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When you decide you are ready to undergo treatment for addiction or mental health challenges, the next thing to consider is whether you need inpatient or outpatient treatment. This decision can be made along with your doctor or mental health professional, and the level of severity will be considered along with the level of care that is needed.
While some people who require mental health treatment need treatment at the residential level, many don’t need inpatient treatment. Good mental health professionals always try to take the least invasive approach. If appropriate for the client’s needs, outpatient treatment may be the best choice. Outpatient treatment can be a more affordable choice and allow people to remain in their home environment. For those who don’t require the structure of a residential treatment program, outpatient treatment has several advantages.
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The Ability to Remain Involved in Other Responsibilities
One big advantage of outpatient treatment is that it allows you to continue to go to work or school, and it also allows you to continue to address family obligations such as raising children or taking care of elderly parents.
If this is your situation, even though you are still dealing with your day-to-day obligations, you are able to obtain treatment for your mental health or addiction challenges at the same time. Finding a path to stabilization and a method of recovering is very important in order to continue to be effective and useful to your job or family, and outpatient treatment can make this possible.
The Least Costly Choice
Clearly, inpatient treatment is costlier than outpatient treatment. If you have to pay for all or part of treatment out of pocket, outpatient treatment is a less costly alternative, and insurance companies will also be less reluctant to cover outpatient treatment since it does not require payment for room and board.
Remaining Close to Family and Friends
If you have a good support system from your family and friends, outpatient treatment allows you to continue to derive care and comfort from these relationships. Group or family therapy can be done on an outpatient basis so that family members can learn their role in offering healthy support to you as you learn tools of self-care and recovery.
Outpatient care helps you to avoid the stress of being separated from children and other family members while you undergo treatment.
Staying Connected to the Real World
Some people find that inpatient treatment creates an environment in which they feel safely removed from real life. Once they are discharged, they still need to learn to function in the real world, which may include a lot of challenges and stress.
Treatment on an outpatient basis allows you to stay connected to the real world as you learn new coping skills and develop new methods of support. At the same time, you still remain accountable to counselors and other treatment professionals on a regular basis.
A Follow-Up to Inpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment can also be an effective follow-up to inpatient treatment. After you have gone through recovery at a residential treatment center, you have the advantage of continuing to report to people who know what you have gone through and want to continue to support you as you readjust to your daily routine.
Can Be Tailored to Your Needs
Outpatient treatment plans can be tailored to the needs of an individual. For those who are experiencing mild symptoms and are fairly stable, outpatient treatment may involve visits two or three times a week. Intensive outpatient treatment would involve more structure and more intense care if you need a more intense form of treatment.
Day Treatment
Day treatment is a form of partial hospitalization in which a person spends at least eight hours a day at the treatment center. It offers intense, focused treatment with the ability to return home each night. This offers the advantages of remaining in the home environment while obtaining intense treatment at a lower cost than an inpatient facility.
When you are ready to go into a treatment program, you will need to consider all your options and determine which approach is right for you. Your doctor or a professional counselor can help you make this important decision as you begin accepting help and get on the road to recovery. If you or a loved one are looking for outpatient or day treatment, call us at (310) 455-5258 or submit the form below for more information about our programs.
