Outpatient Rehab in Jacksonville, FL: Care While You Live at Home

What outpatient rehab means

Outpatient rehab is the least intensive of the levels of care. Your loved one meets with a counselor or group on a regular schedule, usually once or twice a week, and lives at home the rest of the time. Appointments may be in person or online, depending on the program.

The word “outpatient” can sound like the weak option. It is a good match for some people, and it is how many others keep their recovery going after a higher level of care.

A person might start outpatient care in two ways. Some come straight in, because their use is early or milder and life is mostly stable. Others step down to it from inpatient rehab, partial hospitalization (PHP) or intensive outpatient (IOP).

What happens in outpatient care

• An assessment. A first visit to learn about use, health, mental health and goals.
• A treatment plan. Written goals that you can ask about, if your loved one agrees to share them.
• Counseling. Individual sessions, groups or both, focused on triggers, coping skills and rebuilding routines.
• Testing. Some programs use drug or alcohol screens. Ask how the results are used.
• Family sessions. Offered by some programs, and worth asking about.

Outpatient care with medication

Many people in outpatient care also take medication. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes this as one part of a full plan that includes counseling and other services. Buprenorphine and naltrexone can be prescribed in a regular office. Methadone for opioid use disorder comes only through a certified opioid treatment program. Our medication-assisted treatment (MAT) page explains each one.

If a program won’t work with someone who takes prescribed medication for opioid use, ask why, and consider another program. Your loved one shouldn’t stop or change a medication without their prescriber. This page is general information, not medical advice. Please talk with a doctor before making any change to medications or substance use.

Making outpatient care stick

Outpatient care asks more of your loved one between visits. Most of the week, no one from the program is around. These habits help:

• Pick an appointment time that doesn’t compete with work, and put it on the calendar with a ride attached.
• Choose a program close to home or work. A Mandarin parent isn’t likely to keep a weekly slot on the far side of town at rush hour on I-295.
• Add outside support, such as support groups, between sessions.
• Agree ahead of time on what happens if things slip, including a step up to intensive outpatient (IOP).

If opioids are involved, keep naloxone (Narcan) in the home. Tolerance can drop after a break in use, which raises the risk of overdose if someone uses again.

Outpatient care often costs less than a higher level, and cost matters to many families. But it shouldn’t decide the level alone. See our guides to checking insurance benefits and getting care without insurance.