A person struggling with addiction or substance use disorders often finds it challenging to overcome this deeply ingrained lifestyle on their own. Outpatient treatment can help, but many patients put off seeking this care because they believe that a standard treatment plan will not work for their particular situation.
However, outpatient programs are built to address an individual’s specific challenges and needs, meaning anyone can be a great candidate for personalized care. In fact, programs that place a substantial focus on the needs of an individual see better success.
If you have been considering outpatient treatment for your substance use challenges, you can rest assured that high-quality teams will cater the program to your needs, giving you the greatest chance of long-term success.
Is Personalized Treatment Actually Impactful?
When considering the outcomes of various addiction treatments, studies show notable success in outpatient care. When patients received high-quality care attuned to their needs, between 50% and 70% maintained long-term abstinence.
Some intensive outpatient programs combine substance use treatment with care for co-occurring mental health difficulties, and the data show that patients are most successful when provided with personalized mental wellness skills that can serve their distinct perspectives for a lifetime, not just during treatment.
Because each person is unique, programs that can identify what works best for their specific habits, personality, and worldview have found that their success rates are higher over the long term, with fewer relapses.
How Outpatient Programs Adapt to Individual Needs
Those considering an outpatient program should choose one that offers highly personalized care. Some of the main avenues through which this is possible include:
Flexible scheduling
Outpatient programs are more accessible than in-patient care because they can be scheduled around a patient’s other obligations. However, truly personalized treatment means providing as many options as possible for patients to receive treatment while maintaining their normal routines.
This can include flexible scheduling for group or individual therapy, the option for online telehealth visits, recorded classes that can be accessed outside of the time slot that the live broadcast occurred, and more. This prevents those with more challenging schedules, such as night shifts, from receiving lower-quality care.
Treatment of comorbid conditions
More than 40% of people who struggle with substance use disorder have a comorbid (occurring at the same time) mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety. Personalized treatment addresses all facets of an individual, not just their addiction. An outpatient program can provide mental health care alongside an individual’s other treatments to target the particular blend of challenges contributing to substance use.
Therapy combinations
Not all people respond to the same types of treatment in the same way. While the majority find cognitive behavioral therapy beneficial, some also work well with a combination of approaches. This might include group therapy, individual therapy, dialectical therapy, or something else. Personalized treatment means finding the approach that works for the patient, not forcing them to participate in endeavors that provide no benefit.
Monitoring and check-ins
The same patients who benefit most from flexible scheduling in an outpatient program also deserve that same adaptability in their support systems. Allowing patients to check in on their own schedule or providing monitoring options customized to their lifestyles and habits increases the success of an outpatient program.
Targeted resources
When the professionals in an outpatient program create a strategy for an individual, it is common for them to provide blanket recommendations for certain community resources, such as educational groups related to substance use. However, truly personalized care supplements these recommendations with targeted directions that can help that specific person.
For instance, a participant may be struggling with substance use as a result of their history as a victim of domestic violence. Personalized care strategies would recommend a local supportive environment targeted toward those needs.
Similarly, those with food insecurity can be directed to community food banks, patients with housing difficulties can receive care from subsidized housing organizations, and so on.
Get Personalized Outpatient Treatment from Caring Professionals
Outpatient programs have a notable success rate, but these numbers increase when patients are able to receive care that is personalized to their needs, situations, and challenges. When selecting a program, choose one whose team is dedicated to providing care that caters to your circumstances.
The professionals at Aquila Recovery Clinic in Washington DC offer outpatient treatment that is supplemented with a customized strategy targeted to your needs. Contact Aquila Recovery Clinic to sign up for outpatient treatment!