Seven important questions to ask before choosing a treatment center

Choosing to go to treatment is a huge step. Recovering from addiction of any kind involves a lot of hard work and, sometimes, big financial investments. Making sure that the treatment center you or your loved one chooses is the best fit for their needs is extremely critical. Asking the questions below can help you evaluate your options and make the best choice.

1.       What does your evaluation and assessment process look like?

Every treatment center should begin the process of working with a client by performing some type of evaluation and assessment. The more time they spend getting to know your history and specific issues, the more likely it is that they are going to be accurate in determining what level of care you will need. That information will also tell them if their program can provide you with all of the pieces you need to heal. It is a huge red flag if a treatment center doesn’t have an evaluation process in place.

2.       Do you work with my insurance provider?

Be wary of treatment centers who can’t answer this question or give you specific information.  They should be willing to work with you to determine what your insurance plan will cover before you enroll in treatment. Be sure to ask what, if any, your estimated out-of-pocket expense will be. 

3.       Does every patient get an individualized treatment plan?

Every patient should have an individualized treatment plan, that is a given in today’s treatment world. But changing the name at the top of the plan doesn’t make it individualized. What is most beneficial for you or your loved one may be different from other clients. Follow-up and ask the center what they do if you need a service they don’t offer (e.g. neurofeedback, equine therapy). This will give you some real insight into how they handle these situations. If they can’t give you a specific answer, consider that the indicator of a cookie cutter treatment plan.

4.       Is your staff certified?

Check out the staff credentials. If most of the treatment staff are interns, or are not fully licensed, consider another program. Also look for accreditations like CARF from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation facilities, or JCAHO accreditation. These prove a center’s commitment to a high level of patient care. Look for signs that the facility also engages in maintaining and raising ethical standards in the field of addiction treatment, like the Fair Care Promise.

5.       What does your family program look like?

Families need help too. There is an old saying that “families are as sick as the patient.” A deeper and more accurate understanding of that statement would read “families need care too.” Not only do families need to understand the disease of addiction, they will also need new tools to react differently, change expectations, modify behavior patterns that have become familiar and tend to their own wounds that addiction has caused. Families need support and healing. A good quality treatment program will have a family program that helps everyone effected by this disease.

6.       Can you treat underlying mental health conditions?

It is estimated that as many as 70% of people with addiction have other underlying mental health conditions like depression or anxiety. Some existed before the addiction, others developed or became worse as a result of addiction. Make sure that the program has a licensed psychiatrist trained to treat underlying mental health conditions. Comprehensive care is key.

7.       Do you provide long-term aftercare after treatment is completed?

Check carefully into what kind of follow through does the program provide patients after they have completed the inpatient portion of treatment. Very often people with addiction relapse after completion because they do not follow through with the discharge recommendations of their treatment team. Carefully following the discharge plan leads to better results. Most people newly out of treatment do better with extra support in this area. Look for a treatment center that provides long-term aftercare like monitoring and recovery coaching. Working with a treatment center that understands this can make all the difference.

Many reputable treatment centers will refer patient to long term aftercare programs like ours at Assurance Recovery Monitoring if they do not have a program within the center. We are here to discuss the ways our program can help individuals and families. Reach out to us for a free, and confidential consultation.