What is the treatment for addiction, also known as substance use disorder (SUD)? How do I know what’s right for me or my loved one? What do all these acronyms mean? What options are available at Fora Health?
It’s easy for misinformation and misunderstanding to be infused with our ideas of what treatment is. It’s also easy to feel lost when first learning about your options.
We wanted to give you a little insight and lift the curtain because treatment for Substance Use Disorder (addiction) has many levels of care and options to meet patients exactly where they are and support their next step in their recovery journey!
This is part two in a series that reviews different types of treatment and how we approach it at Fora Health. If you haven’t already, check out our first part here on inpatient/residential treatment.
Let’s dive into Outpatient Treatment
Our outpatient program has similar treatment elements as our residential inpatient program but offers flexibility so patients can remain living in their home during their treatment.
Our outpatient program is trauma-informed and evidence-based. This means everyone will find compassionate care while acquiring the tools for growth and change that are proven to be effective. The length of an outpatient treatment plan is determined by the individual and their counselor working together to identify and meet personal recovery goals. All treatment plans include detailed after-care plans for continued health and support once someone is ready to end structured treatment. The treatment plan includes regular one-on-one therapy sessions with an accredited substance use (or dual diagnosis) counselor, as well as any recommendations for group sessions. A dual-diagnosis counselor is trained to help those who have simultaneous health and substance use disorders. Typical duration is anywhere from 3 to 6 months, but it varies from person to person and is based on their progress in meeting their individual treatment goals.
On average, patients receiving Outpatient Services meet with their primary counselor once or twice a month. Each patient’s treatment plans are highly individualized, so the frequency of counseling sessions varies from person to person. Sessions themselves are typically around 50 minutes to an hour. Patients may also reduce or increase the frequency of sessions as their needs change during treatment.
Individuals enrolled in outpatient services at Fora Health are invited to explore our dynamic Peer Recovery Mentors (also known as Certified Recovery Mentors) and Family Therapy Services. These specialty programs can help Fora Health patients find a greater connection to community support and to their loved ones. Peer Mentors are trained professionals with lived experience in recovery who help patients with access to community resources, to develop life skills, and model healthy lifestyles. Family counseling recognizes that substance use disorder affects the whole family. Our Family Therapy service offerings are unique to our region and help individuals and their loved ones, or chosen support networks, build healthy relationships to nurture long-term recovery.
There’s an extensive list of ways we can additionally support patients. We connect them with housing resources, smoking cessation resources, gambling and recovery services, childcare resources, food boxes, and find ways to secure consistent transportation and employment, in addition to so much more.
Creating community is also a large part of outpatient offerings in the form of peer-led meetings, alumni groups group activities like yoga and meditation, 12-step/Refugee Recovery/SMART recovery/gender-specific meetings, and more!
Outpatient provides long-term and comprehensive support to patients in recovery so they can have fulfilling, independent, and substance-free lives while also building a strong circle of relationships and support around themselves.
Outpatient treatment is available at both our SE Portland and Hillsboro locations. We also offer expanded hours and limited telehealth options to provide support for busy schedules. Therapy hours for groups and individuals are generally from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Currently we do not offer Intensive Outpatient (IOP) services. IOP services allow patients to receive at least 9 hours of sessions per week.
For more information about outpatient and if you’d like to inquire about enrolling, go here.
Next in our series delving into the specifics of care at Fora Health, we’ll discuss withdrawal management. Stay tuned!