Dual Diagnosis Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) serving San Diego County Residents

 I received this letter recently from a visitor to our website  and wanted to share the information. 

What is PHP?

"I have been in recovery for almost 17 years and since I was in treatment, some recovery terms have gone by the wayside while others have emerged.  I understand that dual diagnosis is now considered co-occurring disorder. I understand the concept of both since one of my barriers to my recovery had been my undiagnosed mental disorders.

So, I am back working in the recovery field which is so amazing on a number of levels.  When I started back to work, my coworkers kept referring to PHP which they explained to me meant Partial Hospitalization Program. Well, that didn’t help at all. What is a Partial Hospitalization Program? Do early recoverees stay at hospitals some of the time or do they take day trips for treatment? I had no clue!

Wikipedia’s definition of Partial Hospitalization Program: Partial hospitalization, also known as PHP (from Partial Hospitalization Program), is a type of program used to treat mental illness and substance abuse. In partial hospitalization, the patient continues to reside at home, but commutes to a treatment center up to seven days a week. Since partial hospitalization focuses on overall treatment of the individual, rather than purely safety, the program is not used for acutely suicidal people.

The idea is that some patients who are unable to be away from their families or from work would have the support they need for their recovery from a PHP. Another benefit to these programs is the reduction of long-term care costs. Treatment during a typical day may include group therapy, individual therapy, and psycho-pharmacological assessments and check-ins. Programs are available for the treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse problems, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and other mental illnesses. That sounds like a win-win for me!

I live here in San Diego, CA and so I checked out various PHP’s in my area. Lasting Recovery came up on my search and I like the idea that its specific program not only treats substance abuse and co-occurring disorders but the LR program also helps improve: management of the symptoms of depression and anxiety (via exercise, etc.), self esteem (beneficial self-talk and other methods), decision-making strategies (in order to make healthy choices), self-care (which helps improve self-esteem), relationships (both with self, others and a higher power).

Upon visiting its website, I also noticed that Lasting Recovery is now TRICARE certified which is terrific since I know there is a tremendous need in our military communities for treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders."

 If you, a close friend or family member wants the peace and serenity that comes from addiction treatment, seek treatment in your community or give us a call and we can help you find the right treatment center for you. We are dedicated to help you to experience the benefits of a Lasting Recovery.

Judy Saalinger, Ph.D., MFT, CAS
Co-founder and Executive Director