It isn’t easy to ask for help. It’s not easy for the one who is struggling with addiction, and it isn’t easy for their families. At Sumter Behavioral, we know this. Our job is to make it slightly easier for you. If you, a member of your family, or one of your friends is struggling with substance use, it’s not as rare as you might think. The American Medical association recently did a survey on substance use in the United States, and they found that 1 in 8 Americans struggle with alcohol use disorder. The Centers for Disease Control informs us that over 11% of the American population is currently struggling with some sort of illicit drug use. This confirms that you’re not now, nor have you ever been, truly alone in this. Consider us the coaches in your corner.
Alcohol and other drugs have a talent for destroying lives. It might not happen all at once. Sometimes, dependence on alcohol or drugs starts with heightened anxiety, insomnia, or depression. When it goes untreated, that insomnia might turn into the loss of a job. That depression and anxiety might lead to isolation and distance from loved ones. Substance use could cause a parent to lose a stable home for their child, or it could cause a child to harm themselves or others. We’ve also seen it lead to toxic and abusive relationships. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. We’re glad you’re here.
The good news? Treatment is available, and it has helped hundreds of thousands of people before you. The right treatment plan can lead to healed relationships, increased financial stability, and a physically healthy lifestyle. It can give you healthy coping strategies and inspire strength you never knew you had. We have a wide variety of treatment plans and services available, all designed with your needs and the needs of your family in mind.
The first thing we’ll do is just sit down and talk with you about your needs before, after, and during treatment. We take a “whole-person” approach to your treatment, so we’ll all agree on a plan that makes sense for you. We’re here for the beginning of your journey and long after. We’ll talk about whether or not you’d like inpatient or outpatient treatment, and we’ll determine your aftercare as well. This article is a brief overview of our substance use treatment services and what to expect.
Substance Use Counseling Services
Contrary to popular belief, addiction is not a habit. In order to thrive, addiction needs a catalyst – it needs a trigger. Something is behind it and something is causing it. Our goal is to help you work through that. In both group settings and individually, our substance use counseling program is designed to shine a light on some of the ways alcohol or drugs are impacting your life. We want to work to help you identify your triggers and create new, healthier coping mechanisms.
Individual Therapy
Our individual therapy program is a great way to heal from your substance use and work on yourself from the inside out. Together, we’ll talk about a schedule that works for you and we’ll set you up with a counselor that we believe is a great fit. Our clinicians are all master-level Licensed Professional Counselor Associates (LPC-As) and Licensed Addiction Counselors (LACs). These are the people that will work with you, one-on-one, throughout your journey of healing and recovery. They’ll help you set and achieve goals, heal traumas, and create healthy strategies for sober living. Each week, you’ll meet with the same counselor who knows you and your history. Together, you’ll work on ways to rewire your brain from addiction to sobriety.
Family Therapy
Addiction doesn’t just affect the person struggling with it, it affects entire families. It is hurting the mother who has to watch her daughter struggle with life and death each day. It’s hurting the sister who wants nothing more than her sibling’s happiness. It affects the children who have to watch as their parents slowly lose touch with the world around them. We understand this, and it’s why we recommend family therapy. In family therapy, our clinicians will help you and your loved ones understand how addiction works and what it’s doing to your family dynamic. Our focus is not only on the person struggling with addiction, but the family members that are struggling to cope or understand. We work to repair relationships and strengthen bonds that alcohol or drugs have broken.
Intensive Outpatient Program
Our intensive outpatient program caters to those who need the extra help with their substance use disorder, but chose not to do an inpatient program. It works well for people who are committed to their recovery but have families at home they need to care for. It also works well for those that need to continue to work during their recovery process.
In this program, you or your loved one will come to counseling for nine or more hours each week. It’s usually conducted in a group setting, which is invaluable when it comes to peer support. It will allow those in recovery to share their common experiences and identify strategies and coping mechanisms that have worked for them. Through this, those in recovery will be able to hold each other accountable, challenge each other’s behaviors or cognitions, and lean on one another through the process. We focus on how to live a new and sober life using healthy skills and ideas.
Life Skills
Recovering from substance use is similar to learning how to walk again. You’re learning how to create a new life without alcohol or drugs, and that can feel debilitating. For the longest time, drugs and alcohol took the spotlight, while things like self-care and health took a backseat. Our life skills classes are designed to reintroduce you to the basics so you can build a new foundation for your sober life. In these classes, you’ll learn things like how to create a strong budget for financial stability, how to take care of yourself and make healthy meals again, and how to feel confident without using drugs or alcohol.
Women’s Inpatient Services
An environment conducive to healing is critical for those in recovery. For some women, healing in an environment with men present is simply not effective. Our women’s inpatient treatment is a place to come when you’re ready to dedicate your life to sobriety in a safe, compassionate space. You’ll live on-site and find yourself surrounded with caring, educated, female addiction and peer counselors. The typical stay here is around three months, and in that time you’ll attend therapy, live with, and lean on other women. You’ll participate in individual therapy, group therapy, and life skills classes so that when you’re ready to leave, you’ll have built a beautiful new foundation for yourself. We have a 13-bed facility that is catered to women, by women.
Adolescent and Family Services
Our adolescent and family services cater to adolescents who are struggling with substance use or experiencing behavioral problems. We offer counseling for both the child and the child’s family, either at our outpatient facility or in his/her school. This includes individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy. We also work with adolescents on substance use counseling. Similar to our focus in family therapy, AFS works with the family as a whole to understand the person who is affected and how to help. We want families to know they’re not alone in this, and that healing is possible for everyone involved. We also provide education on how to create an environment suitable for recovery and how to reinforce positive behavior.
Prevention Services
We’re passionate about educating our community on substance use. We have a prevention staff that participates in community events and activities year-round, speaking about the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Our staff visits schools and churches and we’re always on the lookout for new places to speak – so if you would like us to come to your school, please contact us.
The most effective tool against substance use continues to be prevention, and we’re seeing that more and more each year. We currently offer a Life Skills curriculum for elementary and middle schools. This program consists of 10-13 lessons of fun, relational activities that are designed to get the children in our community thinking about their future. If we can relay the dangers of drugs and alcohol to our children early, we believe we can stop addiction in its tracks.
We also participate in PREP (the Palmetto Retailers Education Program) – A short course that aims to reduce underage access to alcohol and tobacco products in our community. It also aims to lower liability risks for businesses and their employees.
We know how much strength it takes to seek help for substance use, and we’re so glad you’re here. If and when you’re ready to take your next steps in recovery, or if you’re just researching for a friend or family member, please feel free to fill out our referral form or call us at (803) 905-5100.
Reach Out To Sumter Behavioral Health Services Today!
Sumter Behavioral Health Services Is Here for Your Needs
If you or your loved one is seeking services for a behavioral health or substance use disorder, please contact us at (803) 905-5100.