Top 5 Benefits of Combining Education and Addiction Treatment

According to recent studies, drug addiction therapy should combine different approaches for long lasting results. Therapies that combine more than one approach have been found to be far more effective because they address the behavioral, biological, and social aspects of treatment as a unit. Drug addiction is not all about interacting with drugs; it is fueled by numerous other factors such as personal experiences, the environment, and the addict’s biological vulnerability.  Viewing drug addiction as purely behavioral or exclusively biological is therefore too limiting.  

Combining education and addiction treatment has several benefits.

1. Increased activity of the frontal lobe – Research shows that increasing the activity of the frontal lobe in early treatment helps with neurogenesis. Neurogenesis simply refers to the birth of neurons. It is a process by which neurons are generated from the progenitor cells and the neural stem cells. Neurons or nerve cells help in processing and transiting information. Education and learning are known to increase the activity of the frontal lobe.
2. Learning together – Educational programs ensure that clients start and finish together. This is different from normal treatments where clients are constantly admitted to and discharged from a drug treatment program. This cohesive learning is critical for effective treatment of drug addiction.
3. More time with facility staff – Clients receiving treatment from an educational facility are likely to benefit from the extra hours they spend with the staff. Their treatment schedules often include special academic groups, study groups, and regular treatment lectures. They usually also benefit from treatment program groups and life skill groups.
4. Positivity – Successful addiction treatment requires that clients see the productiveness of whatever they are put through. If they don’t feel it’s important, they are likely to resist. On the other hand, if they can see that they are attending classes to further their educational and career goals, they will feel like they have something to look forward to. This makes them more hopeful.
5. Discipline – Clients in an educational program learn to suit up and show up. They learn the importance of forming classes and their attendance is often monitored. Soon, they are attending classes happily and voluntarily.

Click below or call 866-889-3665 for more information on combining education and addiction training.

10 Ways Outpatient Counseling Can Help Your Child

For over 12 years, Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers have helped troubled youths by utilizing the services of highly skilled professionals. Some children are from southern California, others from big cities like New York City, Chicago, and even other countries. Normal everyday life may be difficult for some people to handle. Visions Treatment Centers help teenagers cope with the struggles of daily life by providing cutting edge mental health treatment. The outpatient counseling center also treats members of the patient’s family. Vision’s approach to treatment relies on a diverse team to include family, previous treatment professionals, teachers, community experts, and Visions trained personnel. Visions outpatient center assists patients in undergoing rehabilitation through a non-residential counseling environment using comprehensive, clinically based treatment options tailored for drug addiction, substance abuse, and troubled youth. A healthy child develops into a happy and productive adult.  

The following is a list of advantages in choosing Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers outpatient counseling program:

• Identify Problems  – Visions Treatment Centers teach the patient how to identify problematic behaviors which would prompt relapse. Once the child is able to determine the obstacle, attitudes can be adjusted resulting in avoidance of unacceptable behavior.
• Coping Mechanism – A skilled therapist assists the adolescent in identifying unhealthy coping mechanisms. Some people do not have the skills to confront everyday problems. The smallest of complications become overwhelming and may lead to self harm. Vision’s outpatient counseling center helps the child to look within and analyze a form of remedy suitable for the patient in addressing problems.
• Problem-Solving – Once the child is able to identify the unhealthy coping mechanisms, a therapist and the child work jointly to learn effective problem-solving strategies. The adolescent is able to leave the outpatient counseling session feeling confident that obstacles can be overcome.
• Control – The child is taught to be independent. The patient engages in activities that allow the teen to leave the outpatient center feeling stronger and more in control. The teen will be able to deal with everyday challenges in a healthy fashion.
• Confidence – A highly skilled professional guides the child into looking inside oneself to find positive attributes for gaining a better perception of life. Once achieved, the teen gains a feeling of self-worth. The adolescent will be able to walk out the door with a fearless and hopeful attitude.
• Social Skills – A trained Visions professional teaches the patient how to form social relationships. Being in a controlled environment with others who have similar problems helps the teen with being comfortable around others, thus learning to be calm and approachable. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers outpatient counseling program is good practice for the child in meeting and engaging new people.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers outpatient counseling is not only beneficial for the adolescent, but for all involved. Therapy is geared towards the whole family in order to provide a stable home environment. Treatment is administered through understanding and participation in productive activities and therapy customized for the patient and family. Treatment for the adolescent is successful only with the complete support of loved ones.

