If you have made the decision to find a drug and alcohol treatment center you have taken an important step for a better life. Admitting that you have lost control of your life due to addiction can be tough, but deciding to seek help can put you on the road to recovery and serenity. While making the decision to enter rehab can be the best choice you have made, finding the best drug rehab facility can be difficult. Before you choose a rehab facility, there are five important questions that must be answered before you decide on treatment center.
So the question becomes, how do you find a good rehab? The following questions are those you should ask any treatment facility you are considering using for treatment of addiction to drugs and alcohol.
1. What Type of Accreditation and Licenses Does the Facility Have?
If you are entrusting your care to a drug rehab facility or an alcohol rehab, you need to know if they are licensed and reputable. Great drug and alcohol rehab facilities are accredited by national programs such as the Joint Commission and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The facility should also have the appropriate state licenses and accreditation and these licenses should be current. An easy way to find out if a facility is accredited is to use the Joint Commission’s quality check.
2. What Licenses and Credentials Does the Treatment Staff Hold?
This is another obvious and important question to ask because you need to know if the people that are in charge of your care and recovery are not only licensed but have relevant and proven experience. The best drug rehabs will list the credentials the rehab staff and these credentials should include LADC (licensed alcohol and drug counselor), CAC (certified addictions counselor), CAP (certified addiction professional), and CCDP (certified co-occurring disorders counselor). Along with these credentials, facilities may be licensed by both state and federal agencies. Most of these agencies provide insight into the quality of care and overall ability to perform services along the guidelines recommended by the agency.
3. How Effective Are Their Treatment Methods?
You want to be sure that the treatment methods and options a rehab center offers are effective and proven. You certainly don’t want to re-enter treatment multiple times because of inefficient counseling and treatment methods that are not geared to an individual’s needs. Great treatment centers will have data on hand that verifies the effectiveness of their treatment methods in the long term. The data they collect is also verified by a reputable research firm that is independent of the treatment facility.
Word of mouth reputation and online reviews and testimonials also help you know that the treatment center you are going to actually works and does its best to ensure that you learn how to maintain long-term sobriety. Make sure to read testimonials from past clients. A great rehab will have these available on their website for you to read and will help establish their expertise in addiction treatment.
4. Do They Work With Insurance Companies?
With the passage of the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA), addiction treatment is now a requirement in many insurance plans. However, you need to have assurances that your insurance will cover the cost for inpatient treatment and will be at a cost that you can afford. Great rehab centers will be insurance friendly in the fact they will accept most forms of insurance and will work with the insurance companies to find payment options that work best with your budget. When looking for an addiction treatment center make sure to ask the right questions about how they work with your insurance, so there are no surprises down the road once you are admitted. A great rehab facility will provide you with a detailed billing schedule and work with your insurance to save you as much as possible because they know helping you get off drugs is the most important thing.
5. Does the Treatment Center Offer Individualized Treatment Plans?
Addiction is a complex disease that has social, biological, and environmental roots. Your addiction history will be vastly different from others that enter treatment and you will obviously need to have a treatment plan that is tailored to your specific needs. Many of the best drug and alcohol treatment facilities will tell you they will tailor an individualized treatment plan based on your specific history, issues, and needs. Additionally, these treatment methods are abstinence-based and focus on a twelve-step approach. The twelve-step approach is one of the most widely used methods when treating drug and alcohol addiction.
A great rehab will tailor your treatment plan to your needs, and will most likely use a multidisciplinary treatment plan tailored to your needs. Many treatment centers now offer a variety of treatment methods including Relapse Prevention, EMDR/trauma therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychotherapy, Group Therapy (which is the most common type of therapy at addiction treatment centers), Biofeedback, Neurofeedback, Acupuncture, Art Therapy, Pharmacotherapy, Psychodrama, Yoga and more. When looking at an addiction treatment facility make sure to take note of what types of treatment are offered and if the facility offers individualized treatment plans that fit your needs.
