One of the great things about addiction treatment is there are enough treatment options to meet the needs of most any client regardless of their personal circumstance. While residential (inpatient) is the predominant option of choice for clients with a significant addiction problem, there are outpatient programs available for clients who don’t need or can’t commit to inpatient care. You might wonder under what circumstances someone might be able to get the treatment they need on an outpatient basis. Here’s a few of the common reasons clients will get placed in an outpatient program:

• Addiction issues don’t warrant the most restrictive levels of care
• The client lacks the financial resources to pay for inpatient care
• The client has work or school related responsibilities that make inpatient care too restrictive
• The client has child care responsibilities that cannot be abdicated elsewhere
• The client is the family’s primary breadwinner

At this point, it might be useful for you to understand a little bit about outpatient care before you get to rehab. There are in fact three levels of outpatient care, which includes:

• Partial hospitalization
• Intensive outpatient
• primary outpatient

Now would be a good time to discuss details about outpatient care.

About Outpatient Treatment

When you submit yourself to rehab, you will go through an intake process. The objective of the process is to gather information about the circumstances surrounding your addiction. The information will ultimately aid rehab administrators as they determine the proper course of treatment for you. There will be certain mitigating factors that will determine what level of outpatient care you will need. Partial hospitalization is by far the most restrictive level. In such a program, the client might spend as much as 8 hours a day in the rehab facility for as many as 7 days a week. We’ll assume you would be better suited for an intensive outpatient program (IOP). Generally, you could expect to spend as much as 3 to 5 hours a day in the rehab facility. Additionally, you could expect to have to report for treatment 3 to 5 days a week. Your actual treatment schedule will depend on your circumstance. The good news is the rehab facility will typically have enough flexibility that they can tailor your treatment schedule around your responsibilities at home or work.

How Long Does an IOP Addiction Program Last?

Here’s what you have to remember. Regardless of what schedule you and your counselors agree to, it’s your responsibility to follow the rules and show up on time. If you can do that, the length of your IOP addiction treatment program might run as long as a couple of months. At some point, it’s even possible that you might be able to move down a level of treatment and have your schedule cutback to a couple of days a week for a couple hours a day. If you don’t follow the rules, your treatment will continue as long as necessary. It’s also possible your counselor(s) will request you go into residential treatment if they feel your program as an outpatient client isn’t going well. Your personal welfare is everyone’s primary concern. They will push you to succeed in treatment because it’s the only way you are going to find recovery.

What to Expect During Intensive Outpatient Treatment

During your time in the rehab facility, you will be concentrating on therapy. You can expect that a lot of your time will be spent in intensive individual therapy sessions. This will be the core of your treatment. The expectation is you will learn the truth about your addiction, which should lead you to the development of better coping skills to help you avoid relapses in the future. If time permits, you might also get the opportunity to participate in family and group therapy sessions. It’s important that you have a chance to build support resources from among your family, friends and other people going through the recovery process. Remember this: your success in treatment will depend a lot on your commitment to the process and your willingness to be open and honest. Your first objective is to get yourself in the door of our rehab facility. From there, we’ll help you decide on the best course of treatment. We’ll commit to building a treatment program that meets your needs. For more information about our services, you can call us at 833-338-6946.