• Home Setting – The patient is able to continue with everyday life while seeking treatment in a structured outpatient counseling environment. The home provides feelings of security while Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers outpatient counseling program provides distraction from problems. The child feels less isolated while surrounded by others in the Vision’s outpatient counseling environment who are struggling with similar problems. Outpatient counseling allows the patient to attend school, extra curricular activities, and work while continuing treatment. Spending time with family and friends will help the teen to be more open to therapy.
• Support – The adolescent gains the support of family and friends at home while undergoing a few hours of outpatient counseling sessions at the Visions Treatment Centers. Some patients may find the treatment repetitive, exhausting, and emotionally draining. Going home after each session allows the child to recharge with the love and encouragement of family members.
• Communication – The teenager is taught to speak constructively and communicate feelings in a calm manner. Along with a therapist, family sessions allow members to speak their mind without hesitation or fear. Better communication by all members will lead to a harmonious home life.
• Destructive Behavior – No matter how supportive a family is, destructive behavior may be too much to endure for all members. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers outpatient counseling educates the teen in identifying damaging behaviors and the impact it has on family and friends. Together, the therapist, patient, and family members learn to eliminate harmful behavior.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers is a renowned, well-established, successful facility providing outpatient counseling for teenagers in a controlled environment. Vision outpatient program allows the child to find resolution with issues through the help of one-on-one counseling and therapy sessions, group sessions or through a structured support group. Parents of Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers former patients have praised the center’s approach and outcome of therapies administered.

“Our son has acquired the skills and tools he must use to cope with life, so that now he has a chance to live a life worth living.” – Anonymous Parent

“The family sessions really brought our entire family together and opened up communication” –  Anonymous Parent

“My son is learning to love, value, and accept himself; and as a result, to love, value, and accept others.” – Anonymous Parent

Visions Residential is a private pay program and full payment is required from the family. Our team will assist with insurance verification & utilization review. Visions Outpatient works out of network with insurance. We will provide the following services to our Outpatient families: Benefit Verification, Pre-Authorization, Utilization Review, Billing & Collections.

Visions has maintained the original founding clinicians while adding dynamic team members. All therapies are performed by highly skilled professionals under the supervision of a program director. Up-to-date methods are studied and applied allowing for continuous program growth. In cooperation with family members, the child learns how to successfully tackle issues in the real world. Taking the first step is a scary process but the end-result will be worth it.

Please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665

What Are The Treatment Options for Teen Eating Disorders

If you are the parent of a child with an eating disorder, then you must sometimes feel you’re at your wit’s end. It is indeed heartbreaking to watch your child deteriorate before your very eyes. It wasn’t so long ago that they were the epitome of health—vibrant, active, and full of energy. Then, suddenly, as if out of nowhere, anorexia or bulimia struck and the nightmare that is teen eating disorders became a reality in your life.  

Fortunately, there are a variety of eating disorder treatment options available to parents of children with an eating disorder. The type of treatment, however, depends upon the type of eating disorder. Here is a list of some of the options that are presently available:

• Counseling: Counseling can be an effective treatment for teen eating disorders if the condition is detected early enough. Typically, counseling involves going in to see a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other professional therapist once a week with the option to increase the frequency of the sessions if necessary. The counseling sessions could last anywhere from 1-2 years, again, depending on the need. Therapists usually view counseling as the first line of defense for teen eating disorders and are usually recommended at the onset of the eating disorder. Most professionals would begin with counseling before moving on to more comprehensive approaches.
• Day School: Day School is an option that provides a safe learning environment for school-aged children afflicted with an eating disorder. Sometimes children with eating disorders are unable to perform well in a typical learning environment, like a crowded classroom, so more exotic approaches must be undertaken. With a day school, the learning environment becomes more personalized as the student/teacher ratio is reduced to just three students per teacher in most cases. In addition, the curriculum is customized to meet the student’s individual needs so that they are able to proceed with their schooling at a comfortable pace, making the learning process less stressful. And, a licensed clinician is always present to provide clinical support if and when it is needed.
• Residential Treatment Centers: Residential Treatment Centers like Visions are designed to provide your child with 24-hour care to meet their special needs. While there, he/she will not only receive the best medical treatment available, but they will also enjoy the benefits of living in a safe environment with plenty of activities designed to help them come to terms with their illness. The length of time your child stays there can run anywhere from 45-90 days. Your child’s stay will ultimately be determined by the severity of his/her condition.
• Inpatient Treatment: Inpatient Treatment is available for severe cases of teen eating disorders that have otherwise proven unresponsive to less restricted treatments. In this case, they will be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a more comprehensive treatment for their illness. There, they will be placed under the care of a psychiatrist who specializes in the care of teen eating disorders. They will live in a structured environment and be given therapeutic meals throughout the day. All snacks and meals will be administered by trained, professional dietitians who know how to be both encouraging and supportive.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of short-term treatment structured to address the psychological aspects of your child’s disorder. It examines how his/her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect their eating disorder. Its goal is to help your child see and understand how his/her thought processes, mood swings, and even personality could affect their eating disorder. Then, therapists will use that knowledge to formulate a plan to counteract those negative behaviors that may aggravate or contribute to teen eating disorders.
• Interpersonal Therapy: Interpersonal Therapy focuses on resolving any relationship problems that may have been the cause of your child’s eating disorder. Being a teenager can be very stressful and things that would ordinarily be considered insignificant to adults may become magnified in their eyes. For example, a broken heart can seem like the end of the world to them and may even lead to depression. Untreated, that depression could manifest itself in the form of an eating disorder. Interpersonal therapy can help teens resolve personal issues like relationships, or even feeling unloved by their parents, by getting your child to discus those feelings openly.
• Family Based Therapy: Family Based Therapy brings the whole family in and lets them become a part of their child’s healing process. This approach will not only give parents a chance to learn about teen eating disorders upfront, they will also learn what they can do to help their child recover. The knowledge parents gain at these sessions is crucial part of being able to detect when their child is deviating from the prescribed program or sliding back into their anorexic or bulimic behavior.
• Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy involves meeting with a psychologist, or other mental health provider, along with a group of teens with similar eating disorders. The setting is not unlike that of some 12 step programs where members are encouraged to talk about their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors with people with similar illnesses. In this type of setting, patients with teen eating disorders are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings, as they relate to their eating disorder, with the hope that they can view them more objectively. By participating in a group setting, patients will be able to see that their condition is not unique and gain strength in viewing their fight as a team effort.
• Medications: Medications are sometimes combined with other therapies for increased effectiveness. Since depression is one of the main causes of teen eating disorders, anti-depressants are the chief medications used to combat this illness. However, depending on the situation, other medications may also be prescribed. Anti-depressants are especially effective against bulimia nervosa (binge eating) since it prevents vomiting and discourages binge eating. Anti-depressants can also be helpful in reducing the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which often accompanies eating disorders.

