Northwestern Community Services Board – Amherst Clinic - Winchester, VA

About Northwestern Community Services Board – Amherst Clinic

Northwestern Community Services Board is a behavioral health agency with locations throughout Virginia. One of the locations is Amherst Clinic and Peer Center on Amherst Street in Winchester. The clinic provides treatment for substance use and co occurring mental health disorders as well as specialized case management services. The facility is in network with several commercial insurance plans. They’re also a provider for the Veterans Administration Community Care Network, and they accept Medicare and Virginia Medicaid plans and MCOs.

The Amherst Clinic provides intensive outpatient programs (IOP), office based addiction treatment with medication assisted treatment (MAT), and outpatient therapy. The IOP is gender specific with the women’s program in the morning and the men’s in the evening. The groups meet three times each week and each session lasts at least three hours. The curriculum is approved by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). You’ll participate in group and individual counseling and have medication management if appropriate.

One of the unique treatment programs offered at this clinic is the substance exposed infants program (SEI). The SEI provides case management to mothers with substance use issues during pregnancy and after delivery. The case managers connect clients to therapy, MAT, outpatient programs, and other support services. They also help fathers with substance use. Parents can also get case management services for their children.

A recovery skills group offers a supportive environment for people in recovery. For successful recovery, it’s important to accept your chemical dependency without judgment. Learning to turn off negative thoughts and turn on solution focused, positive thoughts is a crucial part of recovery, and the recovery skills group helps you achieve that. You’ll be with others who support you on this journey.

The Amherst clinic houses the “Within Reach” peer resource center where you can find free peer support. There are Certified Peer Recovery Specialists available to share their own experiences and help you connect with others in recovery. You can participate in sober activities and groups and get individual support. They have computers available, and you can watch movies and T.V., use the wifi, and play video games. You don’t have to be a client to use the peer resource services.

Rehab Score

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Other Forms of Payment

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.

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.

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.

Addiction Treatments

Levels of Care

Outpatient

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. The IOP is offered in the morning for women and in the afternoon for both, men and women. Services utilize evidence based techniques.

Intensive Outpatient

Intensive Outpatient programs 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). Outpatient therapy is offered on a weekly/bi weekly basis or as needed. Services also include evidence based techniques provided by licensed therapists.

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.

When you enroll in drug rehab in Virginia, a treatment plan is designed by professional staff in order to help you overcome drug addiction and modify addictive behaviors. This may include evidence-based treatments, group and individual therapy, and relapse prevention.

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 Program

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 Adult Program

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Motivational Enhancement Group is a one hour group that meets weekly.

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.