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Aftercare Program

teens sitting in a circle in an aftercare programWashington teen mental health programs can support an effective recovery in a variety of ways. Much of this support is provided while your child is enrolled in primary treatment. However, it can also take the form of an aftercare program. Programs of this type serve as follow-ups to primary mental health treatment. In this way, they help ensure that your teen continues to receive crucial recovery support. Aftercare has proven benefits for people affected by mental health issues. For trusted aftercare services, call on the experts at Imagine Spokane. 

What Is an Aftercare Program?

Serious mental health issues typically do not only produce short-term effects. Instead, they have a long-term impact on your child’s well-being. In fact, the effects of mental health conditions can last a lifetime. 

Primary mental health treatment is designed to do a variety of important things, including:

  • Stabilizing your child’s condition
  • Providing treatment that helps reduce the severity of your child’s symptoms
  • Helping your child develop important coping and symptom management skills

However, as a rule, primary treatment will not completely eliminate the effects of mental health concerns. This means that continued help is needed even when initial treatment achieves its goals. A mental health aftercare program provides this help. It gives your child ongoing access to essential recovery resources. As a result, it increases the odds that a successful recovery will continue over time.

Kinds of Aftercare Programs for Teens

Aftercare programs for teens have the same basic goals as aftercare programs for adults. To be effective, they must take individual needs into account. This means that there is no single aftercare option that works in all cases. Instead, effective programs provide multiple options. Depending on their situation, your teen may benefit from:

  • Periodic phone or in-person check-ins with their treatment team
  • Home visits from members of the treatment team
  • Enrollment in a formal outpatient aftercare program

In addition, you and your teen may benefit from psychoeducation. This is the term for an educational program that increases your knowledge of the concerns affecting your child. 

Known Advantages of Aftercare Programs

Aftercare programs are a form of evidence-based mental health treatment. This means that research shows them to be useful and effective in most cases. Even for people with several mental health issues, aftercare has some known advantages. First, it significantly decreases the odds that your child will be readmitted within the year following treatment. In addition, people who take part in aftercare tend to lead more functional lives over time.

Who Determines Which Mental Health Aftercare Program Will Work Best?

Who determines whether outpatient aftercare or another option will work best for your child? Typically, this decision is made by all involved parties. Your teen’s treatment team will make recommendations based on their assessments. You then have the opportunity to review these recommendations and discuss them with your child. 

Together, you make a joint decision on proper placement. However, this decision is not set in stone. As your teen continues to recover, their aftercare plan may need to be adjusted. This helps ensure that the most beneficial recovery support options are always in use.

Turn to Imagine for a Teen Aftercare Program in Spokane, WA

Need a teen aftercare program in Spokane, WA? Contact the treatment professionals at Imagine. We specialize in outpatient mental health services for preteens and teens between the ages of 12 and 17. Those services include initial placement in primary treatment. They also include follow-up treatment in aftercare.

No matter the mental health issue affecting your child, Imagine Spokane can help. Our comprehensive assessments provide a roadmap for compassionate, customized treatment. To learn more about our available aftercare services, just call us today at 888.384.3143. You can also reach us through our online contact form.