What is Residential Treatment?
Residential vs. Inpatient
Environment
The area that patients live in while attending a residential treatment center will often feel more like a home environment because residential treatment may last up to six months or more depending on the needs of the patient. Inpatient treatment facilities are often more similar to the conditions of a medical facility.
Focus
Inpatient treatment programs focus more on getting a patient through the initial stages of recovery, where residential treatment centers often focus on deeper forms of therapy and working on dealing with past trauma and other mental health issues that may be causing someone distress.
Long-Term Residential Treatment
Inpatient Treatment
Around the Clock Support
In cases of a more serious addiction, inpatient treatment may be a good idea so around the clock medical support and attention can be provided for complete recovery. Dealing with addiction isn’t easy, so it can be beneficial for someone struggling to have a consistent schedule and a good support system around them throughout the day.
Effective Treatment
Inpatient treatment has been shown to be effective and it is often more effective than outpatient treatment, where someone would visit a treatment center throughout the week but still be living at home. Having a steady supportive environment, like the one provided by an inpatient treatment center, is beneficial for creating more positive behavioral patterns and can help learn skills to cope with the stresses of everyday life.
Short-Term Residential Treatment
Does Staying in Rehab Longer Improve Recovery Chances?
Services Available in Residential Treatment
Detox
For drug or alcohol rehab, detox is often a necessary first step when undergoing recovery. Many drugs can create physical dependence, resulting in cravings and painful withdrawal effects. Withdrawal can be a tough process and it’s a good idea to have an around the clock medical staff present, which is available at residential treatment centers.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy can be beneficial in a treatment program for reshaping behavioral patterns to learn how to cope with the stress of everyday life without the use of substances. There may also be other underlying issues such as mental illness or past trauma that is causing an addiction. Therapy can help deal with those issues and give the resources necessary to continuously cope with those underlying issues more positively.
Group Therapy
Group therapy involves talking through issues involving addiction and other personal struggles in a group setting surrounded by individuals who are also struggling and may be able to relate. Group therapy can be beneficial in that it can make someone not feel like they’re the only one going through these problems or struggling with an addiction. It can help create a broader perspective that these things affect many people of all different backgrounds. It can also create a sense of community by being surrounded with people who can relate to what you’re going through and be able to help and support each other.
Family Therapy
At times, an addiction may be caused by issues going on in the home life. Other times, people may simply need family support during transitioning back home from the recovery program. For both these things, family therapy can be beneficial. Family members may struggle to understand what someone is going through when they are in recovery from addiction and family therapy can create a more supportive environment to talk these things through.
Psychosocial Education
Psychosocial education help teach people about their illness and explain how the treatment process will work. Family members or friends may also be involved and receive psychosocial education to ease tensions at home. This can also help them assist the recovery process by creating a more supportive environment.
Life Skills
When undergoing recovery, it will be important to learn life skills that help maintain sobriety once they transition back to everyday life. These may be things such as avoiding temptations, learning coping skills, and creating positive behavioral patterns.
Support Groups
Support groups are often used in residential treatment centers to create a sense of community. When going through rehab it is important for someone to know that they’re not alone and not be the only one who struggles. Meeting people who deal with similar things can help create a supportive environment and create a different perspective on how to look at addiction.
Planning to Prevent Relapse
Having a plan in place is very important as you transition back to normal life. This could be things like career goals, attending support groups, and creating plans for how someone will deal with temptations that may come up in day to day life.
Mental Health Facilities
Residential Mental Health Treatment
For someone living with serious mental health issues, a mental health facility may be a good environment in times of support. A mental health facility will provide a stable environment that will give a well-rounded mental health treatment program. This may involve individual therapy, group therapy, vocational or educational counseling, and treatment for co-occurring addictions.
Anxiety Treatment Centers
Anxiety treatment centers can be beneficial for those who deal with serious levels of anxiety that are affecting their day to day life. It can provide a consistent structure, support groups, and therapy to help learn the skills to cope with anxiety.
Inpatient Treatment for Depression
If someone is experiencing serious depressive symptoms it could be beneficial to get inpatient treatment for depression. Depression may cause suicidal thoughts or tendencies and, in these cases, having around the clock support can be important for safety. Inpatient treatment for depression can provide a support system, therapy, and the skills to cope with depression and other underlying traumas or issues.
