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[SocialTransparency]

Ten Important Questions to Ask a Treatment Program


From Drug Strategies, a nonprofit research institute that promotes more effective drug abuse prevention, education and treatment. Visit drugstrategies.com for more information about their questions.

1. How does your program address the needs of adolescents?

2. What kind of assessment does the program conduct of an adolescent's problems?

3. How often does the program review and update the treatment plan in light of the adolescent's progress?

4. How is the family involved in the treatment process?

5. How do you engage adolescents so that they stay in treatment?

6. What are the qualifications of the program staff and what kind of clinical supervision is provided?

7. Does the program offer separate single sex groups as well as male and female counselors for girls and boys?

8. How does the program follow up with the adolescent and provide continuing care after treatment is completed?

9. What evidence do you have that your program is effective?

10. What is the cost of the program?

[Lorelei]

Re: #6--How long have program staff been clean / not using their substance of choice? In what way have they demonstrated that they will not be recidivists? Do they--or other full-time personnel--have medical qualifications suitable for the job? Simply participating in the program as recent addicts themselves is not sufficient qualification to counsel others until they have demonstrated their ability to stay clean and apply the coping skills learned to avoid relapsing into old habits; and proof that you can stay clean for a long time / permanently requires some time to pass between graduation and employment as a staffer.

Re: #9--what evidence do you have BY UNBIASED, QUALIFIED, THIRD PARTIES that your program works? Meaning, you can't just create webpages that praise your program or have a co-religionist slap a seal of approval on a medically unsound treatment and pass that off as actual evidence.

[SocialTransparency]

Re: #6--How long have program staff been clean / not using their substance of choice? In what way have they demonstrated that they will not be recidivists? Do they--or other full-time personnel--have medical qualifications suitable for the job? Simply participating in the program as recent addicts themselves is not sufficient qualification to counsel others until they have demonstrated their ability to stay clean and apply the coping skills learned to avoid relapsing into old habits; and proof that you can stay clean for a long time / permanently requires some time to pass between graduation and employment as a staffer.

Re: #9--what evidence do you have BY UNBIASED, QUALIFIED, THIRD PARTIES that your program works? Meaning, you can't just create webpages that praise your program or have a co-religionist slap a seal of approval on a medically unsound treatment and pass that off as actual evidence.

Lor. I know if I were sending a family member to a rehab program, I sure would ask these type of questions. I wonder if the narCONon internet presence fools many a well meaning individual or family into believing in their shtick?

[ethercat]

Good elaboration on numbers 5 and 9, Lorelei.  Thank you.

I wonder if the narCONon internet presence fools many a well meaning individual or family into believing in their shtick?

I'm quite sure it does fool people, including government people who approve it for court-ordered treatment, and other government officials. 

Narconon is listed on the "Vermont Victim Services Resource Directory" here: http://www.ccvs.state.vt.us/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=76 both clearly as Narconon, and as "Cocaine Addiction Services Hotline" using a phone number which I have linked back to a number of scientologist-owned domain names, 877-254-3348.  Just a few of the linked domain names are new-york-drug-rehab.org, methamphetamine-addiction.net, connecticut-drug-rehab.com, californiadrugrehab.org, and drug-rehab-services.com. 

Part of the way they are filling the blogs and other sites with articles is by hiring freelancers for "pennies a word" to write the content, people who may not have any experience with any type of drug use or rehab experience. 

It is a jungle out there for anyone desperately seeking help for a loved one, for whom help must often be obtained on a moment's notice.  Substance abusers are notorious for agreeing to treatment one minute, and changing their mind the next and refusing, so their familes are eager to get a treatment facility as soon as they agree to attend.  Any family with a member who has a substance abuse problem should probably have a list of researched and vetted facilities to call the minute the person agrees, instead of looking for one quickly and after-the-fact.