About Chester County Intermediate Unit
Chester County Intermediate Unit is a nonprofit organization in Downingtown, Pennsylvania that partners with local schools to offer supplemental services to students k-12. Among those services are behavioral health and mental health services including treatment for substance use disorder.
The primary program they have here for addiction treatment is called Changes. It’s a drug and alcohol addiction treatment program for teenagers with substance use disorder that’s preventing them from thriving in a traditional school. This program has a partial hospitalization level or an intensive outpatient level of care depending on what your child needs.
The program combines direct addiction treatment with schooling and life skills. The goal is to not only help your child overcome their addiction but also give them the skills and knowledge they need to establish a strong foundation for their adult life. They ideally hope to rehabilitate students to be able to return to a traditional school.
During that program, your child will have individual therapy and group therapy for drug and alcohol addiction. They’ll be in a therapeutic environment designed to give them a leg up on life while getting the individualized and attentive schooling they need to succeed.
If your child is struggling with addiction or other behavioral health issues but doesn’t need that intensive of a level of treatment there’s also a program called TEACH. This is a school based treatment program that individualizes your child’s education and provides behavioral health treatment like group therapy.
Clients have widely varying feedback about this facility depending on the services they use. Overall though parents and students alike have found productive and positive help here that has allowed them to create a brighter future for themselves.
Payment Options
- Medicaid
- Private insurance
- Self-pay options
Levels of Care
Outpatient
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.
Partial Hospitalization Program
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) is a short-term form of intensive rehab, usually for those with acute symptoms that are hard to manage but don’t require 24-hour care. PHPs have structured programming (i.e. individual and/or group therapy), and usually meet 3-5 days a week for around 6 hours (i.e. 9am-3m). Some PHPs are residential (patients sleep on site) and some are not, so patients sleep at home. PHPs can last from 1-6 months, and some offer transportation and meals.
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).
Programs
Adolescence program
Children program
Program for men
Program for women
Young adult program
Treatment
Mental Health
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.
Clinical Services
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.