For Professional Referents
Thanks for thinking of Full Life to support your patient in aftercare or to help your client avoid a need for residential treatment. We value our professional partnerships with residential programs and our fellow outpatient addiction specialists, so we want you to have clear and accurate information about what we’ll cover in IOP and who is/isn’t appropriate for referral.
Key Content Areas:
Rehab Review Psychoed – just one topic per week, but striving to reinforce the most important themes
Denial and Other Defense Mechanisms that Threaten Recovery; Lifestyle Changes for Successful Recovery; Understanding, Tolerating and Living Through Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome; Craving vs. Obsession – Understanding the Difference and Living Through Both for Successful Recovery; Recovery Community Culture; Family Stressors in Early Sobriety/Abstinence; Getting the Most Out of Sponsorship; The Three Essentials – Honesty, Openmindedness and Willingness; Process Addictions; Self-Disclosure Nuances; Understanding the 12-Steps; Recovery Routines
Relapse Prevention
using Gorski materials with additional supplements that recognize the importance of managing co-occurring d/o, spirituality and core issues
DBT Skills
learning to apply specific skills to improve distress tolerance, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness and mindfulness
Meditation Skills training
instruction, practice and measurement of progress with the Muse, a mini-neurofeedback device provided to program participants
Process Group
open-floor groups to share, get support and constructive feedback for dealing with “life on life’s terms” as clients attempt to apply recovery principles in all their affairs
Multi-family Group
once monthly groups that bring families and clients together to continue exploring ways to help or hinder each other in recovery
Random urine drug testing
because sometimes testing is the only thing that stops some folks from deciding to take that one drink or pop that first pill. If it stops them tonight, then they can process it in their next group with gratitude that they chose not to use.
Individual therapy
so often IOPs do not include individual therapy, but we believe that it is essential to make a meaningful connection with a therapist to be a part of the step-up continuum of care. It offers the forum for processing issues clients prefer not to discuss in groups, an opportunity to develop a deep connection with a therapist who can be there for the long-haul, and someone to help coordinate referrals if additional care is needed.
Referrals for Supplementary Care when needed
because sometimes there’s additional therapeutic work that needs to happen to help the healing continue. Our in-house and local clinical partners are great resources for recovery-friendly psychiatry, Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, couple’s counseling, EFT/tapping, equine-assisted psychotherapy, acupuncture, massage, yoga and others.
Who is NOT appropriate for Full Life’s IOP?
- Clients under 18 years old
- Clients who are in the pre-contemplative or contemplative stage of change
- Clients who have no history of prior addiction treatment and/or no prior exposure to recovery
- Clients who must rely on Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance to cover most/all treatment fees
Who may be appropriate for Full Life’s IOP but who may need more services during the screening process?
- Clients at risk for withdrawal symptoms will be assessed and referred for medically monitored or medically managed detox as a preliminary step before being approved for IOP.
- Clients with more complex co-occurring disorders will be assessed and may be asked to delay entry into IOP until after records are reviewed and needs clarified. Those with thought disorder, unstable bipolar disorder or trauma may need supplementary services or referral elsewhere for care.
- Clients on medication-assisted treatment will be assessed and may be asked to delay entry into IOP until collaboration with the prescribing provider can be established. Those who demonstrate a commitment to full abstinence other than MAT and willingness to identify and engage with a recovery network are likely to be admitted to IOP while those who are ambivalent may be referred back to the MAT prescribing provider for aftercare.
- Clients who may need to arrange with mLend or some other financing resource to help cover the cost of IOP.
Who is an IDEAL candidate for IOP?
- Clients who absolutely know they have addiction and know they need recovery.
- Clients who have some foundational understanding about addiction and recovery through either prior treatment or prior engagement in 12-step recovery
- Clients with a history of relapse despite active engagement in recovery efforts in the past
- Clients with adequate personal financial resources or a guarantor who is able to cover $3000-$6000 in treatment fees over 3-6 months. Fees for IOP are billed to a credit card on-file at $250/week, and clients are expected to stay in IOP until they have been able to demonstrate 12 continuous weeks of abstinence and recovery engagement.
