Mental health and addiction recovery treatment may seem like an overwhelming experience for those that have not received professional support or guidance for their physical or psychological well-being. Some people may be uncomfortable at the thought of stepping into the unknowns of the treatment experience, especially at first. After a few weeks of treatment, individuals start to feel acclimated and comfortable, recognizing how vital treatment is for their unique healing journey.
There is a second phase of uncertainty and discomfort that occurs once an individual has completed their treatment program. It may be time for them to go from living at the treatment facility to living back at home or go from intensive outpatient care to therapy only a few times a month. These are transitional periods. Transitional periods may cause an individual to feel even more overwhelmed than they did before beginning treatment, primarily because they are gaining more independence and responsibility for their recovery.
Luckily, more treatment centers are incorporating transitional care programs into their facility. These programs allow individuals to feel more significant support and guidance as they transition from one level of care to another. One important transitional care program is transitional residential care, which is designed to bridge the gap between residential care (inpatient rehab) and independent living outside of treatment.
Understanding Transitional Residential Care
It is important to recognize that there are many residential care programs that can utilize transitional residential care. For example, consider an individual that just completed a treatment program in a mental health facility care unit. They may have been admitted to psychiatric hospitalization because they were experiencing severe mental health symptoms, putting themselves or others at high risk for injury. After receiving care, they may not feel ready to be thrown back into their daily lives, especially if their home environment may present triggers that can throw them back into a mental health relapse.
Other people that may benefit the most from transitional residential care may include:
- Individuals that have never lived alone before
- People with chronic mental health disorders
- Those in recovery from substance use disorders and addiction
- Individuals that experience ambivalence about their own ability to utilize new skills outside of treatment without additional support and guidance
When situations like this arise, transitional residential care programs become a valuable option. These programs allow individuals to gradually transition between intensive rehab programs and outpatient treatment. Transitional residential care programs offer clients care and support 24/7 and offer necessary encouragement while clients work to utilize the treatment tools in their daily lives.
What to Expect From a Transitional Residential Program
When utilizing transitional residential care, an individual can expect to continue treatment therapy sessions, including individual and group sessions. They can also expect to live in a home-like environment with one other roommate to foster greater privacy and a place to spend downtime between treatment tasks.
Every person in the program will have specific responsibilities to carry out within the residential home or community. These tasks will help clients foster a greater sense of responsibility and independence, which are meant to set the client up for success following the completion of the treatment program. Examples of tasks involved in a normal day in transitional residential care include:
- Individual therapy
- Support group meetings
- Communal responsibilities
- Attending outside responsibilities, such as work or school
- Eating three healthy and balanced meals daily
- Meeting with professional staff regularly for check-ins and progress evaluations
- Goal-oriented routines that practice treatment skills
- Adhering to a set curfew and other rules for the home environment
What Sets Transitional Residential Programs Apart From Other Programs
There are many factors that set transitional residential programs apart from other traditional programs. While they become a valuable option for those that are not ready to commit to complete independence and responsibility of outpatient treatment, other benefits of transitional residential programs include:
- Offering a safe and secure way for clients to learn independence in their daily lives without feeling overwhelmed by personal responsibilities, expectations, or other tasks
- Ability to access resources that assist with finding local support resources, self-help groups, and outside therapy treatment
- Ability to receive guidance regarding housing, career, or nutritional assistance
- Higher client satisfaction with the treatment experience
- Reducing stress, anxiety, and other overwhelming emotions that may come from experiencing transitional periods in life
- Working to prevent mental health and substance use relapse
- Improved and more intimate treatment and therapy program options
- Opportunity to experience self-development and increase the quality of life with the help of mental health professionals
Transitional residential care serves as a bridge between residential care and outpatient care. Transitional care is a valuable resource for those that are not yet ready to make the jump of complete independence between two or more levels of care during their treatment journey. Transitional residential programs have many benefits, mainly because they allow clients to immerse themselves in self-development and strengthen client independence as they continue to implement their treatment lessons into their daily lives. SoCal Mental Health offers a transitional residential program for those that are looking for more effective assistance in their transitional period. Our program is a good fit for anyone that feels uncertain about completing or leaving their inpatient treatment program and would like more support as they transition back into their daily lives. To learn more about our program or for more about transitional residential care, give us a call today at (949) 502-2041.
