Whether you’re recovering from a substance use disorder, a mental health condition, or both, having a comprehensive plan is important. And for most people, that plan needs to extend beyond one treatment program. That’s why we offer discharge planning services; to help ensure that you leave our Ohio behavioral health center with the tools you need to be successful in and happy.
But what is discharge planning? And how does it help people make lasting recoveries? Keep reading to learn all about this evidence-based treatment option that will provide you with support long after you leave our treatment center.
There’s a popular myth surrounding mental health treatments and addiction recovery: People complete a program, return home, and never struggle with these issues again. While that sounds nice, that isn’t the lived reality for the millions of Americans who seek inpatient treatment is that recovery is a lifelong process. And rehabilitation centers should prepare you for that by ensuring that you have a clear, actionable plan for long-term recovery.
That’s where discharge planning comes in. It’s easy to think “I’ll definitely take care of my mental health after I leave treatment,” but without a solid plan, your odds of relapse increase significantly. Without follow-up care after programming, national relapse rates are roughly 37 to 56 percent. But with appropriate care, like that provided through discharge planning, the odds of long-term recovery become much higher.
Say, for example, that you have a mental health condition and a co-occurring substance use disorder. These would be dual diagnosis conditions, since each condition affects and worsens the other. If you enrolled in our treatment for mental health issues and co-occurring substance use disorders, your treatment programming would mostly focus on coping skills to deal with these issues. However, part of your time would also be spent discussing what you’ll do after treatment. This could mean going home and finding a counselor, it could mean staying in sober living housing, or anything else where recovery remains a priority in your daily life.
Whatever your plans are, the important thing is that you keep up with your recovery after completing treatment. Now that we understand the basics of discharge planning, let’s look at how Georgetown Behavioral Hospital approaches this important treatment for mental health and addiction.
With us, discharge planning is a process that begins as soon as you start treatment. It takes into consideration your personal history, your living situation, your recovery goals, and other related issues. From here, you and a trained staff member work out what your plans are for life after treatment.
And this isn’t a single conversation, either. Your plans for your life may change as you develop new coping skills and learn more about what a healthy life looks like for you. For that reason, we will work with you throughout treatment to ensure that your post-discharge plans are in line with your recovery goals.
Like other aspects of treatment, discharge planning is a conversation. Nobody is going to tell you where you have to go or what you have to do. Rather, our mental health and addiction experts will work with you to determine what you want to do after inpatient treatment. In this way, we don’t hand off assignments, but we work with individuals to develop long-term recovery solutions.
Whether you need help with a mental health condition or co-occurring disorders, we’re ready to provide help in the central Ohio area. We believe in treating these issues holistically and comprehensively, and that includes discharge planning to give you the best chance for long-term recovery.
Would you like to learn more about how our programming can help you? Call our admissions specialists at 937-483-4930 or ask your questions online. When you know that it’s time to make a change, we’ll be ready to help you take the next step.
