Outpatient Care: How to Choose Your Therapy and Treatments

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Inpatient care centers provide incredible value to people who can attend them. However, most people have schedules that make outpatient care more suitable for them. Outpatient and emergency care centers in the United States alone provide more than $178 billion worth of value every year!

Of course, an industry that large will have a lot of variety in it. There are many different types of outpatient care.

Not everybody is familiar with different kinds of outpatient care or the pros and cons of each of them. Understanding your options better can help you find the right type of outpatient care for you.

Read on to learn all about the most important things to understand about outpatient care options and how to choose the one that will work best for you!

Different Kinds of Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatment is the counterpart to inpatient treatment. Inpatient treatment is about 24-hour care at a facility that you do not leave. Outpatient care is about care you receive while still living your usual life.

There are three different types of outpatient care. We will discuss them in order of most time-intensive to least time-intensive.

Partial Hospitalization Programs

Partial hospitalization programs provide treatment every day. In most cases, the treatment will consist of several hours of attendance at a facility.

At these sophisticated facilities, you can receive individual therapy. You can also build skills and engage in group therapy.

These programs are relatively expensive. However, they provide a wide variety of services. They are the closest thing to inpatient programs without actually checking into a 24-hour facility. That can make them a good choice for people looking for as much care as possible.

Intensive Outpatient Programs

Intensive outpatient programs are somewhat less time-intensive. Patients attend multiple times each week. However, they do not attend every day.

On top of that, more of the time in an intensive outpatient program might consist of recreational activities. You can also still meet with therapeutic professionals.

Intensive outpatient programs can be a good choice for people with a difficult schedule. You can still receive plenty of treatment without having to set your normal life aside.

Support Groups for Substance Use Disorder

Support groups require even less time commitment. In many cases, people only attend once every week.

On top of that, support groups lack professional care. You probably will not receive customized therapy in a one-on-one setting.

However, support groups allow people to support each other. Although you receive help, it will also be your responsibility to help others overcome their struggles.

That can make support groups a great choice for people who find meaning in helping others. They are also a good choice if you are looking for an affordable option that can fit into a busy and rigid schedule.

Different Types of Therapy

In many outpatient programs, you will have the option to receive professional therapy. There are many different types of therapy that each come with its own idiosyncrasies.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy achieves the best outcomes in scientific studies. It does not suppose the existence of any particular philosophy or spiritual theory. Instead, it focuses simply on thoughts and feelings.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can provide a lot of order. People can become much more familiar with the thoughts that come back again and again in their lives. Patients can learn to question these thoughts instead of simply accepting them.

Negative thoughts can drastically affect people’s moods. Learning to keep track of your thoughts and challenge them can be an extremely effective way of improving your mood.

On top of that, cognitive behavioral therapy can help people discover beliefs that are irrational. Cognitive behavioral therapy emphasizes discovering black-and-white thinking and exaggerated thoughts.

The end result can be a clearer understanding of yourself. You may also understand the world more clearly. That makes cognitive behavioral therapy a great choice for people who greatly value truth.

Humanistic Therapy

Humanistic therapy is all about the power of human beings. It teaches a philosophy of individual choice and realization of your potential. Many people find inspirational meaning in humanistic therapy.

Humanistic therapy also comes with the teachings of many revered philosophers. That is something that cognitive behavioral therapy lacks. This can make humanistic therapy a good choice for people trying to decide what they believe about the deep questions of existence.

On top of that, humanistic therapy emphasizes the sovereignty of the individual. Therapists are likely to give the responsibility for deciding the meaning of experiences to the patient. This can make humanistic therapy a good choice for people who want to decide what they believe for themselves.

Holistic Therapy

Holistic therapy refers to a wide range of practices. It can involve ideas of spiritual energy. It may involve physical practices like yoga.

Many people greatly appreciate the view of the world that holistic therapy provides. They also enjoy learning to interact with their body and emotions in new ways.

Holistic therapy might be a great choice if you want to understand alternative conceptions of reality. It can also be a great choice for people who want to become physically healthier.

Many people see significant disadvantages with outpatient care without realizing that there are many different kinds of outpatient care. Although not every option works for everyone, there is almost always at least one option that can help them.

Understand How to Choose the Right Outpatient Care For You

We hope learning about how to pick your outpatient care treatment has been helpful for you. 

The more you understand about different outpatient care options, the more likely you are to pick the care that will be most effective for you. To learn more about different types of outpatient care or to get in touch with providers who can help you find a treatment, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!

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