Teen eating disorder is a debilitating disease that requires specialized care. Consequently, some expense may be incurred. However, parents should not have to worry about money at a time like this. Visions Adolescent Treatment Center can help make the process of getting help for your child go as smoothly as possible.

Visions Residential is a private pay program and full payment is required from the family. Our team will assist with insurance benefit verification & utilization review.

Visions Outpatient works out of network with insurance. We will provide the following services to our Outpatient families: Benefit Verification, Pre-Authorization, Utilization Review, Billing, and Collections.

Please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665.

Tips on Helping Your Teen Stay Sober This Holiday Season

Considering the effects of alcohol and its several health complications, it is vital to educate your child about it and help them stay sober. So how can you help your teen avoid drinking during the holidays?  

What to do

• Take it seriously – parents often treat alcohol less seriously than drugs. A parent who discovers that his or her teen is drinking may for example respond with a sigh of relief, saying “at least they are not using marijuana or cocaine.” Your first response is very important in setting the tone on how you handle alcohol and substance abuse in the future. You have to be firm and consistent in your reaction to his or her drinking from the beginning.
• You must be the role model – adults are allowed to drink, but as soon as you have a child, you stop being just an adult and become a parent and role model. If your teen often sees you drunk, it might be very difficult to convince them not to give it a try.
• Insist that fellow adults practice responsible drinking – it doesn’t help when all your visiting friends are always drunk.  Do as much as you can to ensure that all the adults in the home and the community at large behave responsibly.
• Speak out about drinking – drinking must never be a secret. If someone comes home drunk, don’t laugh. Instead, explain to the teen what the consequences are.
• Discipline them if they drink – teen drinking is illegal in the first place. They must understand they cannot break national laws and family rules without ramifications.

What not to do

• Don’t store excessive amount of liquor in the home – this can cause a huge temptation. Store the liquor in closed, locked cabinets and not in the open.
• You can’t expect them to make decisions without your guidance – if you don’t tell them it’s bad, no one will. If they are going to a party, you must make it clear that they are not allowed to drink.
• Do not be the one who introduces your teen to the booze – sad as it may sound, research shows that 40% of teens who drink get the booze from adults, particularly their parents which is quite shameful.

Click below or call 866-889-3665 for more information

The Top 10 Ways To Relieve Your Child’s Stress

The belief that children having nothing to stress about as they have so few responsibilities or are too young to understand what is going on around them is a fallacy. Whereas a child may not necessarily understand the issues affecting them or the adults around them, they have a highly sensitive emotional antenna.  

Ways of dealing with and relieving child stress vary, and the most appropriate will be picked based on the applicability of the method, its effectiveness, and its suitability to a child. Listed below are some ways parent can help relieve child stress.

1.Exercise

Exercise is a great way of dealing with child stress. It provides a constructive way of coping with stress and leaves one refreshed. Exercising also results in the release of feel-good hormones that are a natural and a great way of relieving child stress.

