By now you know that rehabs come in all shapes and sizes, but most of them follow similar patterns in their daily and weekly schedules, although the specific content may be different.
For example, a typical weekday schedule at an inpatient rehab program may look like this:
– Breakfast
– Group therapy
– Support groups/ discussion
– Lunch
– Quiet devotional/ reflection time/ meditation/ yoga
– Individual therapy sessions
– Afternoon group therapy
– Dinner
– Evening support group/ discussion
– Free time/ recreation
A weekend might look like this:
– Breakfast
– Morning group
– Adventure therapy/ Equine therapy/ Art therapy
– Lunch
– Afternoon group
– Free time/ recreation
– Dinner
– Evening activity/ free time
These day and weekend schedules are pretty similar for many of the programs we’ve seen, however, the main points of differential are what is being taught and used during the various groups and individual sessions. For example, some of them could be DBT skills groups, Big Book study and step work, SMART Recovery groups, Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention Groups, process groups, or a long list of other possibilities.
When choosing your program, it is important to find out more about what types of group therapies are used, and not just taking “group therapy” at face value.
Each part of a program should have meaning or purpose along the way, including the free time and group activities. At the end, the discharge planning process is also very key. There needs to be an accurate assessment from a Case Management level of where someone is on their recovery journey, and what their next steps should be. Their plan should never just be to return home to normal duties and functions. That is setting someone up for failure. They need to have adequate support and help via services from an outpatient program, individual therapist, recovery coach, support groups, sober living, or some combination of options. Continued engagement and movement is key.
