Mental health articles

Intensive Outpatient Treatment and Inpatient Rehabilitation If the various on-campus treatment alternatives don’t address a student’s diffi culties, the next options are IOPs and inpatient rehabilitation programs. Inpatient rehabilitation usually entails a 4- to 6-week stay at an alcoholism or drug addiction facility and includes concentrated individual and group treatment, family therapy, AA attendance, and psychoeducation. The usual followup is a step-down treatment, which may range from placement in a halfway house to individual weekly therapy. Inpatient work is effi cient treatment, a full immersion into recovery without outside distractions. Because insurance coverage for inpatient programs may be lacking, a good alternative is IOPs, which typically take place for 3 or 4 hours, three or four nights per week, and once again feature group and individual work, exposure to AA, and education. Whereas inpatient rehabilitation usually requires taking time off from school, IOP participation may be possible with a reduced courseload. IOPs exist even in small cities and are generally not hard to fi nd. Inpatient rehabilitation centers, however, are generally found in larger cities. Some of the nationally well-known facilities, such as the Hazelden Foundation, the Betty Ford Center, Sierra Tucson, and the Caron Foundation, can serve as excellent resources. Th e Association of Recovery Schools and the Center for College Alcohol Recovery are two additional resources that can help identify treatment programs appropriate for college students (see the website of Substance Abuse Recovery on College Campuses, at http://www.sarcc.com). Generally it is a good idea to investigate and have advance knowledge of these programs. Th e most helpful method is to call the agency and ask directly about intake, fees, and strategies for integrating college students into its program. Contacting the agency can give a good feel for what a student’s experience will be like. Another strategy is to interview students in recovery and ask about
their experiences in various treatment facilities.

Tags: treatment