There are many different aspects to an addiction rehabilitation center that you will want to compare and evaluate before you choose the best facility for you. For instance, you will want to ensure certifications and licenses are valid and up to date. While most people assume that a treatment center wouldn’t be in operation if this were not the case, you don’t want to make such a dangerous assumption. Instead, learn how to check up on these credentials, so you can rest easy in knowing that you’re dealing with legitimate businesses. In addition to ensuring the facilities you consider are properly accredited, you’ll also want to make sure the professionals on each facility’s staff are properly trained and experienced. This means researching the staff members, particularly any therapists and doctors with whom you’ll be interacting. Checking up on the qualifications of these individuals will help you ensure you’re placing your recovery in the best possible hands.
How Does Accreditation Differ from Licensing?
State agencies set out specific guidelines that each addiction treatment facility must meet, but these guidelines do vary from state to state. Each state establishes regulations that treatment centers must meet, which are just very basic rules that seek to ensure all of the patients are receiving a basic level of care. While ensuring the facility has undergone a recent state inspection is a good starting point, it’s also a good idea to narrow your search to accredited rehab facilities. The more reputable addiction treatment facilities will be accredited by established organizations. Of the more widely known organizations, there are the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF®), and The Joint Commission. Each one of these organizations sets up its own qualifications, which they use to evaluate every member facility’s quality of care, overall performance, and the value they offer in relation to the cost of treatment.
Additional Certifications are Required
In addition to meeting the requirements set out by third-party organizations and state agencies, addiction treatment centers must also meet criteria for marketing or promoting their services. You’ve undoubtedly seen advertisements for rehab facilities on various social media websites. Unlike other types of businesses, addiction treatment centers can’t just advertise however they choose. They must first pass the standards enacted by LegitScript, which establishes that each treatment center is operating legitimately and offering quality services. By learning more about the standards established by these third-party organizations, you can how the restrictions affect the day to day operation of each treatment center. While these restrictions are set out to ensure the facility is operating legitimately, they can also be used to estimate the quality of care each facility provides. This is the best way to determine the ethics and policies that will affect your own treatment, beyond the promises made in advertisements. Membership in various organizations can give you confidence in the facility, since it means they answer to outside authorities. When addiction affects your own judgment, being able to trust your care to a system with a method for oversight is important.
Check Staff Accreditations and Patient Reviews
Just as each facility must meet licensing and accreditation requirements, so must the individual professionals working in each facility. For instance, each counselor must be individually licensed and educated, while also meeting requirements necessary for maintaining a nationally recognized certification. These state, federal, and private organizations ensure each individual understands and adheres to basic ethical standards for professional practice. Some accreditations to look for include:
- Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC)
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC)
- Certified Co-occurring Disorders Counselor (CCDP)
Even after you have checked the credentials for each agency and individual staff members, you may want to seek out previous client or patient reviews. Even a facility that maintains the highest level of credentials may be ineffective in helping recovering addicts. By reading through the reviews of past clients, you can evaluate the effectiveness of each facility’s programs. While you should expect to see a few negative reviews, an overwhelming number of negative reviews, or a noticeable lack of positive ones, may indicate a problem. In that case, you may want to consider looking for a treatment center with a better track record. If you’re interested in learning more about addiction treatment, contact our counselors at 302-842-2390. We’re standing by to answer any questions you may have about our qualifications, staff members, and services. Contact us 24 hours a day to learn more about our addiction therapy, and to start your road to recovery.
