By Dr. Susana E. Mendez, OMD, MBA, ABMPP, CAS, LCDC, LAC, Enterhealth Vice President of Alterative Therapy & Family Services, Enterhealth Ranch and Enterhealth Outpatient Center of Excellence
At Enterhealth, we understand that most people don’t really know what to expect from inpatient addiction treatment programs, and we want to change that. The most important aspect of our program is that we take a holistic approach to care, pairing each patient with the best components of treatment to suit their unique needs. This means that inpatient addiction treatment at Enterhealth is going to be customized, and every patient will have their own treatment plan.
The first step in this process is getting to know the patient. During intake, the therapists and physicians at Enterhealth will take the time to talk with the patient and obtain the information necessary to create the customized treatment regimen and determine the length of time necessary to reach their goals. This will include assessments designed to ascertain your physical and mental health, types of substances abused, as well as any family history that may need to be considered. (These initial intake assessments may be performed over the phone if necessary.)
Accommodating Dual-Diagnosis Disorders
Many patients who come in for drug or alcohol addiction treatment also suffer from psychiatric issues which also need to be addressed during treatment. We call this dual-diagnosis treatment, and along with any necessary non-addictive psychiatric medications to help control anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or other psychological illnesses, our behavioral therapy programs are designed to treat these kinds of disorders concurrently.
Common psychological issues seen in concert with alcohol and drug addiction include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, psychoses, and brain diseases such as seizure disorders or stroke. Many of our patients present traumatic brain injuries related to direct trauma (in many cases due to accidents or sports).
After initial intake and assessments, most patients need to start with drug and alcohol detox to remove all of the unwanted substances from their systems. This often leads to withdrawal or post-acute withdrawal symptoms that need to be managed with anti-addiction medications.
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Patients at Enterhealth who are undergoing medical withdrawal stabilization, also known as medical detox, will receive specific medications to help alleviate a number of common issues associated with drug or alcohol withdrawal. These medications are used to normalize a patient’s brain and body chemistry without the negative effects that accompany the abused substance.
Withdrawal-stabilization medications reduce physiological cravings and make patients more comfortable by reducing anxiety and increasing sleep while preventing certain dangerous medical episodes such as seizures or DT’s. Usually, the withdrawal-stabilization medications are used for between 7-14 days and are safely tapered off at the end of that time.
Once withdrawal stabilization is complete, some patients may be prescribed additional anti-addiction medications (e.g., Vivitrol, Antabuse, gabapentin, Suboxone, Campral) to further alleviate cravings, rebalance neurochemistry and make it easier for the patient to immerse themselves in their addiction treatment programming, thereby increasing their chances for a successful and sustainable recovery.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy DBT)
After the patient has undergone withdrawal stabilization, they can begin cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT) just to mention few. In all methodologies of care (CBT,MI, DBT) patients learn to identify and correct problematic behaviors by applying a range of different skills that can be used to stop drug abuse or dependence and address a range of other problems that often co-occur with it.
Each patient comes into inpatient addiction treatment with a host of issues unique to him or her, and their treatment needs to reflect this. All patients will need to have their family involved in treatment – if family is not available, other support systems will be invited to participate. All patients need a support system in place to help them after their stay.
Types of therapy offered by Enterhealth include:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Couples therapy
Specialty Services
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is an effective psychotherapy technique which has helped an estimated 2 million people of all ages by relieving the symptoms of many types of psychological distress, especially trauma.
EMDR therapy allows the patient to access and reprocess traumatic events to change the way the memory affects them both emotionally and physiologically. EMDR seems to do this by using eye movements to directly affect the way the brain processes information and commits it to memory. This allows the patient to become desensitized to the negative emotions associated with a traumatic event and reprocess those memories into something more positive.
More than 20 controlled studies have investigated the effects of EMDR therapy, and they have consistently found that EMDR effectively decreases or eliminates the symptoms of post-traumatic stress for the vast majority of patients. Additionally, patients often report improvement in other associated symptoms, such as anxiety or grief.
Psychological Testing
Psychological assessments help us better understand the nature of the patient’s symptoms, any feelings of distress they may be experiencing, as well as psychological or medical comorbidities (i.e., one or more co-occurring diseases or disorders) the patient might be experiencing. These psychological assessments – taken before and after treatment – also help addiction experts better understand how well certain patients respond to specific treatment interventions.
Psychological testing is completely non-invasive; patients are simply asked to think and act. The psychologist or other clinician might present a written list of questions for the patient to complete in a certain amount of time. They may also ask them to answer a series of specific questions or repeat specific phrases. Some tests may require the patient to move about or perform complicated gestures, and others may require the patient to complete a series of actions in a prescribed order. When put together, these tests can give the psychologist a snapshot of a person’s:
- Intelligence
- Memory
- Executive functioning
- Attention skills
- Language ability
- Motor skills
- Mood
- Personality type
- Perception
Discharge Planning/Lifecare
Treatment for drug or alcohol addiction isn’t finished when a patient leaves a residential or outpatient treatment program. In reality, life after treatment is when a person’s recovery truly begins. After all, this is when the skills learned in recovery are really put to the test.
At Enterhealth, our individualized programs are designed to teach our patients the skills necessary to stay cognizant of their own behaviors (healthy and unhealthy), better recognize and regulate their emotions and, ultimately, prevent relapses before they occur so that the person can live a healthy, fulfilling and independent life in recovery.
Some of the more successful lifecare (Enterhealth’s version of aftercare) treatment components include:
- Transitional living/sober living
- Ongoing medication management
- 12-Step and support groups
- Recovery coaching/sponsorship
- Continued counseling
Inpatient Addiction Treatment at Enterhealth Ranch
Enterhealth Ranch, is a beautiful residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility located on a former working ranch just north of Dallas/Fort Worth in Van Alstyne, Texas.
In addition to providing attentive, personalized residential drug and alcohol addiction care, each member of our team treats patients with the high level of dignity and respect to which they are accustomed. Our peaceful ranch setting is the ideal environment to promote health and healing and is designed to provide an unmatched level of privacy, exclusivity and comfort.
We understand that making the call to seek inpatient addiction treatment for addiction may seem difficult, especially in a time of crisis, but we are here to listen and help. We will help you find the right solution for your unique situation and guide you through the next steps.
To learn more, you can visit our contact page or call us at 1.800.388.4601 day or night.
