve is essential to maintaining a relationship with our graduates over the long term.
If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction or a co-occurring disorder, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our helpful staff. Our admissions advisers are delighted to spend as much time as you need answering your questions and helping you find the right treatment program. We are here to help you in any way we can.
