The Cornerstone Program offers a comprehensive intensive outpatient drug and alcohol rehab program for teens and young adults. Our intensive outpatient drug rehab program (I.O.P.) is designed to be the first stepping stone of the drug rehabilitation process, providing young people with the tools to stay sober in their everyday lives.
Our outpatient treatment program offers a level of care that allows the young person the freedom to begin utilizing their newly found recovery tools in their home environment as opposed to spending time living at an inpatient rehab’s treatment facilities. Depending on the level of their substance use disorder, sometimes an inpatient treatment program will be recommended upon evaluation. However, many young people respond very well to our outpatient drug rehab, which meets five days per week and also includes two evening 12-step meetings and two sober social activities per week.
If your teen or young adult is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse, it is critical to contact a professional that can help start the path to recovery. To learn more about our outpatient drug rehab and alcohol rehab program in the Denver area, contact our drug rehab center to learn more.
What is Intensive Outpatient Drug Rehab?
Outpatient drug rehab is a term used in the industry when clients attend group therapy sessions throughout the week but remain at home. The term “Intensive” outpatient drug rehab is used when the number of hours in group counseling is above a certain number – typically 9-10 hours per week or more. Intensive outpatient rehabs also often require clients to attend 12-step meetings or sober activities on their own time. In our case, our group counseling meets for 20 hours per week and includes 12-step meetings and in-house sober social activities through our 12-step substance abuse support groups.
Intensive Outpatient Drug Rehab Program – An Overview
The Cornerstone Program utilizes an enthusiastic approach to sobriety. Our approach emphasizes developing positive sober peer relationships, learning to have fun without drugs, and family involvement. Our IOP program consists of:
- 6-12 weeks of drug and alcohol treatment. We offer a time frame because we base all of our discharge decisions based on the young person’s progress and feedback from families – never on an arbitrary time frame or a family’s finances. Visit our drug and alcohol rehab program FAQ page for more information on the rationale for this length of treatment.
- Intensive outpatient group counseling. The young person’s counselor will run a daily treatment session with the young person and age-appropriate peers in treatment. Topics range from the 12-steps and emotional coping skills to peer relationships, developing self-esteem, and communication skills.
- Weekly individualized treatment plans. Each week, young people in IOP treatment will meet one-on-one with their counselor to develop a weekly treatment plan based on the goals laid out in their initial assessment. Each appointment consists of evaluating last week’s treatment plan, developing new goals for the week, and listening to the young person’s feedback.
- Weekly 12-step meetings and sober social events. During the IOP process, the young person attends at least two 12-step meetings for young people and two sober social events every week. These events and meetings allow young people the freedom to connect with positive, sober young peers who have been in recovery between 1-3 years. Once a young person completes IOP, they are invited to continue with Aftercare treatment sessions for 12 weeks.
- Weekly support group meetings for parents. Our parent support group meets each week simultaneously with one of our 12-step meetings for young people. During this meeting, parents can connect with each other, gain valuable insight into their situation, and pick up critical tools to respond to their loved one. Privacy is respected and parents are often surprised at the depth of wisdom they receive at our weekly parent support group meetings. We extend parents the option to attend this meeting for as long as their child is in the program, and even after they leave if the family desires.
- Weekly updates for parents. Throughout the treatment process, the young person’s counselor will reach out to parents via phone each week to discuss progress, make suggestions, discuss healthy parental boundaries, and get your feedback. We never want families to feel as though they don’t know what’s going on in the treatment process.
- Scheduled appointments with parents. The counselor will also complete an initial appointment to discuss the treatment process, a discharge appointment to discuss the Aftercare process, and a preparatory appointment for the “significant others” meeting. Other in-person appointments will be completed as needed or as requested. We encourage parents to reach out to us when they feel the need for extra support or to have something explained in more detail.
- The “Significant Others” meeting. About a week before the end of the treatment process, we will schedule a “significant others” meeting, where a young person gets the chance to make initial amends to the family. These meetings are individualized – they always include parents, but sometimes a sibling or grandparent elects to attend. One of our primary goals at The Cornerstone Program is to help the family come back together. While we do believe that rebuilding trust can be a slow process, we want to work with families to set the stage for fulfilling and honest family relationships going forward.
