NUWACH OUTPATIENT SERVICES

Coalition Member Update

Nuwach Outpatient Services is your Freetown neighborhood resource for crisis intervention; employee assistance; individual and group psychotherapy; marriage and family therapy; nutritional counseling; reflexology; stress management; and youth behavioral therapy. Nuwach Outpatient Services current offers the following services:

INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAM (IOP)

Nuwach Outpatient Services offers a non-medical Intensive Outpatient Program that is designed to allow adults to participate in group psychotherapy that addresses mental health issues and substance abuse in a therapeutic environment, with minimal disruptions to their daily lives. The group meets three times weekly and the estimated tenure of treatment is 15 sessions. Treatment consists of a psycho-educational group, process group, weekly family education, follow-up with the aftercare group and an introduction to support groups outside thefacility.

Psycho-education group presents patients with the information to understand their symptoms and patterns of behavior, to improve coping skills and increase overall quality of life. Process group assists patients in identifying and resolving psychosocial factors that contribute to mental illness and substance abuse. It also provides a platform for improving communication and conflict resolution skills as well as the opportunity to interact with others in similar situations. Family group offers support to patients and family members by increasing their understanding of the effects the behavior, crisis or illness has had on the entire family system. Family members are encouraged to be committed to the recovery process.

Aftercare group gives patients access to support from those that have preceded them in treatment and have had success outside of the treatment environment.

RESPOND

It is often difficult to know how to respond to people in acute emotional distress, especially when it comes to adolescents, family or friends. There is no simple formula because every individual’s situation is different. RESPOND answers the call for help for many situations including assessments for: acute stress reaction; anxiety;·behavioral problems; delinquency; depression; grief and loss; substance abuse; and suicidal ideations.

Staffed by health professionals, the RESPOND program offers confidential assessments and consultation for emotional/ addictive disorders, providing referrals to outpatient, partial or inpatient care, based on each individual’s treatment needs. In addition, RESPOND provides information on support services for families of those suffering from mental illness. For questions concerning consultations, call our RESPOND lines: 033 417 541/ 076 237 475 (Monday-Friday, 10am-10pm).

WHY FAMILY THERAPY?

The effects of chemical dependence, emotional crises or psychiatric disorders are not limited to the patients and usually extend into the relationships with families and friends. Each week, family members are invited to a session in which they interact with other families, learn coping skills and are given an overview of the program by the group facilitator. Where applicable, family therapy is incorporated in the patient’s treatment plan to unite the patient and family members in structured sessions that would facilitate understanding, healthy communication and problem solving.

YOUTH COUNSELING

We utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address faulty beliefs and thought patterns in adolescents that contribute to risky choices and delinquency. The EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EIP) is preventive in nature and aims at providing education on the effects of substance abuse for clients in the experimental stage.

PARENTING SKILLS

We offer informative sessions for pregnant/nursing clients on feeding as well as identifying and coping with the symptoms of Post-Partum Depression. Creating an awareness of the physical and psychological effects of substance abuse during pregnancy on the user and unborn child, is the primary goal of this program. Random drug screening is administered to monitor    clients’ compliance with treatment.

REFLEXOLOGY

Reflexology can simply be described as foot massage; but there is a lot more to it. It works on the principle that every part of the body has a point on the feet, and by applying pressure on to these points using the fingers and thumbs, the relevant parts of the body are affected. Research has shown reflexology to be effective and beneficial in many ways, impacting a variety of physical and psychological concerns. Reflexology creates relaxation, reduces pain, improves blood flow, and promotes post-operative recovery, mental health, cancer care and general wellbeing.

NUTRITION

Hippocrates: “Let your food be medicine and your medicine be food”

Nutrition is the basic source of energy that fuels your body for everyday activities.

The right kinds of food will supply you with all the vital nutrients that you need to ensure your body’s growth, vitality, fertility, and maintenance.

Aside from providing you with energy, nutrition also involves an understanding of how a healthy diet        prevents the development of diseases, problems, and other conditions of the body.

So, as the old saying goes, “you are what you eat.”

Submission by:

Rodney Allen-Campbell

Nuwach Outpatient Services