For Providers

For Providers – Co Occuring Disorder & Addiction Treatment

Professionals from around the country and here in the DC Metro area refer clients to Encore Outpatient to receive integrated, coordinated and customized addiction treatment and co-occurring disorders treatment. Encore works closely with referring healthcare, consulting, HR, and legal professionals on a regular basis.

The treatment model and clinical services at Encore Outpatient involve a number of disciplines and orientations, but first and foremost, we are a program grounded in trauma-informed treatment, offering services that address the whole-person within his or her family and community. We believe that traditional methods of treating compulsive, self-destructive, and generally unsafe behavior – whether in residential or outpatient settings – do not sufficiently address underlying trauma, limiting how effective they are at helping individuals fully heal and recover. Although not every person referred to Encore will meet criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), good research and anecdotal evidence indicate that the majority of individuals with addiction/substance use issues have a history of either acute or complex trauma. At the very least, substance use and other high-risk behaviors are highly associated with an accumulation of negative life experiences. Such experiences negatively influence one’s ability to connect with others and form meaningful relationships. Moreover, these individuals struggle to effectively manage cognitive, affective, behavioral, and autonomic responses within various contexts. Overwhelming pain and distress often undermine one’s capacity to tolerate even the most benign interactions; consequently, individuals resort to unhelpful and sometimes desperate means to manage intense somatic sensations, emotional sequelae, and memories.

Encore’s approach integrates interventions that address trauma-related responses, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing (SE), and Trauma-sensitive yoga. Cognitive and behavioral therapies are used as well. Specifically, our addiction treatment utilizes Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) strategies (i.e., dialectical, validation, and change strategies) and skills training (i.e., mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness), and other mindfulness and acceptance-based techniques to support individuals’ coping and movement towards building meaningful lives.

Part of this process incorporates intensive family therapy conducted by dedicated and licensed family therapists trained in a variety of treatment modalities. Additionally, Encore’s family program is based in Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), which aims to teach family members how to interact with their loved ones to support change.

Our D.C. drug rehab creates customized programs that take into account the whole person and address a variety of factors that often precipitate and contribute to substance use issues. We avoid pathologizing the person; rather, we conceptualize self-destructive behavior as a by-product of trauma, negative life experiences, and a combination of psychological and biological factors.