Therapeutic Communities free essay sample

Drugs and Alcohol Therapeutic Communities In today’s world, people each and everyday from a wide range of teenagers to adults, abuse substances such as illegal drugs and alcohol. Not all of these people are open to admit that they indeed have a problem, and could really use professional help from others to stop their bad habits before they become a larger issue than it already is. Lucky for the people who are able to accept their problem at hand, places such as therapeutic communities are there for support to help these people overcome their drug or alcohol problem. A therapeutic community is a place where abusers don’t have to feel judged or ashamed by coming in for a radical positive change in his or her life. Depending on certain cases of the patient, and how serious the potential damage from the substance, the program can determine whether the patient has the option to stay for a long period of time that can be anywhere from a couple months to a year, or a shorter session. We will write a custom essay sample on Therapeutic Communities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What is a therapeutic community? In most cases at a therapeutic community you will see that in the residential areas the professional trained staff will be living with the client 24/7 to help monitor and keep everything under control. Therapeutic communities have and gained some reputation for success in rehabilitation and patient satisfaction in Britain and other countries outside the US. In Britain, democratic analytic therapeutic communities most usually specialize in the treatment of moderate to severe personality disorders and complex emotional and interpersonal problems. The evolution of therapeutic communities in the United States has followed a different path with hierarchically arranged communities specializing in the treatment of drug and alcohol dependence. The way TC’s operate are quite easy to understand, the client lives with a trained employee of the facility in an absolutely substance free environment, and if all goes as planned, the success rate of beating the habit is greater to happen then of having a relapse of the issue he or she is initially here for. The clients are not alone, there are other patients as well in these stabilized facilities and they are their to support each other, by having group sessions and constantly communicating with one another to help everyone get through and past their problem together. TCs differ from other treatment approaches principally in their use of the community, comprising treatment staff and those in recovery, as key agents of change. This approach is often referred to as community as method. (national institutes of health). The people who are usually admitted to a TC have a history of social functioning, an education/ vocational skills that have had family ties that have been completely ruined because of their substance abuse. It is hard for both the child and the parents when having to deal with a problem such as this. No parent ever wishes to have to send their child to programs like these, but only if it is necessary it should 100 percent be done for the best interest of the person endangering themselves as well as the parents. The ultimate goal for a Therapeutic community is to first eliminate the patient’s want for the substance, keep them occupied while staying sober. NIDA has conducted several large studies to advance scientific knowledge of the outcomes of drug abuse treatment as typically delivered in the United States. These studies collected baseline data from over 65,000 individuals admitted to publicly funded treatment agencies. Data were collected at admission, during treatment, and in a series of follow-ups that focused on outcomes that occurred 12 months and longer after treatment.