Completing an addiction treatment program requires immense dedication and hard work. Graduates from Trafalgar’s evidence-based residential treatment programs have already formed a strong foundation for lasting recovery. However, recovery is a lifelong process. Graduates still require support during the transition from a treatment program into a regular routine.
This can be a challenging process. While graduates have made great progress, they will still face challenges in recovery. They will encounter relapse triggers and may face complicated situations at home or at work. The work they have done on their mental health and addiction problems must now continue outside of the structure provided by a treatment program. Trafalgar’s Continuation of Care counselling ensures that clients do not have to go through this process alone.
Continuation of Care Counselling
Once clients begin Continuation of Care counselling, they will schedule weekly phone calls with our Continuation of Care Program Manager. These calls will help clients and are program manager to monitor the client’s progress and to identify and address any challenges they face. Weekly calls take place throughout the two months after graduation from a treatment program. Continuation of Care ensures that clients are supported well beyond structured treatment. It forms an important part of clients’ support networks as they continue to work towards lasting recovery.
Getting Started
After being discharged from our care, clients receive a call from our Program Manager within 24 hours or on the next business day. This call is an opportunity to discuss the initial transition from treatment and the challenges the client may face during this process. They can also reflect on their treatment experiences, the skills they have gained, and on how they intend to continue developing them.
After this first call, clients will schedule a 45-minute call with the Program Manger during the first week after discharge. Weekly calls will then continue over a period of two months. Clients can arrange these calls to suit their schedule during regular business hours. These calls help clients to track their progress and to address any challenges that arise. They can also call at any time during regular business hours if they require support or advice. An external perspective from someone who understands the challenges of recovery can be hugely valuable in identifying issues that the person themselves may not.
Building a Connection
All residential clients meet with the Continuation of Care Program Manager during their treatment program. This ensures that they have established a relationship and will feel comfortable speaking openly during Continuation of Care counselling sessions. Our Program Manager’s experience in the field of addiction treatment and personal relationship with Trafalgar’s clients ensure that counselling sessions provide expert advice and support when clients most need it.
ContinUcare
Continuation of Care functions alongside ContinUcare questionnaires. Our treatment team send questionnaires to clients periodically after they graduate from a treatment program. They feature questions that provide clients with insight into their recovery progress. The questionnaires can be completed in only a few minutes. Responses are only ever accessible to the client and our treatment team. They allow clients to monitor their progress and to identify any challenges as they emerge. If a client identifies a consistent negative pattern in their responses, this shows them that there is an issue to be addressed. This kind of real-time, impartial monitoring system allows clients to proactively address problems with our treatment team’s support.
If a client identifies a negative trend, they can discuss it during their weekly session. This helps them to gain a full understanding of the issues they are facing. They can also consider and discuss the appropriate responses. For example, if a client has stopped attending aftercare meetings, a negative trend might indicate that they should recommit to these meetings. If they identify negative responses during periods of stress at work or at home, this indicates that they need to develop healthy strategies for coping with or reducing this stress. During Continuation of Care counselling sessions, clients can also discuss any resources that may benefit your recovery.
Roots of Relapse
The roots of relapse usually begin to emerge some time before the actual event. Stress or conflict at work or at home may gradually undermine recovery. Feelings of isolation or depression or a triggering incident may also contribute to a later relapse. One of the major benefits of Continuation of Care is that it allows clients to monitor their progress and to identify and address any recovery challenges they experience as they emerge. Clients can discuss these challenges with our Program Manager and proactively confront them, rather than allowing them to build to a point where they may cause relapse or other problems.
Continuation of Care counselling ensures that clients have our support throughout the challenging period of early recovery. If you have any questions about Continuation of Care or if you would like to discuss the program further, contact us today.
