ICT

ICT

ICT’s Challenging Mission

The ICT® (Integrated Co-occurring Treatment) Program is designed to meet the challenging needs of adolescents with both substance abuse and mental health problems.

This condition, known by treatment professionals as co-occurring disorders, must be treated in an integrated fashion to achieve the maximum opportunity for success. ICT is committed to providing this integrated treatment through effective practices in concert with its staff’s expertise and experience.

ICT Meets Need for Integrated Treatment

There are precious few alcohol and drug treatment options for adolescents in Monterey County, and even fewer resources for adolescents with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. The need is great. The prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse disorders among youth is much greater than among the adult population.

Before ICT, adolescents had to go to one place for substance abuse treatment and another for mental health problems. This compartmentalizing of problems was ineffective and often counter-productive. Research shows that integrated programs such as ICT have far better results than the individualized options.

Also, central to the integrated approach is the reality that mental health issues such as depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or bi-polar disorders can easily trigger substance abuse relapse and similarly, substance abuse can dramatically increase mental health disorders. This reality dictates that only integrated treatment like ICT can meaningfully address co-occurring disorders with the opportunity to establish ongoing recovery.

Comprehensive Home-Based Treatment

ICT services begin with home visits of our professional staff, which continue throughout the treatment process. Working with adolescents and their families in their homes, and in other regularly frequented environments such as schools gives staff an invaluable basis for assessing the needs of clients.

The concept and practice is that ICT staff offers comprehensive assistance in everything from something as small as getting to school on time to something as important as probation problems. By being at the elbow of youths as they live their daily lives, the ICT staff is positioned not only to see the precise nature of problems, but also to accurately craft unique solutions specific to the needs of clients and their families.

The intensity of treatment is based on the youth and family needs, and generally available two to four times per week. With services delivered where adolescents and their families function daily, the treatment schedule is very flexible, including nights and weekends when required. Since a youth may experience an urgent need or a crisis at any time or any day, staff is on call to assist in resolving problems. While treatment is usually from 12 to 24 weeks for the intensive phase, the program continues beyond that point to support youths as they begin and learn to maintain recovery.

The Spectrum of Services

Although delivery of services begins and remains based in the home, other services are offered at ICT’s clinical offices. These include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, including analysis of relapse and other problem behavior, and special skills training such as anger management, assertiveness training, conflict resolution, decision making, and self advocacy

Motivational Enhancement Therapy, solution focused treatment, which focuses on the strengths of the client to build on those strengths as motivators for positive change

Peer Support through individual mentoring or peer group activities such as twelve step organizations or the Seven Challenges® program

Individual, Group and Family Therapy

ICT’s Highly Skilled, Compassionate Staff

Treating young people who have complicated co-occurring disorders in addition to the normal problems adolescents face requires the kind of patient, compassionate individuals that we select for our staff. In addition, ICT staff members are highly trained with dual credentials and experience with substance abuse and mental health disorders.

Each therapist functions as the treatment decision-making authority. They utilize a close relationship with their supervisors and remain in constant collaboration with the constellation of individuals important to the client’s well-being—everyone from psychiatrists to probation officers, all the while delivering multiple services to the adolescent and the family.

A Word About Relapse

Dependence on alcohol or other drugs is a chronic condition. Like all chronic conditions, such as diabetes, relapses into old behavior patterns can and in some cases do happen. In less enlightened times, relapse was portrayed as failure. Now we know that relapse is part of the nature of the condition. As a result, we provide the information, coping skills and support that adolescents desperately need as they take on the responsibility for long-term recovery.

If a client relapses, we do not treat the situation as the end of the world. We treat it as an opportunity to learn why the relapse occurred and what strategies and tactics can be used to prevent such setbacks in the future.

We Did Our Homework

Before establishing its ICT program, Door to Hope engaged in extensive review of existing co-occurring treatment programs around the nation. It was essential that whatever treatment model was selected, it had to be a model backed up with valid scientific evidence as to its effectiveness.

In the end, we selected Integrated Co-occurring Treatment (ICT) as our evidence-based practice. It was developed by the Ohio based Center for Innovative Practices and the University of Ohio. It not only is the most comprehensive model in our judgment, it also includes the best of other programs in addition to those treatment elements unique to ICT.

Referrals to ICT

ICT is open to referrals from any community provider or agency including the juvenile probation department, other treatment organizations, schools, and various health professionals such as doctors, psychologists, and therapists.

Parents and guardians are also among those making referrals to ICT.

To make a referral call
(831) 755-7838

ICT