Discharge planning team provides bridge on recovery journey

After a few weeks in the safe, supportive environment of residential treatment, clients may feel uneasy navigating the next steps. There may be concerns about locating a living arrangement that encourages recovery, as well as questions regarding recovery supports.

Rosecrance’s discharge planning team is there to make connections to ensure a smooth transition to life in recovery. Team members work closely with clients and counselors to develop resources and make vital contacts so there is peace of mind going into the next phase of life. This has resulted in clients seamlessly transitioning to individual counseling, recovery living facilities, 12 Step groups, and other helpful supports when they return home.

“We help clients find safe places to keep working on the skills they learn in treatment,” said Discharge Planner Anastasia Aldridge. “We set them up for success by giving confidence that they don’t have to worry about those next steps. It takes a huge burden off their minds to let them focus on the most important thing—recovery.”

The team has developed a library of knowledge, and members are experts at finding helps that align with long-term recovery goals. Relationships with Rosecrance’s community relations coordinators and referral sources across the U.S. simplify the complex puzzle of meeting clients’ needs. This is how clients can be connected with specialized care such as anger management specialists or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. In addition discharge planners can address basic needs such as secure shelter or food.

Discharge planners also educate and empower individuals to take charge of their own journeys. Planners walk clients through the process of setting up appointments and introduce them to recovery helps and hard-to-find resources. In addition, clients leave Rosecrance with the team’s contact information and are encouraged to call with follow-up questions.

Thanks to this support, all clients transition from residential treatment knowing the way forward and have pre-established relationships with those who will walk beside them in the coming days. It leads to success stories such as one individual who needed to find housing after leaving Rosecrance’s care. The client was referred to a sober living home, found employment and stayed on the recovery journey. Eventually, the former client was hired to manage the recovery home at which she had stayed.

“When an individual leaves treatment, we make sure they are not alone,” said Dana Jensen, Discharge Team Supervisor. “That additional support at the beginning makes the journey easier over time. It’s a big part of the success stories we hear.”