River Region Human Services - Mental Health

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1992 by congress, SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on American's communities.

SAMHSA Listed: Yes

In Florida, substance abuse treatment focuses on treating mental health and substance use disorders concurrently to improve recovery outcomes and overall health. Levels of care include medical detox, outpatient, residential treatment, and intensive outpatient programs. Clinicians utilize evidence-based therapies such as dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) or medication-assisted treatment, group therapy, and skills training activities. This comprehensive approach to treatment helps to ensure sustained recovery.

Outpatient rehabs encompass multiple levels of care to facilitate clients’ progress through their recovery journey. Clients who are stepping down from inpatient treatment may require intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment, which involves more frequent and substantive therapeutic interventions than does standard outpatient care. Outpatient centers typically provide extensive addiction counseling, including individual, group, and family therapy. Medication assisted treatment programs (MAT) and recovery-focused life skills training are also common in outpatient care.

Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.

Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) involve frequent and robust therapeutic sessions for clients requiring high-level care. Clients may engage in a combination of medication assisted treatment (MAT), addiction counseling, recovery skills training, and holistic therapies for a minimum of nine and a maximum of 20 hours per week. Intensive outpatient rehab is designed primarily for persons in early recovery, those exiting detox or inpatient care, and those at an elevated relapse risk.

12 step programs support recovery through emotional, psychological, and spiritual development to address the root causes of addiction. These programs are peer directed, with participants regularly attending 12 step meetings, which are anonymous, free, and accessible day and night, year-round. Recovery is based on “working the steps” to understand the source of addiction, take accountability for one’s life choices, and relinquish control for that which cannot be changed. Age-specific, gender-separate, and other specialized programs are widely available.

Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.