Iowa City VA Health Care System – VAMC

Dual Diagnosis

In Iowa, dual-diagnosis addiction treatment focuses on providing comprehensive care for individuals with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Types of dual-diagnosis programs include residential drug and alcohol rehab and intensive outpatient options. You can expect the program to include individual and group counseling, evidence-based therapy (like dialectical behavioral therapy), and skills training to enhance your coping skills. By the end of treatment you will have the resources and supportive recovery community to sustain long-term mental health and sobriety.

Mental Health

Treatment for addiction includes a large focus on mental health services while you live at the residential rehab facility and receive 24-hour care. Amenities and mental health therapeutic offerings vary, with standard treatments including individual and group counseling, relapse prevention, coping skills training, and a wealth of cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT). Additionally, many facilities provide alternative mental health services like holistic therapies.

• Private insurance
• Self-pay options
• Medicare
• Military insurance
• Financial aid
• Per session

Adult program

Elderly program

HIV/AIDS program

LGBTQ program

Military program

Program for men

Program for women

Young adult program

Outpatient

Outpatient rehab programs are designed to support clients who are exiting inpatient treatment and for those who prefer to remain in their own homes during active recovery. Clients in outpatient care typically integrate treatment into their ordinary daily routine, including work and school schedules. Evening, night, and weekend therapy sessions, recovery training courses, and other outpatient services are widely available to accommodate clients’ needs. Many outpatient rehabs also offer medication assisted treatment (MAT), including medication induction and maintenance.

Medically Assisted Detox

If you’ve become physically dependent on drugs or alcohol, quitting suddenly can cause very dangerous side effects. During a medically assisted detox, licensed medical professionals will monitor your vitals around the clock and provide medications if necessary to ensure you’re as safe and comfortable as possible throughout this process.

Intensive Outpatient

Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) offer high-level care for clients in early recovery or who are at an increased risk of relapse. Clients may also enroll in an IOP immediately following detox, enabling them to continue to work and to live at home. Clients attend multiple outpatient treatment sessions for a minimum of nine hours per week. Many intensive outpatient rehabs provide a variety of services, including psychotherapy, recovery education, and medication assisted treatment (MAT).

Inpatient

Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.

Partial Hospitalization Program

Commonly referred to as “day treatment,” a partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a short-term, intensive rehab option that provides structured treatment for those who don't require 24-hour care. PHP treatment can also be used as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or as a "step-down" option. Insurance coverage for PHP treatment varies. Typically, PHP treatment requires a minimum of 20 hours a week and lasts an average of 90 days. PHP treatment often includes relapse prevention strategies, medication management, individual and group therapy, and other behavioral therapy interventions.

Aftercare Support

Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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.

Couples Therapy

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.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

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.

Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapy is a form of therapy in which clients are encouraged to surface and work through subconscious issues by engaging in real-time experiences. Experiential therapy departs from traditional talk therapy by involving the body, and having clients engage in activities, movements, and physical and emotional expression. This can involve role-play or using props (which can include other people). Experiential therapy can help people process trauma, memories, and emotion quickly, deeply, and in a lasting fashion, leading to substantial and impactful healing.

Family Therapy

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.

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.

Life Skills

Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is a way of getting nicotine into the bloodstream without smoking. It uses products that supply low doses of nicotine to help people stop smoking. The goal of therapy is to cut down on cravings for nicotine and ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Nutrition Therapy

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.

Recreational Therapy

Recreational therapy (aka therapeutic recreation) uses creative and fun activities to help with addiction recovery. Recreational therapists lead patients in entertaining and engaging activities like sports or games; art (drawing, painting, sculpture); drama, music, and dance; and/or community outings (field trips) to improve patients' physical, social, and emotional well-being.

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.

• Residential setting
• Private setting
• Private transportation
• Metropolitan area