About Western Youth Services
Western Youth Services (WYS)–Mission Viejo is an outpatient mental health care facility and drug and alcohol rehab for youth and families in Mission Viejo, California. They specialize in crisis intervention, school and community-based services, and general outpatient (OP) care, including dedicated services for children, adolescents, and persons with co-occurring addiction and mental illness. They accept Medicaid and offer low and no cost services and financial aid.
Clients enrolled in outpatient care receive medical and mental health assessments, personalized care planning, and comprehensive case management. They also engage in intensive individual, group, and family counseling drawing on proven modalities, including accept and commitment therapy (ACT), CBT, DBT, and motivational interviewing. The program promotes clients’ sustained recovery through robust, age-specific life skills training for youth and their caregivers. Recovery education may address topics such as coping, self-care, wellness, communication, decision-making, emotional regulation, parenting, trauma resolution, financial and household management, and relapse prevention. EMDR is available for trauma survivors.
Their aftercare services ensure a complete continuum of care aligned with clients’ evolving needs and may include employment and housing assistance, vocational and academic training, and referrals for medical, mental health, and social service programs.
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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.
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 Programs (OP) 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.
Inpatient rehab provides intensive treatment for clients exiting detox, those in early recovery, and those at an elevated risk of relapse. Unlike outpatient drug rehab, clients receiving inpatient care reside at the facility for the duration of the program. The length of stay may range from two weeks to 18 months or more, depending on the client's needs and the program's design. Inpatient treatment typically involves extensive addiction education and recovery-focused life skills training.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) support a client's sustained sobriety as they exit detox or step down from an inpatient program. IOPs are also designed for clients who are at an elevated risk of relapse. Intensive outpatient treatment typically requires clients to engage in a minimum of nine hours of therapy per week, but clients may receive up to 20 therapeutic hours weekly. IOP treatment modalities often combine psychotherapy, recovery-focused life skills training, and medication assisted treatment (MAT).
During the first phase of recovery – detox – it is crucial to have 24-hour clinical care in California. This care provides constant monitoring in order to ensure your safely and comfort as you progress through the withdrawal process for drug or alcohol addiction. Licensed professionals prescribe medications to treat withdrawal symptoms and provide frequent monitoring to ensure your safely as addictive toxins leave your system.
When addicted, quitting your drug of choice suddenly can be dangerous. That's why experts agree a medically assisted detox is the safest way to remove addictive substances from the body. Usually done in an inpatient setting, your vitals signs and overall well being are consistently monitored and rechecked in order to keep you safe and ensure the detox is successful.
Treatments
Mental health rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and more. Mental health professionals at these facilities are trained to understand and treat mental health issues, both in individual and group settings.
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.
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.
Staff
Darren Kerstien
President
Csilla Koppany
Vice President
Dr. Lorry Leigh Belhumeur, Ph.D
Chief Executive Officer
Katie November, LCSW
Chief Operating Officer
Marc Marger
Chief of Staff
Contact Information
26137 La Paz Road
Mission Viejo CA, 92691