- Individualized discharge plans. As no two families are exactly alike, no two discharge plans should be exactly alike. The discharge plan provides a roadmap for critical next steps such as:
- When will the young person return to school?
- What will the young person’s financial situation look like? Do they need to get a job?
- Should they move out of their parents’ house or stay at home? If they need to move out, where will they go? How long should this take?
- Do they have a plan in place to manage the stress of staying sober without the all-day support of being in treatment?
- Who will they call if they find themselves in a tough situation?
- What will they do to continue growing in recovery?
These questions, and any others that apply, will be addressed during the discharge planning process. Finally, the young person will be discharged from treatment and they will enter our 12 week Aftercare program.
Intensive Outpatient Drug Rehab Program Goals and Benefits
- Offers an individualized treatment plan based on the young person’s substance abuse and mental health needs.
- Directly addresses issues specific to young people such as managing school, social media, and disconnecting from negative peers.
- Focuses on exposing young people to the fun, positive aspects of sobriety
- Builds self-worth – the most common issue for all young people with drug problems.
- Provides basic and effective emotional coping skills and relapse prevention strategies.
- Helps fulfill the young person’s unique social needs with access to support group of sober young adults and adolescents who have gone through the IOP program previously.
- Provides an introduction to the 12-step program.
- Offers a support group for parents and critical parental support that is unmatched in the industry.
- Aims to provide young people with practical tools and skills to maintain long-term recovery long after graduation from the program.
- Includes long-term aftercare.
- Is a cost effective drug abuse treatment option.
There are a number of daily struggles and issues that arise in a teen or adolescent’s typical day. Our outpatient drug rehab and alcohol rehab program aims to address these potential triggers in order to foster lasting recovery. In the evenings, The Cornerstone Program hosts sober social events that provide young people the opportunity to not only practice the new skills they have learned, but to also find support in peers going through the same struggles. All of this is done in a safe, drug and alcohol-free environment.
Next Steps – Our Unique Aftercare Program
Studies have shown that the quality of Aftercare is often the factor that makes or breaks a lasting recovery. This is true in both residential treatment as well as outpatient drug rehabs. In our experience, being discharged from our outpatient drug rehab is a time of great pride for young people, but it is also a time of great apprehension and fear for young people and families alike. While lack of quality Aftercare is known as the most common shortcoming in the drug and alcohol treatment industry, we offer a unique Aftercare program that is included in the cost of treatment. The only requirement is that the young person has completed treatment. Our Aftercare program consists of:
- 12 weeks of evening follow up Aftercare sessions. We do not believe in bouncing young people from counselor to counselor – the Aftercare process includes bi-weekly group counseling sessions with the same counselor they had for the IOP program. This counselor will follow up with them to learn how they are doing and help them navigate the new stresses and situations they are facing sober.
- Weekly one-on-one appointments with a drug and alcohol counselor. These weekly “check-ins” allow young people to continue to receive guidance and maintain accountability as they learn to utilize their recovery skills in outside environments.
- Continued 12 step meetings and sober social events. The young person will continue to attend the same 12 step meetings and sober events they were attending while they were in the IOP program. Since the Cornerstone Program’s 12-step meetings and sober social activities all take place in the evening, this allows young people the freedom to go to school, work, or look for jobs during the day.
- Continued parental support. Parents are strongly encouraged to continue attending all weekly parent support group meetings during the Aftercare process, as well as participate in periodic “same page” appointments with your child’s counselor to discuss how the Aftercare process is going, provide feedback to the staff, and receive guidance on how to continue to support their loved one while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Find Out More About Our Intensive Outpatient Drug & Alcohol Rehab in Denver
If you have a teen or young adult that needs intensive outpatient drug rehab or alcohol rehab or would simply like to discuss treatment options, contact us today or call us at (303) 690-0082. Our staff will help you determine if our intensive outpatient drug rehab program is right for you and your child and develop an effective course of treatment.