Virtual Treatment Program Success
People in addiction or mental health recovery used to choose their addiction Treatment Program based on what PHP/IOP was closest to them. It was simply about what program was located in their zip code or located conveniently along their commute. Because of this, most treatment programs simply offered the same “treatment as usual” 12 step programs that every county offered despite it not being the most effective treatment option, and treatment success rates were pretty stagnant. However, the last few years have changed all of that, and for the better! We created our non-12-step addiction treatment and mental health program and brought it to the Atlanta metro area in 2017. Our clients love the mindfulness-based treatment option, where they get to learn about the neuroscience of habits and addiction, how to cultivate true, daily mindfulness, and get to experience the very best experiential therapy groups in the state including meditation sound bath, meditation breath work for trauma and emotional regulation, recovery yoga led by a licensed addiction therapist, and more! Our clients are encouraged to participate in SMART meetings, provided free at Centered, 12 step meetings, or Recovery Dharma because we know that everyone’s recovery journey is unique. We fully support whatever avenue will provide the best chance for success in recovery for all people.
Virtual Programs can be just as effective
We decided to take our treatment approach up another notch and Centered introduced our Virtual IOP program back in January 2019, a full year before Covid lockdowns made everyone way too familiar with Zoom. That meant that we were able to bring our Virtual “A Game” to the treatment industry for all of our IOP clients located all across Georgia—able to provide effective, engaging addiction treatment and mental health treatment to cities like Savannah, Augusta, Athens, Atlanta, and everywhere in between. Some other treatment programs have followed our lead and begun offering virtual treatment options for clients, which is so beneficial for anyone with a demanding work schedule, many family obligations, physical impairments which impede easy travel to a facility, and more. But we’ve all been in at least one terrible Zoom meeting, where we didn’t feel connected, didn’t feel useful, and definitely felt like it was a meeting that could have been an email.
Make the most of your program
So how do you make sure you get the most out of your virtual treatment experience? After all, this isn’t just another meeting, this is an entire program designed to help you increase your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and maybe even save your life! You definitely don’t want to just “check the box” of attending treatment—you want to fully immerse, engage, and grow into your best self. You spend hundreds of hours and maybe even thousands of dollars on addiction treatment, so you need to maximize your benefits while you’re enrolled.
Here are our top tips for success in a virtual recovery program, whether you attend at Centered, or somewhere else!
Tips for Success in Virtual Treatment
#1. If you’re virtual, leave your camera on. Being in a virtual group or individual session should be treated just like you were physically present in the building, with the bonus of avoiding traffic and the comfort of your own space. Wear clothes (okay, shoes are optional), be in a private space where you can engage with the group and answer questions without anyone overhearing you or the other group participants, and be in a space where you can really pay attention. You are investing your time and resources in your health, so this time should be about you and getting the most out of your sessions!
#2. Park your car. Atlanta traffic is legendary, and commutes are really boring—we get it! You may be tempted to try to use that time to knock out your individual or group sessions since you’re technically sitting still. But if you’re driving, we need you to take a break for your individual session! There are legal liabilities to therapists hosting individual sessions which include making sure you are safe, stationary, and within Georgia state lines before they begin. This is for a variety of reasons, but most important of these is your own safety. Therapists have the right to request that you pull over to complete your individual session if they believe you are driving or not in a safe space to complete the session, and you may incur a missed session fee if you are unable to do so. So save your commutes for some mindfulness podcasts or the new Taylor Swift album.
#3. Your individual sessions are about you! If you aren’t getting what you were expecting in individual session, please feel free to speak up! Our therapy team members are not psychic—believe me, we’ve looked!—so this means you may need to voice where you would like to go in your individual time. Maybe you would like more focus on goal setting and how far you’ve come, maybe it’s time for a family session to help bring your loved ones up to speed, or maybe you want some practical skills to use in your every day life. Our team is more than capable of providing all of this (and more!), but they need your help to understand what you feel you need most. But try to be open and curious about what they recommend as well—sometimes you don’t know how much you need something until an objective professional recommends it!
#4. Try to keep your commitments. Part of your recovery, whether for addiction or mental health, includes prioritizing your health and wellbeing, including keeping your appointments as often as possible. When you schedule an individual session, you can of course cancel or reschedule when you need to—we know life happens! But try to limit those cancellations to real emergencies. Checking in as scheduled with your therapist is a crucial part of your journey, and should be upheld as often as possible.
#5. ENGAGE. You may be an introvert, but now is not the time to hold back. Ask questions, ask for feedback, ask for clarity on anything you aren’t following. How does the group topic apply to you? How does it help you meet the goals you set up in your SMART treatment plan? What can you do outside of group to support what you are learning in group? Don’t get stuck in thinking that your question makes you look silly—it’s highly likely that someone else may have the same question! Also, group therapy is about collaboration, and the more you put in, the more you get out, and the more the group gets out of it. It’s a win-win-win!
#6 Put away your preconceived ideas. About addiction treatment, about recovery, and about yourself. Your past does not define you now. But what you believe about addiction, treatment, and recovery, and even yourself can impact your recovery, maybe more than anything else. Believe that recovery is possible. Believe in your treatment team and their knowledge to help guide you through any rough patch. And most importantly, believe in yourself and what you are capable of!
If you have questions about our mindfulness-based addiction treatment and mental health recovery program in Georgia, feel free to reach out to our team at 800-556-2966. If you want to learn more about our virtual program option and are located in the state of Georgia, feel free to call us today to find out how virtual programming can fit into your life. And if you aren’t sure whether a mindfulness-based, non-12-step addiction treatment and mental health program is right for you, we can help! Call 800-556-2966.
