Many people are looking for ongoing long-term group and therapeutic support as they are navigating early recovery from substance abuse. Encore’s GOP offers 1, 2, or 3 group sessions per week, in combination with individual services tailored to each patient’s needs and schedule. Our treatment team also collaborates with other specialists or providers who are supporting the recovery process for each patient and their family.

Patients can enroll in GOP if they are stable in their recovery and have either completed higher levels of care at Encore, such as PHP and IOP, or if they have recently completed a program elsewhere, but would benefit from long-term therapeutic support and monitoring. Our GOP may also be a good fit for someone who has been working with a private practice therapist or outpatient program for a mental health, substance abuse, or addiction concern, but needs more touch points throughout the week to be successful. In these cases, our clinical team will work closely with the other programs and providers to ensure that your care is coordinated, either during the process of a program transfer, or when providers are working with one patient or family simultaneously.

The general outpatient program provides a track for people who need more support in recovery from therapists and coaches, and those who would benefit from long-term therapeutic support and drug screen monitoring. The schedule of the GOP allows for people to be engaged in treatment, but also have enough time to integrate back into life, allowing for balance between recovery and other life goals and responsibilities.  Each patient’s GOP schedule, as well as the types of services and sessions with be coordinated with their primary therapist, and can change over time, depending on progress made, and needs of the patient.

The clinical focus in GOP is on strengthening recovery for those who already have been able to maintain sobriety or stabilize their mental health concerns in an outpatient program. Our program helps patients stay focused, committed, and motivated for recovery.  The group sessions consist of discussion around life challenges, education, and reminders about the utilization of skills and recovery plans, and discussion and peer-support during life transitions and stressors.  The predominant theme throughout group and individual sessions in general outpatient program is about living and sustaining a life in recovery, regardless of diagnosis, whether that be mental health, substance use, addiction, or trauma.

The process of living a life in recovery can look similar across all general outpatient program group members and building connection and the group members developing understanding across different life situations and behavioral health challenges is a very rewarding part of the GOP group membership.

The topics covered in GOP group therapy are broad, and the clinical topics and interventions used can vary depending on group membership.