Written Plan For Services - Outpatient

PHILOSOPHY

Dawn Farm exists to assist drug addicts and alcoholics to achieve and maintain sobriety. We do this by identifying and removing barriers that prevent our clients from joining the recovering community.

We believe that addiction is a treatable disease, one symptom of which is drug and alcohol use.  All addictions whether to drugs or alcohol, are treated with a consistent therapeutic approach. This approach includes outpatient services, a strong emphasis on the group process, the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and a belief in the importance of engagement with the recovering community.  We believe in the value and dignity of each client and in their capacity to develop a lifestyle of honesty and recovery.

Dawn Farm prides itself in treating traditionally under served populations, including IV drug users, low socio-economic status, women and historically marginalized communities.

POPULATION SERVED

Dawn Farm’s Outpatient Services serves alcoholics, drug addicts and substance abusers 17 and older.

We admit people without regard to their drug of choice and in no way limit admission based on nationality, race, religion, marital status, sexual preference or political belief. Clients who have been discharged are eligible for readmission after a period of time determined by the treatment team.  Readmission of clients discharged for rules violations needs to be discussed by the treatment team.

Dawn Farm welcomes referrals from the criminal justice system. These clients will be expected to maintain the same level of compliance as other clients, even if they initially lack substantial internal motivation.

Dawn Farm admits clients without regard to their ability to pay for treatment and at the Outpatient level of care and are willing to negotiate fees if the client is able to demonstrate need.  A client requesting a reduction in fees may be asked to perform community service as part of their fee reduction agreement.

DAYS AND HOURS OF OPERATION

Dawn Farm Outpatient Services will offer services Monday through Friday.  Services will be available from 9 A.M. – 8 P.M.  Monday through Thursday and 9 A.M to 5 P.M. on Friday. Voice mail will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  People seeking emergency services are able to call the Spera Recovery Center at any time.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

Please see the Program Evaluation system for a complete description of measurable goals, objectives and outcomes. These measures are consistent with our philosophy as stated above.

SERVICES OFFERED

Case management—Each client has a therapist who oversees his or her treatment, including assessment, treatment planning, advocacy, acting as a liaison with the medical and legal community, referrals and aftercare planning.

Individual therapy—Individual therapy is offered independently or in addition to group therapy. The client and counselor collaboratively determine the appropriate duration, intensity and direction of therapy.

Assessment—Dawn Farm provides AOD assessment services to assist clients and their families in determining the appropriate level of care and comply with court mandates. When appropriate, Dawn Farm takes advantage of these assessments as an opportunity for a low threshold intervention for people who are pre-contemplative and contemplative about their substance use. We briefly educate clients about addiction and recovery, explore goals, options and impart hope that recovery is possible.

Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) services—Clients are able to connect with an RSS to help facilitate recovery needs.

Group therapy—We offer several group therapy options that are designed to help clients with varying needs, levels of motivation and intensity of substance use problems. Group programs are generally 12 weeks in length, building on each other and a typical stay is 36 weeks in duration, but can be adjusted depending upon client needs and preferences.

• Discovery program (12 weeks) - Objectives include: educating clients on the stages of change, exploring how substances fit in their lives, the pros and cons of AOD use, exploration of goals and values in relation to their AOD use and finally change plans are made. Recommendations for additional treatment are made at completion if appropriate.

• These groups are motivational in nature and are designed for three groups of clients:

  • Clients that are determined to meet DSM-V criteria for a mild substance use disorder or what the ICD-10 would consider substance abuse. These clients will develop a change plan and will have aftercare support available to them.

  • Clients that are determined to meet DSM - V criteria for a moderate or severe substance use disorder but are in the pre-contemplation or the contemplation stages of change and are therefore resistant to abstinence focused programming. The goal with these clients is to build motivation to change and improve “treatment readiness” to prepare them for abstinence focused programming.

  • Clients that, based on their report, do not meet DSM - V criteria for a substance use disorder but based on collateral information we suspect the client may withholding information and he/she may truly have a problem with substances. These clients will be assessed on an ongoing basis and a final diagnosis will be made upon completion of the group and recommendations will be made based on the final diagnosis.

• Addiction Recovery Program (24 weeks long) – These groups are a blend of Twelve Step Facilitation, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Community Reinforcement approaches and Motivational Enhancement Therapy and are designed for clients who have an addiction and are in the planning/action stage of change.  Objectives include: educating clients about the processes of addiction and recovery, the fundamentals of AA and 12 step recovery, identifying cognitive distortions, identifying patterns of substance use and potential relapse cues, developing and clarifying goals and implementing recovery plans. 

• Recovery Support Program- These groups provide on-going group counseling for people who are in the maintenance stage of change and are needing on going support in to maintain their recovery.

AA/NA—The 12 Steps are emphasized in all addiction treatment and relapse prevention group therapy sessions, as well as any individual therapy and RSS contacts, readings from AA literature may be assigned in treatment plans, clients will be strongly encouraged to get a sponsor, develop a support system within AA and integrate recovering people and activities into their leisure time.

Family sessions and education—When it is deemed to be in the best interests of the client, their family may be involved in treatment, attending an education session, as well as family sessions with a counselor.  When appropriate, referrals are made to Al-Anon. Dawn Farm also offers a public Education Series to which family members are invited. 

TEAM APPROACH

The team approach is integral to treatment at Dawn Farm. The team includes the entire clinical staff, the clinical supervisors, and, when appropriate, AA sponsors, family members, probation officers, outside medical personnel, etc. The counselor consults, with all appropriate members of the team on an as needed basis and the clinical staff and clinical supervisors meet on a weekly basis. Most clinical decisions are made in this context and during clinical supervision. All decisions (unless the situation is an emergency) are made after consulting with at least one other staff member.