2.Healthy Relationships

It is crucial for a child experiencing stress to have the support of family, relatives, peers, and adult authority figures.

3.Avoiding or Doing Away With Substance Abuse

Children and teens with child stress should be well-advised and observed to ensure they are not using drugs.

4.Healthy Eating

Ensuring kids eat regular, well-balanced meals helps in dealing with child stress. Some types of food should also be avoided, such as coffee, sugar, and high sugar content snacks.

5.Learning and Using Relaxation Techniques

Various relaxation techniques should be taught to those suffering from child stress. Not only do the techniques relieve stress, they serve to teach a child that stress can be dealt with constructively through discipline and practice.

6.Acquiring and Using Coping Skills

Coping skills, such as breaking down a task into sub-tasks, help in dealing with child stress.

7.Relaxation and Rest

Ensuring a child sleeps well, rests adequately during the day, and learns to pace themselves helps reduce child stress and its effects.

8.Develop a Better Mental Attitude and Self-Image

It is all in the mind, and techniques such as positive thinking are effective measures against child stress.

9.Sharing With Others

Encourage your child to confide in older siblings or adults when in distress.

10.Seeking Help

It is advisable to see a child psychologist or to visit a therapy center.

Seek the advice of Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers.  Click below or call us on 866-889-3665

Why is My Daughter Always Sad and Down

One of the many challenges presented by teenagers during adolescence is increased moodiness. While it is normal for teens to be moody from time to time, and increasingly more so than adults, prolonged moodiness should be a source of worry for parents. Cases of depression in children have been on the rise as the pace of life gets faster as a result of technological and other advances.  

Depression in teens can result in a teen always being moody, withdrawn, and anti-social and with feelings of worthlessness. They even go as far as to being involved in self-injury or attempting suicide.

It is therefore important for a parent to be able to tell the signs of depression in children. Some of the things that indicate a child is suffering from depression include apathy, an unhealthy interest in death and dying, change in eating habits, irritability, anger management issues and lashing out, anxiety, and substance abuse.

Girls seem to be more prone to depression, especially in the preteens and teens. A parent should be on the lookout for eating disorders and self-injury. Girls who are having image problems or other types of challenges try to regain control in their life in such negative ways.

Controlling their diets enables them to feel they are at least in control of their body image, even when the problem is all in how they see themselves. Self-injury is usually a result of great emotional pain or distress, and teens who engage in it do so in a bid to blunt the emotional pain with physical pain. It is also a move to take control of the pain one experiences, instead of suffering pain perceived to be caused by others.

Dealing with depression in children requires that a parent takes immediate action if they suspect their daughter is depressed. Some of the ways to help relieve depression include keeping busy, exercise (which results in release of feel-good hormones), and having healthy relationships. A parent should strive to create such an environment to relieve the depression of their daughter.

Depression in children is treated in a number of ways, each of which should be tailored specifically to the child. Children and teenagers therapy centers such as Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers are experienced in dealing with depression in children. Please call one of our specialists at Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers at 866-889-3665 or click below for more information.

Locate Licensed Teen Recovery Centers in California

Teens can and do recover from mental illnesses no matter how complicated the conditions are. Recovery is an individual experience, however – no two people can have the same recovery paths. Recovery is therefore best defined by the person experiencing a mental illness. To most people however, the term means the ability to live a wholesome life within the limits of mental illness. This is also known as personal recovery.  

The other type of recovery known as   clinical recovery means getting back to normalcy or being free of symptoms. The teen recovery program offered at Visions facilities caters for both clinical and personal recovery, prioritizing in enabling the teens to live a meaningful and peaceful life in the presence or absence of symptoms. A successful recovery restores hope, control, acceptance, basic needs, and induces meaningful activity.

Recovery is a process, a vision, and an outlook. Even with the services offered at Visions licensed teen recovery centers, teens will need the support of friends, family, and those closest to him or her. The sad truth is that affected teens might never return to where they were before. They may never be able to have full control of the symptoms. So recovery programs seek to empower the mentally ill adolescents so that they regain control of their lives.

On their road to recovery, the teens will need good relationships, financial security, and a sense of personal growth and development of personal, cultural, and spiritual perspectives. The kids also need to be resilient with the knowledge that there are bound to be times of difficulty even after the treatment. Those around them can help by making the teens feel important. They should see that people still believe in them. They need to be listened to and understood. It is only normal that they will ask questions about their problems and experience; when such times come, they should get meaningful explanations.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers, located in southern California, offer current programs that can help any teen understand their mental problems and set on a road to long-term recovery, with the hep and involvement of their family and friends.

Call us on 866-889-3665 or click below for more information on licensed teen recovery centers.