Treatment Options
There are many different treatment options for people with substance use disorders. They range from counseling programs to long-term residential options. Click on the different types of treatment below to learn more:
- Private counseling/therapy
- 12-step groups
- Outpatient services
- Residential programs
- Methadone Maintenance/Buprenorphine
Looking at the list above, the absence of detoxification services is notable. Detoxification services are a precursor to treatment, but not treatment itself.
Figuring out the appropriate treatment program is a combination of art and science. Anyone who participates in an OASAS-licensed treatment program must participate in a level of care determination, which is a clinical procedure conducted by a treatment provider. This means that child welfare agencies, judges, attorneys, and others should not be mandating a particular type of treatment (ie: outpatient vs. residential). Instead, treatment can be required, with a licensed professional determining the correct option.
The basic rule of thumb is that clients should be placed in the least restrictive level of care that is clinically appropriate and will support sobriety and recovery. Services can be stepped up or down, as needed.
Figuring out the right “level of care” is only half the battle. The other essential component is determining the most appropriate option within that level of care.
Treatment programs are not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Instead, individuals need to be matched to appropriate treatment considering such factors as:
- Expected length of stay
- Extent of supervision and structure provided
- Focus on vocational skill development
- Knowledge of trauma issues
- Familiarity with mental health challenges
- Consideration of family and child issues
- Location
- Biomedical conditions and complications
- Emotional and behavioral conditions and complications
- Relapse potential
- The level of treatment acceptance or resistance
- Recovery environment
Click here to find treatment options in New York City. Click on New York State, and begin your search. To find out about more specific options (i.e., mother/child co-residential programs) click on “detailed search” in the navigation bar on the left.
And to find out some of the signs treatment providers look for to check if treatment services are working, click here.
