How To Maintain The Things You Learned In Mental Health Treatment After Leaving The Facility
As a part of your treatment, you may have had to spend some time in inpatient treatment at a mental health facility. While there, you probably learned many things that were able to help you get and stay better.
However, you may have found that you are having problems keeping up or implementing the things you’ve learned now that you’ve left the facility. Don’t worry, though; there are a few things can be done in order to maintain the things you learned in mental health treatment after leaving the facility.
Establish A Routine
One of the big reasons why inpatient treatment is effective is because it often establishes a routine as a therapeutic approach. Having a routine often helps a person remain productive during recovery, which is a huge part of treatment according to the NIDA.
Your routine outside of the facility doesn’t have to mirror the one that you had while in residence, but it should be similar enough to help you adjust. You can place the different techniques you learned during treatment within your routine to ensure that you continue using them. Call 888-647-0051 (Who Answers?) to learn more about follow up support.
Set Boundaries
Outpatient therapy should be a part of your aftercare treatment plan.
Establishing boundaries and understanding what your limits are can help you not only remain healthy, but also allow you to continue using the things you learned in treatment. Boundaries help you determine when you are and are not comfortable with a situation, and can serve as a litmus test of sorts to help you decide which tool you learned in the facility to use.
They can also help you figure out what will and won’t work in a certain situation and what you can do to adjust them so they do work.
Attend Outpatient Therapy
Outpatient therapy is often required as a follow up to inpatient treatment. It will often follow the same plan you had while at the facility, with several of the same services. According to SAMHSA, the two are often established as a pair in the treatment plan, with one acting as an extension of the other.
Outpatient care can help you adjust to being outside of the facility, and give you more tools to help you with your treatment.
Keep Your Support System Updated
Having some sort of support system during treatment is often recommended, and is something that you should continue with during recovery. A support system is often made up of family members, friends, your treatment team, as well as others who are in a similar situation to yours.
The things you learned in inpatient treatment may be more effective when there’s another person present. A support system can also be a good thing to have on hand in cases where your inpatient treatment tools fail or are not as effective you need or hope for them to be outside the facility.
Having your support system in the loop can allow them to better help you when you need it.
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health issues, please know that there is help. Contact one of our caring specialists at 888-647-0051 (Who Answers?) to learn more about your treatment options.
