About Alvarado Parkway Institute Behavioral Health System Outpatient Services
Alvarado Parkway Institute Behavioral Health System Outpatient Services is a substance use and mental health treatment provider in San Diego, California offering intensive outpatient care for adults.
This University Avenue location provides an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for substance use disorders and mental health conditions with customized evidence based care.
What kinds of treatment does API San Diego offer?
The San Diego site provides an Intensive Outpatient Program with morning and afternoon tracks, generally attended three days per week and up to four when needed.
Care includes counseling and medication management, coping-skills development, stress management, and an optional eight-week abstinence-based substance use curriculum.
Who can get help here?
The program serves adults with mild to moderate symptoms who have solid support systems. API treats alcohol addiction and opioid and prescription drug use as well as mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and dual diagnosis.
What approaches are used?
API blends harm-reduction and relapse-prevention work with evidence-based methods including CBT and DBT skills, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and Seeking Safety for co-occurring trauma and substance use.
Where is the center located?
API’s outpatient program is at 5538 University Avenue in San Diego, with lunch, snacks, and free transportation available for clients in designated ZIP codes.
Do they take insurance?
API is in network with most major carriers including Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser, Medicare, TRICARE, and Optum and also works with out of network plans. Financial assistance, discount payment, and charity care options may be available with verification.
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Accepted Insurance
Other Forms of Payment
Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.
Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.
Sliding scale payments are based on a client's income and family size. The goal is to make treatment affordable to everyone. By taking these factors into account, addiction recovery care providers help ensure that your treatment does not become a financial burden to you or your family, eliminating one barrier to care.
Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance for those 65 and older. It also serves people under 65 with chronic and disabling health challenges. To use Medicare for addiction treatment you need to find a program that accepts Medicare and is in network with your plan. Out of pocket costs and preauthorization requirements vary, so always check with your provider.
Military members, veterans, and eligible dependents have access to specific insurance programs that help them get the care they need. TRICARE and VA insurance can help you access low cost or no cost addiction and mental health treatment. Programs that accept military insurance often have targeted treatment focused on the unique challenges military members, veterans, and their families face.
Medicaid is a state based program that helps lower-income individuals and families pay for healthcare. Medicaid covers addiction treatment so those enrolled can use their coverage to pay for rehab. When a program accepts Medicaid the client often pays very little or nothing out of their own pocket.
Addiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Outpatient programs are for those seeking mental rehab or drug rehab, but who also stay at home every night. The main difference between outpatient treatment (OP) and intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) lies in the amount of hours the patient spends at the facility. Most of the time an outpatient program is designed for someone who has completed an inpatient stay and is looking to continue their growth in recovery. Outpatient is not meant to be the starting point, it is commonly referred to as aftercare. Alvarado Parkway Institute - University Avenue offers a wide variety of outpatient programs in multiple locations throughout San Diego, La Mesa, and El Cajon. Outpatient programs are designed to promote recovery by clients and staff working together as a team to address symptoms, identifying common goals for treatment, and by developing strategies to avoid relapse and hospitalization.
Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) are for those who want or need a very structured treatment program but who also wish to live at home and continue with certain responsibilities (such as work or school). IOP substance abuse treatment programs vary in duration and intensity, and certain outpatient rehab centers will offer individualized treatment programs.
Commonly known as "day treatment," a partial hospitalization program (PHP) is an intensive form of outpatient treatment where clients meet during the day and return home in the evening. PHP treatment doesn't require 24-hour care and often serves as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or a step-down after a residential program. With PHP treatment, you can receive daily support for 6 to 8 hours which includes evidence-based therapies and medication management. The cost of PHP treatment typically varies but averages 90 days.
Treatments
The goal of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence. Those with poor social support, poor motivation, or psychiatric disorders tend to relapse within a few years of treatment. For these people, success is measured by longer periods of abstinence, reduced use of alcohol, better health, and improved social functioning. Recovery and Maintenance are usually based on 12 step programs and AA meetings.
Drug rehab in California teaches participants constructive ways to stay clean and sober. Treatment revolves around helping individuals stop using the substance they are addicted to and learn healthy habits to avoid relapse.
Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
A combined mental health and substance abuse rehab has the staff and resources available to handle individuals with both mental health and substance abuse issues. It can be challenging to determine where a specific symptom stems from (a mental health issue or an issue related to substance abuse), so mental health and substance abuse professionals are helpful in detangling symptoms and keeping treatment on track.
Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.
Programs
Adult rehab programs include therapies tailored to each client's specific needs, goals, and recovery progress. They are tailored to the specific challenges adult clients may face, including family and work pressures and commitments. From inpatient and residential treatment to various levels of outpatient services, there are many options available. Some facilities also help adults work through co-occurring conditions, like anxiety, that can accompany addiction.
Young adulthood can be an exciting, yet difficult, time of transition. Individuals in their late teens to mid-20s face unique stressors related to school, jobs, families, and social circles, which can lead to a rise in substance use. Rehab centers with dedicated young adult programs will include activities and amenities that cater to this age group, with an emphasis on specialized counseling, peer socialization, and ongoing aftercare.
Recovery is most successful when clients feel accepted and validated by their peers and treatment providers. Facilities that offer LGBTQ-inclusive programming are committed to creating a safe space where everyone can grow and recover without fear of judgment or discrimination. They will have dedicated policies in place to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters free expression.
Serving in the military is both mentally and physically challenging, and can result in trauma that persists even after combat ends. Military programs are tailored to the specific and often complex needs of active duty personnel, veterans, and military families. Clients often access these programs through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Clinical Services
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a treatment designed to help people understand and ultimately affect the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT is often used for individuals who struggle with self-harm behaviors, such as self-mutilation (cutting) and suicidal thoughts, urges, or attempts. It has been proven clinically effective for those who struggle with out-of-control emotions and mental health illnesses like Borderline Personality Disorder.
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.
Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation. As healthcare professionals Alvarado Parkway Institute - University Avenue promotes family involvement in their patients' care. Watching a loved one struggle with mental illness or addiction is difficult. Patients are encouraged on admission and throughout their stay to include family members in making healthcare discussions and planning for the future. Despite their encouragement, consent is not always granted to staff to be able to communicate with families. The severity of the symptoms experienced often contributes to the patient's unwillingness to openly share information about their situation. Strict federal and state laws regarding patient privacy require that the patient provide the facility with consent to speak to anyone about their care and treatment or even acknowledge a patient's presence in their facility.
Nutrition therapy, aka medical nutrition therapy (MNT), is a way of treating physical, emotional, and medical conditions through diet. Specific dietary plans are designed by professional nutritionists or registered dietitians, and patients follow them in order to positively affect their physical and mental health.
Amenities
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Private Transportation
Staff & Accreditations
Staff
Patrick Ziemer
Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Noorollah, PhD
Chief Operations Officer
Dr. R Bradley Sanders, D.O
Executive Medical Director
Dr. Cesar Benitez, M.D
Chief of Staff
Renee Novo
Executive Director, Business Development
Julie Pfizenmeier, MBA
Director of Human Resources
Michele Grebisz
Consulting Chief Financial Officer
Accreditations
The Joint Commission, formerly known as JCAHO, is a nonprofit organization that accredits rehab organizations and programs. Founded in 1951, the Joint Commision's mission is to improve the quality of patient care and demonstrating the quality of patient care.
Joint Commission Accreditation: Yes
Rehab.com regularly reviews this listing for accuracy but changes may occur between updates. For the most up-to-date information, please contact Alvarado Parkway Institute Behavioral Health System Outpatient Services.
Contact Information
5538 University Avenue
San Diego CA, 92105
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