Core Recovery has opened a new location in Surprise, AZ@@Adult Eating Disorder Program Now open in Surprise

How to Choose the Right Treatment Center for Your Mental Health Needs

You’ve decided to seek treatment for yourself or your loved one for an addiction, depression, severe anxiety, or other mental health concern. Now what?

If you’ve never seen a mental health provider before, you may not know how to choose the right treatment center for your specific needs. Here are tips to help guide you to find the right center for you.

Determine Your Treatment Goals

We always tell our patients that it’s really important to choose a treatment facility that can help you reach your rehab goals, but before you can do that, you have to know what those goals are. Here are some things to think about:

  • What substances or behaviors do you want to treat?
  • What does success look like to you?
  • What short-term goal is most important to you?
  • What do you hope your life will be like when you finish treatment?

Consider all Treatment Options

While most mental health providers can provide treatment for a range of conditions, you’ll want to ensure the center you choose provides treatment for your specific needs. For example, if you have  co-dependency issues, you may need to see a therapist who specializes in that area. If you’re dealing with drug or alcohol addiction, you may need to find a treatment center that uses an integrated approach to treat your addiction and any underlying issues that are causing your addiction.

Generally speaking, the more severe your condition is, or complex the symptoms you are experiencing, the more expertise you need to look for in a mental health provider. You’ll want to find a treatment facility that will customize a treatment plan based on your specific needs, whether that means attending group therapy sessions or a more intense partial hospitalization program, or somewhere in between. The more treatment options a facility provides, the better chance you’ll find the one right for you.

Will You Need Medications?

Only specific mental health treatment centers can prescribe medications, so you may want to check to see if medication management is part of the services provided. Your family doctor can diagnose and prescribe medications for mental health issues. However, depending on your concern and the severity of your symptoms, your doctor may recommend consulting a psychiatrist. Other types of mental health providers generally can’t prescribe medications.

Ensure an Assessment is Provided

Before selecting a treatment center, make sure a thorough assessment of your mental health condition is part of the intake process. You want to ensure the mental health treatment center you choose treats you as an individual and not just another patient. Everyone is different, and this is especially true when it comes to mental health. The best treatment centers have an extensive, thorough intake assessment process for all mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

This assessment will help ensure that all your mental health issues are addressed and treated. Co-occurring conditions are common, and the most effective treatment centers consider all of them at the same time. This is what we call an integrated approach to your treatment.

Consider Staff Expertise

The best mental health treatment centers have staff members who are experts in a wide variety of mental health issues and associated treatment options. Just having several therapists on staff is not adequate. Make sure they have the experience, professional training, and knowledge in different types of care and mental illness.

You’ll also want to make sure the center practices collaborative care, actively working together in the patients’ best interests. This way, they can consult with each other and plan their treatments and therapy based on what they can learn from each other.

Compare & Choose

Before choosing a mental health treatment center, carefully weigh all the factors you’ve learned from your research. Determine what characteristics are most important to you and pick the facility that most closely matches what you are looking for.

If you’re still undecided, you can take it a step further and interview some facilities before making a final decision. Some questions you may ask include:

  • How will I know if we’re a good fit?
  • What will my treatment plan look like?
  • Will you help me create small goals to help me reach my overall goal?
  • How will we assess my progress?
  • What makes you better than other treatment facilities?
  • Why should I choose you?
  • Tell me about your staff and your company culture.

 

Hopefully, following these tips will help you find an excellent treatment center that will help you get started on the road to recovery. Core Recovery is here to help. Whether you choose us or another facility that better meets your particular needs, the most important outcome is for you to feel better. Let us know how we can help you on your journey to recovery.

Get the latest news!

Image of a plane representing an email
Young woman reading in the sunlight

Core Recovery is a Professionally Certified Mental Health Practice in North Phoenix.