SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Ocala Consulting & Prevention specializes in Substance Abuse services for Adolescents. Some of our services are listed below:
Assessment - A bio‐psychosocial assessment includes a thorough exploration of the impact of substance abuse on the adolescents’ health, social, psychological, family, educational, and spiritual functioning. A bio‐psychosocial assessment also explores the role of health, genetics, trauma, school, culture, gender, or other factors and their potential impact on the adolescents’ substance abuse use or co‐occurring mental health problems. The assessment process also includes considers the adolescents’ strengths, commitment to change, legal status, and responses to any previous treatment that has been received.
The goal of the assessment is to provide you and your child a recommendation for treatment and referrals. The assessment will provide explanation of your child’s problems and recommend strategies to treat them. Any collateral information will be collected from teachers, probation officers, etc.
Substance Abuse Monitoring/ Drug Screening - Through random drug screening we are able to monitor your child’s abstinence and recovery from substance abuse. Drug Screens will be unplanned and will help Ocala Consulting & Prevention as well as parents better understand how your child is responding to monitoring. These results will also allow for appropriate referrals and placement services.
Substance Abuse Treatment Planning - Based on the assessment, a plan of care will be developed that what problems will be addressed, what services will be applied to these problems, and what the expected result is for each of these problems. The plan will also specify how often and how long your child will participate in recommended services.
Family Counseling - Family involvement: parents and family members may be asked by Ocala Consulting and/or the referred programs and professionals to engage in your child’s treatment. Some examples of this involvement may include:
Communication skill building, family counseling, and transportation planning. Although Florida law allows adolescents to seek treatment without parental consent, involvement by parents and caregivers is important for a good treatment outcome. Ocala Consulting & Prevention require family meetings/sessions with one of our qualified therapists when your child is enrolled in our program
ADDICTION TREATMENT APPROACHES
OCP uses treatment modalities that are based in research and have been shown to be beneficial for drug and alcohol treatment.
We currently use the following research-based treatment modalities in our addiction and recovery programs:
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Most individuals who struggle with addiction are aware that their harmful behavior is dangerous but continue the substance abuse nonetheless. This ambivalence is normal. To assist in changing dangerous behaviors such as drug or alcohol abuse, Motivational Interviewing can help the client move from ambivalent feelings about addiction and/or treatment to a state of genuine desire for change and readiness for treatment.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Our therapists work with clients using CBT techniques that are goal-directed and solution-focused. CBT allows the therapist to work with the client and examine how negative thought patterns and feelings affect or drive unhealthy behavior, such as substance abuse. One goal of CBT is to help the client eliminate or phase out unhealthy thinking that may drive self-destructive behaviors and replace it with healthy, rational thought patterns.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
Many times individuals hold irrational beliefs that can result in negative emotions and behaviors. By using REBT techniques, our therapists work with the client to identify the irrational thinking that causes distress. Like CBT, REBT teaches the client to recognize the automatic, recurring negative thought patterns and replace them with productive, rational beliefs and thinking.
Seeking Safety (And other Trauma-focused therapies)
OCP offers different trauma therapies that include Seeking Safety. This program is appropriate for the client suffering from addiction and co-occurring PTSD and was developed by Lisa M. Najavits, PhD. Trauma-informed therapies are beneficial for the client with a history of trauma exposure such as sexual assault, domestic violence, wartime violence, and natural disasters.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE ASSESSMENTS
Ocala Consulting & Prevention substance abuse assessments is an evaluation that is broken down into two steps: a screening and an assessment.
Substance abuse or addiction has a heavy hand on a person’s life; it can deeply affect them on many levels, causing damage to their body, mind, and relationships. Sometimes—in certain circumstances—when a person’s substance use has gotten out of control, they may find themselves engaging in activities that endanger themselves, their health, or that of others.
When a person has reached this point and they need help, either as mandated through the court, by choice, or through an intervention, they will commonly be faced with a substance abuse evaluation. This evaluation is a tool used to help determine the extent of a person’s misuse and abuse of drugs or alcohol and to determine how to go about treating a person to achieve the greatest success.
The Purpose Of A Substance Abuse Evaluation
An evaluation does these things:
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Determines if the individual has a drug or alcohol addiction
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Assesses the extent of the substance use or addiction
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Discerns if there are any co-occurring conditions, including any physical or mental health concerns, or any other drug use
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Assesses the extent by which the substance use affects the person’s life
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Provides an understanding of the person and their circumstances so that the team may establish a baseline and build a treatment plan that is best suited for their needs and recovery