The following are markers of a quality treatment facility:
☑ They have easily-identifiable contact information and a physical address. It should be like looking up a restaurant – can you easily find where they’re located and how to get in touch with a real person?
☑ Their website has photos of real people, staff and facilities. Look for real-life representations of the space and the staff, as opposed to stock photography.
☑ They’re accredited. While it’s not the be-all and end-all of confirming a quality treatment center, it’s a good sign if they possess the Joint Commission Accreditation for Addiction Treatment (JCAHO)’s Gold Seal for Behavioral Health; or a certification of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehab Facilities (CARF).
☑ They have full-time staff with addiction counseling credentials. Full-time staff providing individual and group counseling treatment should have professional credentials, not just in recovery or educated in another field.
☑ They understand and are equipped to handle co-occurring disorders if needed for your son or daughter. Quality programs will have co-occurring disorder treatment integrated into the curriculum or in dedicated tracks for anxiety, ADHD, trauma, eating disorders, gambling, etc. Rather than simply telling patients, “You can bring your other meds,” they are able to provide mental health assessments, identify appropriate interventions and prescribe medications if required. An addiction psychiatrist is on staff to provide treatment throughout one’s stay.
☑ The program is gender- and age-appropriate. The developmental needs of a teen are very different than those of a young adult or adult. Similarly, the experiences of young women who have struggled with substance use are typically very different than those of young men. As a result, stronger treatment facilities will offer separate programming to address these differences rather than placing your child in a one-size-fits-all program.
☑ They treat detox medically. Detox for alcohol and benzodiazepines require medical supervision to ensure seizures don’t occur. Make sure that, if the program offers detox, that they have 24-hour medical care and offer medication to alleviate specific symptoms of withdrawal like restlessness, nausea and diarrhea.
☑ They practice evidence-based treatments. Ask if they practice life/coping skills and evidence-based treatments, such as:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA)
- Community Reinforcement and Family Training/Motivational Interviewing (CRAFT/MI)
- Multi-Dimensional Family Therapy (MDFT)
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
It’s important to understand that these approaches are the foundation of group and individual counseling, not just knowledge that one or two counselors on staff are familiar with.
☑ They readily provide their day-to-day schedule. Request to see a program calendar to see how the day is structured and supervised, which should include:
- Group v. individual counseling sessions
- Recreational activities
- Chores or other responsibilities
- Support groups
- Weekday v. weekend programming structure
☑ They include family as part of the process. Good treatment will have programs for family to be more involved as part of the process, beyond a simple phone check-in. Usually the family component includes education on substance use disorders, processing what has transpired in the family and ways the family can support their child’s recovery.
☑ They have a very clear step-down or discharge process. Better facilities take continuing care seriously, and offer dedicated discharge planners to ensure all aftercare appointments are set up in advance of discharge. Some facilities offer to assign a mentor through a 12-step group or an alumni of the treatment center or will continue to call post-treatment to see how your child is progressing.
☑ They are very clear and up-front about costs. There should be no surprises. Good programs will be very upfront about insurance deductibles, co-pay and other out-of-pocket costs (i.e. money for incidentals, food, recreational activities, etc.). Be sure to also ask about frequency and billing for urine screens and any other tests.
☑ They have a policy on no “kick-backs” for referrals. Quality programs won’t pay for patient referrals and will not engage in patient brokering practices.
Source: Partnership for Drug-Free Kids