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Definitions of Continuum of Care Components and Services
Prevention: Includes six primary prevention strategies targeted, as appropriate, to particular groups of people. The strategies include:
Shelter: Provides food, lodging, and clothing for people who abuse alcohol and other drugs, with the purpose of protecting and maintaining life and motivating them to seek substance abuse treatment. Shelters are a pre-treatment service, usually operated in connection with a detoxification component. At a minimum, shelter is provided 12 hours per day.
Extended Shelter: Provides a structured treatment environment for people who are on a waiting list for substance abuse treatment, or who either have completed a detoxification program or are otherwise not in need of detoxification services, and who need a social support system to enable them to remain chemical free for a period before returning to the community or moving to another treatment modality.
Detoxification: Provides people with acute problems related to withdrawal from alcohol or other drugs with immediate assessment, diagnosis and medically assisted detoxification, as well as medical treatment for other acute illnesses. These programs must provide for appropriate referral and transportation for continuing treatment. Services are provided on a 24-hour basis.
Residential Rehabilitation: Provides a scheduled treatment program in a 24-hour setting, which consists of diagnostic, educational, and counseling services. These programs must refer people to support services, as needed. People are routinely discharged to outpatient services for aftercare counseling and support.
Therapeutic Community: Provides an age-appropriate, structured environment in a residential facility in combination with professional clinical services to support and promote recovery. Residents generally are characterized as having chaotic, unsupportive, and often abusive relationships, extensive treatment or criminal justice histories, and little or no work history or educational experience. Programs are characterized by their reliance on the treatment community as a therapeutic agent that introduces and enforces appropriate social values and behaviors, as well as by their focus on reintegration of the resident into the greater community, with particular emphasis on employment and education. Treatment is specific to maintaining abstinence and preventing relapse, but also vigorously promotes personal responsibility and positive character change.
Halfway House: Provides age-appropriate treatment and supportive services in a chemical-free, community-based residential program for people involved in a recovery process. These programs offer services which vary in intent and intensity, depending on the needs and nature of the people they serve. They prepare people for reentry into the community.
Extended Care: Provides a long-term supportive and structured environment for individuals with extensive alcohol and drug-related debilitation and, possibly, exacerbation of mental health problems. These programs require sustained abstinence and provide specialized treatment in a supervised living experience. Outcome goals range from custodial care to further treatment services and recovery. The term of residency is usually more than 180 days.
Outpatient Services: Provides assessment, treatment, case management, and referral to other services. Services may be provided to families or other concerned persons, whether or not the primary abuser is receiving treatment. Treatment may include individual and groups counseling, as well as presentations that are educational or skill building in nature.
Intensive Outpatient Services: Provides an intensive and structured program of alcohol and drug assessment, diagnosis, and treatment services. These services include a structured sequence of multi-hour clinical and educational sessions scheduled for three or more days a week with a minimum of nine hours a week.
Family Therapy: Regularly scheduled sessions for families and affected others of people with alcohol or drug problems. Sessions may be with individuals, entire families, or groups of families, and generally address coping and personal growth issues.
Transitional Housing: A community-based group living environment for people in transition from a residential treatment setting into the community or as an interim safe residence while awaiting admission to a residential facility. People may receive services outside from community-based agencies or, in some cases, may receive services within this service setting.
Consumer Run Housing: A group living environment in which people share responsibility for managing the household. Some people have co-existing disorders of mental illness and substance abuse and receive case management from community-based services.