Person-Centered Care

“There is no cookie-cutter approach to treatment and recovery. Individual life experience, past trauma, physical health conditions, substance abuse history, and mental health all interact with and add complexity to each person’s addiction. Some treatments are only effective with specific addictions – e.g., an approach for cocaine addiction may not get the same results for opioid addiction.”

Having recognized this truth, Heartland House has successfully transformed our core recovery program into an individually-centered treatment care model. A key factor in this achievement has been our implementation of The Change Companies’ evidence-based practices, which enable us to effectively determine each client’s unique current state of willingness to change and then develop a treatment program with short- and long-term goals that are based upon their individual circumstances.

Here is how it works:

Intake Questionnaire

The first step in this process is an extensive set of intake questions, the responses to which help us to determine what the client is willing to do to recover from their addiction. The questions are intended to elicit from the client their current state of mind, the goals that they would like to achieve, and the obstacles, real or perceived, that may impede them in their recovery. Our staff prompts and assists the client as needed to help them develop their responses. Here is a representative sample of intake questions:

• Can you identify your strengths and areas of needed improvement?
• What changes would you like to make? (goals)
• What effective coping skills do you have? (support system, asking for help)
• What is your view on medication?
• What fears/challenges do you have with withdrawal?
• When/where/how did your withdrawal occur?
• What resources do you presently have at your disposal?
• What are your thoughts/feelings that lead you to experience problems?
• What might lead you to relapse?
• What are your thoughts/feelings about… {client specific} people, places, and things?
• Explore your recent experiences. What motivation do you have to change?
• Explore the last time you went back to using/drinking. What mental/physical experiences did you have?

Answering our intake questions enables a client to begin exploring their own behaviors surrounding their substance use. As we facilitate their completion of the questionnaire, we help them to identify their personal strengths and, conversely, the individual indications that are precursors to a potential relapse.. We also help them to acknowledge and consider those POSITIVE actions/thoughts/feelings that they have experienced or accomplished in recent experience from NOT using, and how they can draw from those experiences and reach out for help.

The client l writes out all of their responses and, when finished, we ask them to review everything they’ve recorded. This practice serves to reinforce their knowledge of their strengths, skills, resources, positive people in their life, and strategies that they’ve identified to create an environment conducive to recovery. Another key benefit of this practice is the generally greater willingness of clients to participate in a program that they themselves helped to develop, giving a better chance of success at a life of recovery.

Change Team

Another key element of this process is the identification of the client’s change team, a group of individuals who will help them in their recovery program. These individuals may include counselors, family, criminal justice workers, close best friends, therapists, and medical doctors.

To identify members of their change team, w recommend that the client consider their social circle, family and recovery advisors for persons whom they may trust to support them. Here are some key questions to ask them: Also, what is the status of your family unit? Are you in touch with family? Is there a healthy environment to which you may return to after leaving Heartland House and transitioning back into society? The change team should include whoever the client trusts in to help them along their journey.

Once identified, the client is expected to take another critical growth step in their recovery: reach out and ask for those people to help.

Working Toward Their Goals

Having laid the groundwork described above, the client is considered ready to commence the work of their treatment program. Clients are expected to work closely with the members of their change team, continually referring back to the goals they set, tracking progress, and adjusting whereas necessary.

If you are interested in learning more about the Heartland House recovery program, please contact us. We are here to help.