Treatment Philosophy

The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) treats the adolescent ages 13 through 18, who are involved in the various stages of alcohol and/or drug use. The treatment received in IOP is designed to help the adolescent explore their ideas, perceptions, and understandings of the drug(s) that they were using. Whether the adolescent is a recreational drug and/or alcohol user or truly addicted, we believe that it is crucial for parents to be involved in treatment in order to initiate and sustain any changes in the adolescent’s recovery. IOP provides the adolescent’s parent(s) an opportunity to receive education on the issues that brought their child into treatment.

Treatment in the Intensive Outpatient Program is designed to help the adolescent and their family to explore and address the issues that precipitated the admission: e.g., problems at home, problems at school, problems with peers, problems at work or problems with the legal system.

Treatment Approach

The initial step is the completion of a thorough assessment, which is designed to explore and address the adolescent’s presenting treatment issues. The initial goal of treatment is abstinence. Our primary method of treatment is group therapy. Our focus is not to label the adolescent as an addict or an alcoholic, but rather to provide an opportunity for the adolescents to develop their understanding of how their use of alcohol and/or drug(s) has impacted their lives. It has been our experience that many adolescents will leave treatment verbalizing that they see themselves as an addict or alcoholic.

Twelve-step recovery is an integral part of IOP. The adolescents are expected to attend weekly 12-step meetings and are involved on a weekly basis with 12-step volunteers as they participate in the Bridging the Gap Group. Many adolescents will explore the need for obtaining a sponsor from 12-step meetings.

Education is another integral part of the recovery process. In IOP, the adolescent will receive education on such topics as: abuse vs. addiction, cost of use, denial, relapse, cravings, drugs of choice, steps, sponsorship, values, priorities, coping skills, etc. In the Family Education Program, the adolescent and his or her family will receive education on: disease process, family disease model, denial, enabling, detachment, spirituality, communication, relapse and drugs of abuse.

Treatment Goals and Objectives

• To educate regarding the disease process of chemical dependency
• To examine the negative consequences associated with the abuse of alcohol and/or drugs
• To identify and develop healthy lifestyle options to replace the “people, places, and things” associated with the alcohol and/or drug use
• To develop a new support network of friends through attendance at 12-step meetings
• To promote new ways of family members relating to one another and improving communication within the family system
• To partner with the referring person, professional, doctor, school, agency or program

There is no fee for the assessment. A urine drug screen is completed at the time of the assessment and the fee for that is payable at the time that services are rendered.

For more information about this program, or to schedule an assessment, please call (312) 563-2500.