How to Choose the Right Teen Rehab

Finding the Right Teen Rehab

Substance abuse issues for teenagers represents a different set of problems compared to adults. That is why finding a rehabilitation center designed for teenagers is so important. Keep in mind that any teenager who is 17 years or younger in the United States can be put into a rehab center without their consent. As their parent or legal guardian, you have the choice about whether to send them to a rehab center or get outpatient treatment.

But you will need to find a rehab center that is designed to address the issues teens are facing. This means narrowing your search by using the following guidelines:

Fully Trained, Licensed, & Professional Teen Rehab

Your search should begin with treatment centers that are fully licensed with the state and local authorities. This includes the staff who should also be fully trained, licensed, and professional in their approach. This will help you eliminate centers that do not meet local and state standards for treatment. You should go over all the treatment centers in your immediate area and eliminate the ones that do not meet proper standards.

Full & Complete Treatment at Teen Rehab

From evaluation to creating a custom plan to helping the teenager overcome their addiction and getting them back to normal life, the treatment center should offer a complete plan from start to finish. This does not mean that the teenager is cured. But rather that they have overcome their current substance abuse condition and now have the tools to identify and prevent issues that might cause relapses to occur.

Age Specific Teen Rehab

Adolescents are not the same as adults, which is why a treatment center dedicated to teens is going to be more effective than one which mostly focuses on adults. By creating a proper atmosphere, it helps to motivate teens to accept treatment faster. Being surrounded by those who are the same age can help immensely in terms of support. This is why your search should focus on centers that provide primarily teen substance abuse treatment and teenage mental health issues.

Custom Plans for Teenagers in Treatment

A typical rehabilitation center will create a full profile in terms of psychology, biology, and social assessment. Such evaluations will need to be based on evidence, tested over time, and have proven to be effective in determining the root causes of the substance abuse. In addition, custom plans need to be developed based on the information provided

The center you choose should be able to recognize different disorders happening at the same time, be sensitive to the unique dynamics of your family, and perhaps most importantly understand the relevant social factors that may have contributed to this situation.

Cultural & Gender Considerations at Teen Rehab

While each treatment center will have a diverse population of teenagers, the clinicians will also have the proper treatment that is geared towards gender, minorities, LGBTQI, and other cultural considerations. In other words, teens that have unique challenges will have the right treatment geared to them. All this while being in a healthy, diverse environment that assists in overcoming their addiction.

Family Support at Teen Rehab

Any plan for treatment must include the family. This means parents, siblings, and grandparents along with primary caregivers and anyone who has a daily involvement with the teenager. Studies have shown that family participation is a vital element in the recovery of the teen. This means a greater chance that the substance abuse can be overcome.

Trust at Teenage Rehab

One of the key elements of any successful rehab center dealing with teenagers is to gain the trust of their patients. Teens are certainly different than adults in this regard, so a center that has been successfully treating teens is one that needs to be evaluated.

Gaining the trust requires time, involvement, and activities that engage the teenager. This allows the teen to adjust to their new life inside the center. By adapting to the environment, engaging in activities, and spending hours each day undergoing treatment they stand a far better chance of becoming sober and maintaining sobriety for the rest of their lives.

This is why gaining trust is so important. Otherwise, the teen tends to withdraw and may make the situation worse for their long-term health.

Tracking Results from Rehab

Proper rehabilitation requires tracking results and evaluating the current status of the teen. By monitoring the progress that is made, adjustments to their care can be added to ensure a greater chance of success. In addition, by bringing in new techniques that keep pace with the best practices, this allows the clinicians to have additional tools in the treatment of their patients.

By knowing what is happening now, it helps the clinicians to provide the proper treatment for tomorrow. This translates into greater chances of success when the teenager returns home. But the tracking does not end there. It will continue to evaluate the life of the teen over the next several months to see if the treatment is still working.

Outpatient Care

The treatment does not end when the teen walks out the door and goes home. Aftercare plans are put into place that monitor the teen’s recovery efforts. Putting into place strategies for sobriety, how to deal with the pressures of falling back into their old habits and providing community-based options for continued support.

This means that a proper aftercare plan will include access to local organizations such as NA, AA, Refuge Recovery, SMART Recovery, and other twelve-step programs that help teens as they reenter their normal lives. By providing proper aftercare, teens will have a place to go when tempted to return to their old habits.

Addressing the needs of teenagers while undergoing substance abuse treatment is no easy task. However, teenagers do have some advantages over adults when it comes to overcoming substance abuse. One benefit is that teenagers do not have decades of abuse in their past that may hinder the effectiveness of treatments to adults.

By entering your teen into a proper rehab center that is dedicated towards helping teenagers, you can increase the chances that sobriety becomes a part of their lives. Plus, they are provided with the tools and support needed to help them stave off future temptations to fall back into substance abuse.