Monday, December 3, 2012

Substance Abuse

http://www.comtrea.org/adult-substance-abuse

 

Substance Abuse

Alcohol or other drug abuse tears a family apart. COMTREA has established a highly effective treatment program which involves a combination of outpatient, day treatment, and family counseling and education. The program name for all of our substance abuse treatment is “Athena Outpatient Substance Abuse Services.”

We began the program by making some original but not earth shattering assumptions:
  • Alcohol and other substance abuse is a symptom more than a problem in and of itself;
  • Neither our educational system nor our criminal justice system can effectively deal with the most difficult abuser;
  • Our society sends "mixed messages" to children regarding sex, drugs, smoking, etc.;
  • Adults who are "in trouble" with alcohol and other drugs need a comprehensive, holistic approach to recovery;
  • The family of the cleint (person with diagnosed substance abuse disorder) must be involved with the therapy for there to be much of a chance of success; assisting the family may bring major benefits to the client which are unexpected;
  • The adoption and reinforcement of positive values, principals, and healthy and adaptive coping skills.  
  • Services offered must assist the adult in learning how to acknowledge and set realistic goals, and objectives and accept personal responsibility for the choices they make in their life.

The need for substance abuse treatment remains constant in the COMTREA service area. The United Way helps fund the program as well as Medicaid and the Missouir Department of Mental Health.

We have made substantial changes to our program which make it easier to obtain psychiatric services - as the majority have co occurring, complex diagnoses (mental health and substance abuse issues). This ability allows us to deal with the whole person and not just the drug-affected part.

Drug Testing

COMTREA staff will provide "chain of custody" alcohol and other drug screening tests for individuals, schools, businesses, or for the legal system. Rates are available through contacting any of the COMTREA locations. Drug testing is also a part of our treatment programs and are conducted on site or referred out to local labs.

Family Drug Court

The Family Drug Court Program, in conjunction with the 23rd Judicial Circuit (Jefferson County, Missouri), is a twelve-to-fifteen month intensive outpatient program for parents who have had their children placed into Child Protective Services due to alcohol and/or other drug abuse or dependence issues. Components of the program include alcohol/drug education, individual and group therapy, family therapy, coping, and parenting skills. The emphasis of this program is to reunite the family in a safe, drug-free environment.

Adult Drug Court

The Adult Drug Court, in conjunction with the 23rd Judicial Circuit (Jefferson County MO), is for first-time offenders facing felony drug charges. It is a court-supervised, comprehensive treatment program for nonviolent participants and is a voluntary, diversionary program that includes regular court appearances before a Drug Court Judge. Treatment includes drug testing, different levels of treatment based on assessed degree of need, individual and group counseling and case management. The Drug Court Treatment Team and COMTREA take a holistic approach to the participant’s needs, and refer to other needed programming and services beyond the current treatment intervention if required.

DWI Court

The DWI Court Program, in conjunction with the 23rd Judicial Circuit (Jefferson County, Missouri), is a self-pay treatment program for repeat and persistent DWI offenders in lieu of incarceration. This program is a twelve-to-fifteen month intensive outpatient program for offenders with clear indicators of alcohol and/or other drug abuse/dependence.

Integrated Treatment Services

Intergrated Treatment for Mental Health and Substance Abuse for Adults
COMTREA recognizes the need to provide holistic, integrated treatment for those persons and families experiencing co occurring, complex (mental health and substance use) disorders. The services are provided by professional and paraprofessional staff with significant training in the areas of mental health and substance use disorders.

We are treating them together as a “co primary” disorder and working to engage clients and their families in the recovery process for 12-24 months initially. Staff work with clients/families to establish a support network within local communities as well as the 12 Step Community to best meet their individual needs for success and support.

  • Co-occurring disorders are characterized by different levels of functioning
  • Co-occurring disorders are reported to have a 50-75% prevalence rate among clients in substance abuse treatment programs and a 20-50% prevalence rate among clients in a mental health setting. (TIP 42, SAMSHA)
  • It is not clear which disorder causes the other and that should not be a focus area.
  • COMTREA is going to offer group, individual, and family related co-occurring disorder services because we understand the need of co-occurring disorder services for our clients.
  • Co-occurring disorders are not new; we are just changing our treatment approach.
  • Specialized and integrated services will be offered.
  • Using evidence-based co-occurring practices will allow us to achieve better outcomes with our clients.
  • The following services will be offered at our locations to meet both client and family needs:
  • Individual Therapy, Medication management
  • Case management/ Community support
  • Group counseling, Psycho-educational groups
  • Psychiatric services, Multidisciplinary treatment team approach
  • Health Services are now available through COMTREA's Health Center

For more information or to set up an assessment, please call our offices at 636-931-2700 and ask for Intake Screening for Co Occurring Disorder Treatment Services. Screenings are free of charge.

Important websites for reference:

http://www.aastl.org/

http://showmerso.org/

http://www.samhsa.gov/

http://www.samhsa.gov/treatment/index.aspx

https://www.ncada-stl.org/

https://www.ncada-stl.org/pdfs/treatment_manual.pdf

http://www.bhrstl.org/

http://www.drugabuse.gov/

http://www.drugfree.org/

http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/

http://www.methproject.org/

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