Recovery and healing require a lot of time and effort. However, for some clients, taking weeks or months away from their daily lives and routines is not possible. Fortunately, options for clients who cannot take time off are out there, and full recovery is still possible. Sometimes clients believe that because they cannot enter residential treatment their hope for recovery is lost. This is not true in the least.
At First Steps Recovery, there are several treatment plans available for clients that accommodate various lifestyles. While clients are encouraged to pursue residential treatment, it is understood that this is not a viable choice for everyone. Providing options for clients who cannot take time away from their work, families, or other responsibilities is important for the staff at First Steps Recovery.
Treatment Plan Options for Clients
To meet clients where they are, First Steps Recovery offers multiple treatment plans. The first program, which is recommended for most clients, is the medical detoxification, or detox, program. This program lasts for at least a week and helps clients detox their physical bodies from addictive substances. After detoxification, clients are encouraged to participate in specific treatment programs that include therapies for clients that promote ongoing sobriety and well-being. These programs are:
- Residential care
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
- Alumni support
- Veterans and first responders program
Within these programs, clients are exposed to a number of different therapies ranging from clinical to holistic. Clinical therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and individual and group counseling, among others. For holistic care, clients can engage in art, music, and yoga therapies among many others.
It is important for clients to understand that recovery is not linear and does not look the same for every single person. Everyone is unique, living in unique situations, and has specific requirements for both their disorders and livelihoods. There are options for clients from the first step of recovery to beyond the walls of First Steps Recovery.
Options for Clients: More About Outpatient Services
For those who are seeking recovery but are unable to take leave from work, outpatient services provide a viable option. The IOP at First Steps Recovery allows clients to attend treatment while continuing to live at home. This arrangement is ideal for clients who must remain working while in recovery and/or have children and other family responsibilities. Ideally, though, outpatient services are recommended mostly for clients who have a shorter history of substance abuse as well as those who are not coping with co-occurring disorders.
At First Steps Recovery, the IOP lasts for at least 60 days and includes the following:
- Psychological assessments
- Psychoeducation
- Individual counseling
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
- Case management
- Safe and sober transport
- Access to holistic services
Navigating Work Life While in an Outpatient Program
When recovery services are offered in an outpatient setting, this allows clients to continue working while recovering. However, it is important to remember that there can be challenges in the workplace during recovery. This can include self-isolation or facing stigma. It can also include peer pressure to partake in addictive activities. Still, finding support in the workplace can be a significant part of finding success with continued recovery. Having open communication with a trusted employer is important. One’s employer may help minimize difficulties related to working conditions and facilitate a positive, supportive work culture.
Supportive social relationships in the workplace can also help clients maintain a positive connection to their work. Sometimes recovery can be overwhelming and tasking on a mental, emotional, and physical level. When one’s workplace causes additional feelings of stress, this can be counterproductive and even extend the duration of outpatient treatment. It is important for clients to create a positive environment and be honest with coworkers close to them at work in order to feel supported.
Often clients find that work obligations and recovery responsibilities interfere with each other. However, it is important to remember that recovery should be a priority. What’s more, prioritizing one’s mental and emotional well-being first makes other life responsibilities or deadlines easier to accomplish. Outpatient programs provide clients with much more flexibility and help them take control of both their treatment as well as their daily routines.
Using Skills From Outpatient Programs in Daily Life
Ultimately, leading a self-directed life is a key component of recovery. This ability to be self-directed can be learned during outpatient programs. While in this type of program, clients have a chance to organize their lives in a way that prioritizes their mental health, physical health, financial lives, social lives, and more.
Placing priority on these elements of life promotes overall well-being and allows clients to fully embrace the present moment in a positive, nonjudgmental way. Clients learn more about themselves in the workplace through recovery and learn to live a sober life in an exciting, progressive way.
Here at First Steps Recovery, clients are provided with options for treatment plans. Some clients do not require the same level of care and supervision due to the severity of their addiction or mental health disorder. However, some clients need options because they cannot take time away from work or their home lives. Regardless of the situation, options for clients include intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) where clients actively engage in recovery while still tending to their daily needs. Outpatient programs teach clients how to lead self-directed, sober lives through a supported and guided model. Clients learn how to navigate recovery while receiving treatment, preparing to take on their lives with full confidence. For more information, please call (844) 489-0836.
Dr. Curl is the Medical Director and primary on-site provider for First Steps Recovery. He is a Board Certified Internist and Addiction Medicine Specialist having attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completing his residency at Mount Auburn Hospital with Harvard Medical School. Following several years work as an internist and physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation). Dr. Curl completed the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Howard University in Washington DC and participated as a RAM Scholar (Research in Addiction Medicine). While part of the fellowship, Dr. Curl pursued research investigating the barriers to expanding and improving medication for opioid use disorder. Following his fellowship, Dr. Curl spearheaded the Opiate Use Disorder outpatient clinic and worked in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the Howard University Hospital. In 2023, Dr. Curl completed his Board Certification in Addiction Medicine.
