Inpatient Treatment

Inpatient treatment may be the best route for recovery when a teen has a problem with alcohol or other drugs. This kind of treatment involves the student staying in a treatment facility for several weeks. To determine whether inpatient or outpatient treatment is more appropriate, a counselor will speak to the teen about the amount and frequency of his or her chemical use. Other factors considered by the counselor include parent reports of the teen's behavior as well as whether or not there have been legal problems. Based upon the information gathered during the diagnosis phase, the counselor will recommend inpatient care or outpatient (after school) care.

As with Student Assistance Programs (SAP's) and outpatient care, the inpatient treatment focuses not only on getting the student off chemicals, but helping him or her develop skills to maintain sobriety. To do this, many strategies are employed including:

following a 12 Step Program to help the teen maintain sobriety.
working on necessary skills such as communication, problem-solving, and decision-making.
helping the teen learn how to get his or her personal needs met without using chemicals, including assertiveness training, values- building, and daily living skills such as how to use public transportation, how to get a job, and other useful skills.

The inpatient programs also urge their patients to get involved with a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) so they will have a support system when they are released.

Finally, a major portion of treatment involves therapy. The teen participates in both individual and group counseling as well as family therapy. Generally, this aspect of the treatment continues after the teen is released from the hospital. The outpatient counseling may last up to a year.

To help the student make the transition back into the community, an aftercare program is set up. Often, arrangements are made with school counselors or a SAP counselor to help the student make a smooth transition back into school. This may include a decrease in the number of classes the student takes or extra tutoring. Also, the student is advised to find new non-drinking friends. Returning to the old friends is often a trigger for a relapse. The family of the student is encouraged to become active in Al-Anon (a support group for families of alcoholics) and the teen is expected to stay active in a support group as well. Finally, some programs help ensure total wellness by setting the student up with organizations such as Planned Parenthood for their other physical health needs.

This document was last updated 8/13/97 by Chandra Hawley.
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