First Step of Sarasota – North Washington Boulevard - Sarasota, FL

About the Facility

First Step of Sarasota – North Washington Boulevard has been a vital substance abuse addiction treatment center for over 50 years in Sarasota, Florida. This rehab serves children, adolescents, adults, seniors, and families affected by minor or major drug and alcohol abuse and co-occurring mental illnesses.

First Step of Sarasota – North Washington Boulevard offers many rehab services, but they all fall under an inpatient treatment program umbrella. You will find a few of the inpatient residential treatment programs provided below:

Seven inpatient residential treatment programs are offered at the North Washington Boulevard branch of the First Step of Sarasota addiction treatment center.

Choices is a court ordered residential treatment program for clinically appropriate men struggling with substance abuse. This program provides two months of intensive therapeutic components, and there is a four month employment re-entry phase that professionals help with.

In conjunction with the Department of Corrections, the Crossroads program is meant to be a long term recovery solution for women requiring supervision. During this program, women undergo individual and group therapy while learning how to address anger issues and learn communication and relationship skills.

The Mothers & Infants residential program at First Step of Sarasota – North Washington Boulevard is a long term treatment program for pregnant women who are substance abusers. This program teaches parenting while helping mothers enter drug or alcohol recovery.

Pathways is an intensive 28 day recovery program that offers individuals insights into 12 step programs while providing psychoeducational resources and group and individual therapy.

Those with co-occurring mental health illnesses and drug and alcohol addictions can enroll in the Pathways addiction recovery program. This program serves forensic clients and those under statute 916. It offers ongoing group, family, and individual counseling, psychoeducational curricula, and life skills training.

Royal Palms is a sober or halfway house program that is offered to clients who are actively pursuing vocational or educational training and employment or who have already obtained them. This residential service helps individuals with 12 step programs while providing four hours of therapy sessions weekly.

Transitions is a halfway house program that is for clients who have obtained or are seeking employment or educational or vocational training. This program also offers 10 hours of therapeutic services and helps with 12 step programs to help individuals transition to independent living and sobriety.

Accreditations

CARF

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is a non-profit organization that specifically accredits rehab organizations. Founded in 1966, CARF's, mission is to help service providers like rehab facilities maintain high standards of care.

CARF Accreditation: Yes

Treatment

Alcoholism

When a person has alcohol use disorder (AUD), also referred to as alcoholism or alcohol addiction, they experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. This physical dependence results from overuse of alcohol, which may be used as a coping mechanism or escape. Individuals who have AUD can overcome the alcohol addiction through alcohol rehab in Florida. This treatment process involves essential therapy and supports to help the individual achieve and maintain recovery.

Drug Addiction

Drug rehab in Florida provides quality treatment to help individuals overcome dependency related to a wide range of addictive substances. Programs address both the physical and mental aspects of addiction in order to help you make a full recovery.

Dual Diagnosis

In Florida, dual-diagnosis addiction treatment treats mental health and substance use disorders concurrently to enhance successful recovery outcomes and improve overall health. Specialized rehab programs include medical detox, outpatient, residential treatment, and intensive outpatient programs. Using evidence-based therapies, like dialectical behavioral therapy or medication-assisted treatment, clinicians successfully treat dual-diagnosis addiction and mental health conditions. Other activities include group therapy and skills training, to equip you with the skills required to achieve and sustain your recovery.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Mental health and substance abuse treatment in Florida is offered by dual-diagnosis facilities that can provide comprehensive care tailored to your needs. By integrating mental health, medical care, and therapeutic care, medical experts can effectively treat both co-occurring mental health conditions, stabilizing your mental health, and helping you learn vital skills to achieve long-term recovery.

Opioid Addiction

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.

Insurance and Financial

Private insurance
Self-pay options

Programs

Adult program

Postpartum program

The Mothers and Infants program offers residential treatment services to women who are currently pregnant or post-partum women with custody of newborns from 0 – 12 months of age, and who have a substance abuse disorder diagnosis. The program offers a safe, supportive environment which combines group and individual counseling with parenting, nutrition, and life management classes emphasizing the health of the mother and her infant. Women gain the necessary skills for on-going recovery, self-sufficiency and, when applicable, family reunification. The Women’s Intervention Specialist conducts outreach services to publicize the Mothers and Infants program which serves this priority population. The length of stay for each client is based on an individual assessment. Women must be 18 years of age or older and pregnant or post-partum to enter the program which is provided at no cost to the clients.

Program for men

Program for women

Young adult program

Levels of Care

Inpatient

Pathways, a 28-day recovery program, is designed to help substance abusing individuals establish a firm foundation in the recovery process. Clients learn recovery skills, receive relapse prevention training and counseling services are provided by a clinical team trained in the latest science-based techniques. Individual, group and family counseling are combined with psycho-educational presentations and strong connections to the 12-Step community to provide clients with a “best practices” approach to overcoming addictive disorders.

12-Step

12 step programs support recovery through emotional, psychological, and spiritual development to address the root causes of addiction. These programs are peer directed, with participants regularly attending 12 step meetings, which are anonymous, free, and accessible day and night, year-round. Recovery is based on “working the steps” to understand the source of addiction, take accountability for one’s life choices, and relinquish control for that which cannot be changed. Age-specific, gender-separate, and other specialized programs are widely available.

Clinical Services

Group Therapy

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.

Individual Therapy

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

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.