On January 27, 2020, I graduated from an Intensive Outpatient Program (I.O.P.) at the Erlanger, Kentucky location of Sun Behavioral Health, which was essentially therapist-led, group therapy for patients suffering from substance abuse that may or may not be accompanied by a dual-diagnosis of another mental health issue.
This particular program required attendance three days a week for three hours each of those days for six weeks (18 sessions), though I know that some facilities may have attendance and time requirements that differ from this. I think it might be helpful for somebody researching different levels of treatment if I shared a little about my experience in this program.
I think it appropriate to start by saying that I thought this program was nothing less than spectacular.
I started in the first day in a mindset very similar to the one I was in the day I attended my first N.A. Meeting; I was pretty skeptical about the whole thing. I had never been to therapy of any type, found it difficult to openly discuss my thoughts and emotions in a group setting, and was generally pretty uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Each session started with a ‘check-in’ sheet that patients were asked to fill out before taking turns discussing how they had answered the questions given at the start of the meeting. The check-in process was basically a device through which the therapist could gauge the patients current state of mind, observe any progress, and discuss any potential issues anybody may be having with their current medication.
After everyone had shared, we moved on to our daily discussion, which touched on a number of useful recovery related subjects. We created a relapse prevention plan and discussed ways to cope with cravings and effectively handle any triggers we may come across. Since I was in the program over the holidays, we discussed ways to constructively handle stresses, triggers, and emotions that may come about as a result of the holiday season.
I will admit that it took me a few sessions to get on board, but after I had listened to other people share their thoughts and experiences, I began to open up a little more to the therapists and the other patients in treatment. I can even say that I made a few friends that I have kept in close contact with.
Little by little, group therapy started truly helping me. It provided me with a number of valuable tools and strategies for dealing with the worst of my cravings, helped me effectively identify and manage my triggers, and most importantly helped develop my ‘sober-network.’
There were two full-time therapists that shared responsibility for the Intensive Outpatient Program who did an absolutely wonderful job connecting with patients and were actually able to provide a surprisingly individualized level of care. Any patient wishing to discuss anything sensitive were met with privately during breaks or before or after the session.
An on-site doctor was constantly kept in the loop with information regarding medication for each individual patient. Most importantly, both therapists were extremely easy to get along with and obviously very passionate about what they do for a living.
My experience at Sun was overwhelmingly positive. I graduated feeling like I had a number of new tools at my disposal to help me successfully navigate my journey through recovery.
G.M.C., 1.26.2020, Day 68
Daily Recovery 