How Do I Choose a Rehab Center for Addiction?
There are many factors that you need to take into consideration in choosing an addiction rehab center. Addiction is a serious condition that you usually need help with to overcome. It causes issues with every part of your life from family relationships to work and other parts of your life. What do you need to look for when looking at a rehab center?
There are many great centers in Texas and in the Austin area. One such place is Willow Springs Recovery Addiction Recovery near Austin. This is one of the best ones in the state that follows the suggestions below.
Decide Your Rehab Goals
What are your goals for rehab? Which substance or substances do you want to recover from? Do you have other issues, or medical or mental conditions that also need to be dealt with? These are all issues that you need to think about when choosing your rehab center.
Another thing to think of when choosing a center is how much time you think you may need to stay there. What time period do you think it will take you to recover? Here are some more ideas for goals for you and your treatment: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/addiction-choosing-rehab. There are thirty-day treatments, sixty-day, six months, a year and more for you to choose from when thinking about treatment. It is up to you and your family to decide, no one else can make that decision for you.
Accreditation, Licensing and Certification
Make a list of centers that you might want to investigate depending on your needs. Narrow this list down by looking at the center’s credentials – are they accredited? Do they have the proper licensing or certification to do the job that you expect them to do? You can search The Joint Commission or Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities to see if the center has the proper credentials. See here for the site for The Joint Commission. Both of these are independent organizations that base accreditation on factors such as industry performance standards, results, quality, and value. Accreditation and licensing are different since every state has different licensing requirements, so check both before you choose your center.
Staff Credentials and Licensing
Even more important than the center having the proper credentials, you need to see if the clinical staff has the correct licensing and other credentials. You want to make sure that they have the training and experience to be able to help you. Some of the people that may in the center to help you are Certified Addiction Counselors, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors, Certified Co-occurring Disorders Counselors, and Licensed Professional Counselors are just a few of them. Make sure these people have the proper licenses and certificates to show that they have the training to help you.
Multidisciplinary Treatment Team
Another thing to look at as you choose your rehab center is whether they have a multidisciplinary treatment team to help you out. The center needs to help with your mind, your body, and your spirit to do an effective job helping you to recover. Some of the people that should be on that team are chemical disorder counselors, medical doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, nutritionists, wellness specialists, and spiritual care counselors. They do not all have to be on the team, but the more that are on the team, the better for your recovery.
Evidence-Based Practices
Make sure that the center has treatment models that are based on scientifically proven and evidence-based practices. Some of these practices include Cognitive Based Therapy, Twelve-Step Facilitation, and Medication-assisted Therapy. There are more, just be sure that they are evidence-based to ensure that you are getting the best treatment.
Mental Health Services
Usually, people who are addicted to substances also have co-occurring mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. If you have these co-occurring conditions, it is best if you receive treatment for those, as well. If those conditions are not treated, it will be more difficult for you to recover from your addiction. If the center does not have these services available to you, ask them how you will be treated for those conditions.
Treatment Success Rate
Be wary of rehab centers that claim to have the “cure” for your addiction or that they have a one hundred percent success rate. These claims are usually not based on science-based or based on true data. Look for reviews printed in science-based studies or published in peer-reviewed journals.
Insurance
Make sure the center you are choosing will accept your insurance and in-network for you. Treatment can be expensive so you want to be sure that your insurance will cover your treatment. It is not good enough for a center to say that they are working with your insurance company, they need to be in-network. This also means that the center has passed insurance standards and will be a better center for your treatment.
Medical Detox or Medication-assisted Therapy
You can have medical detoxification services provided at a hospital before you go to a rehab center, but it is better to do that at the center so that you can begin rehabilitation at the same time. You need to be carefully monitored by doctors and nurses who are know how to ease the pains and discomforts of substance withdrawal and reduce the related cravings.
Specialized Programs
You need to make sure that the treatment you will receive is individualized for you and your addiction. Treatment can be tailored to be gender specific, age specific, or other specific populations. These factors can affect the success of your treatment and need to be individualized for you.
Rehabilitation Program Length
Your treatment length should be based on your recovery progress rather than a specified timeframe. Your specialists can give you an estimate of the time it may take to recover, but if you are not progressing as you should, the time can be lengthened. Recovery is different for each person and should not be based on a certain number of days or months.
Post-Treatment Recovery Support
What kind of support will you receive after your treatment? If there is no support afterwards, you need to investigate a different center. If you do not have that support, there is a bigger chance of a relapse. There is a variety of diverse ways you can be supported, such as remote coaching, apps that can support you, care groups, and other resources.
These are all important things that you need to look for in finding the best rehab center for your recovery, only you and your family can choose the right one for you.