Relapse after leaving treatment is all too common, which is why post-treatment care is so essential.
Relapse after leaving treatment is all too common, which is why post-treatment care is so essential. People leaving treatment need access to counseling, psychiatry, group therapy, case management and community recovery groups. These programs help them navigate the challenges that occur with maintaining sobriety after treatment.
Expanding access to post-treatment care is vital to promote long-term sobriety and recovery for substance abuse disorders. Here are a few steps addiction treatment professionals and the community can take to improve access to treatment.
Hire More Social Workers, Build Alumni Networks
There is currently a shortage of social workers in the United States, and properly expanding access to post-treatment care requires hiring more skilled social workers. We must increase access to trained professionals in order to expand access to care. Treatment centers must commit to hiring more treatment professionals and utilizing them as resources to expand post-treatment care.
Expanding access requires more than just hiring additional social workers. We must find more individuals to fill the variety of roles within the treatment center and community. This means finding small group organizers, recovery coaches and sponsors. All of these roles are vital to post-treatment success. These roles can be filled by experienced volunteers or successful alumni of treatment programs.
Creating an active community of treatment alumni will help meet the demand for post-treatment programs. They are well equipped to help someone navigate the initial challenges faced after the completion of residential programming. Alumni networks are a pipeline for recovery coaches and sponsors.
Hiring more staff to manage post-treatment care is the best way to address the issue of availability for these programs.
Work with the Community
Addiction is an epidemic in our society. Addiction does not discriminate based on race or socioeconomic background. Addiction affects the entire community; therefore, the community should invest in addressing the problem. This requires expanding access to care via partnerships with non-profits, such as our partnership with Sky’s the Limit Fund, which is helping fund post-treatment counseling for some residents of Back2Basics. A partnership with a committed non-profit helps those in need offset out-of-pocket expenses for essential treatment. Partnerships with local universities are key. Northern Arizona University has been an essential resource in providing future talent within the roles of graduate and undergraduate interns to support our program.
Addiction treatment is essential to the recovery process, including access to post-treatment care to support continued sobriety. Addiction treatment professionals and the communities they work in must continue to advocate for expanded access to this essential care.FBN
Dr. Natalie Randolph, DBH, LCSW is the clinical director for Back2Basics Outdoor Adventure Recovery a long-term inpatient addiction treatment program in Flagstaff, specializing in Outdoor Adventure Therapy and behavioral health treatment modalities. Dr. Randolph has been working within the social work profession for 23 years within a variety of settings, including private and non-profit agencies. She has experience working with individuals, groups and couples, as well as families. Additionally, she also serves as an associate clinical professor through Northern Arizona University’s Social Work Department. Dr. Randolph completed her bachelor’s degree in social work at Northern Arizona University in 2000, while her master’s degree in social work was received in 2005 from Arizona State University. Furthermore, she completed her doctorate in behavioral health in 2016 through Arizona State University.
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