Aliveandwelltrainingcenter.org

Questions to Ask Treatment Programs and Staff
The following questions are provided to help guide your conversation with treatment program staff in deciding which program is the best fit (and most appropriate based on the assessment) for your child and family. These questions are appropriate for ALL types of treatment settings (outpatient, intensive outpatient, inpatient, residential, day treatment)
and should be asked regardless of the type of treatment setting your child needs.

1. Is the program licensed by the state?

Why this is important to ask: Every program must be licensed by the state to operate.
Many programs also go through the licensing process to receive accreditation. While national accreditation does not offer guarantees, accreditation is an indication that the program has been carefully reviewed by an independent organization. You may even want to call the accreditation organization to determine if the treatment program continues to be in good standing. You may also ask other professionals in the community such as your primary care doctor, your child’s pediatrician, psychologists, and social workers about the reputations of specific programs.
Notes:
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2. What is the staff-to-client ratio?
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Why this is important to ask: If the caseloads of staff members are high, your child may
not receive the individualized management and care he or she needs. Ask about the type
(and hours per week) of individualized care your child will receive with his/her counselor.
Notes:
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3. Staff Info

What is the staff like?
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What is their background?
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What is their education?
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Are any of them in recovery?
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What is their experience working with adolescents/young adults?
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What is their experience working with adolescents/young adults with
substance abuse problems?
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Why this is important to ask: You want to make sure that the staff has knowledge of
adolescent development and experience working with adolescents with substance use
disorders. Also, it is important that you are comfortable with the people who are caring for your child.

4. Is the facility clean, organized and well-run?
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5. Does the treatment program address sexual orientation, physical
disabilities, and provide age, gender, and culturally appropriate treatment
services?
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Why this is important to ask: It is important that the care your child receives is able to
meet his or her needs. This means the treatment should take into account gender issues (boys and girls may have different experiences), age (younger and older teens could have different educational needs), disabilities (teens with a learning disability may need additional educational services), and sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, transgendered, or bi-sexual youth
may need culturally appropriate services).
Questions to Ask About How Involved Your Family is Going to Be

1. Does the program involve the family in the treatment process? And, how
is the family involved in the treatment process?
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Why this is important to ask: Family involvement is a critical element for treatment of
substance abuse and dependence, especially with adolescents and young adults. The more involved the family is the more successful the treatment will be and the family will have the
education and understanding to help the child maintain his/her recovery.

2. Is there family counseling? Are there services for parents and siblings of
the parent? If not, can they refer the family to appropriate services?
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Why this is important to ask: The family — parents and any siblings — need help learning
how to trust again, build healthy relationships with their child or sibling, and learn how to
function as a family with a child in recovery. Questions to Ask If Your Child has Co-Morbidity (Co-Occurring), Psychiatric
and/or Medical Issue

1. Is the staff knowledgeable about and willing to consider the use of
medication that may help treat addiction?
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Why this is important to ask: Medications such as methadone, naltrexone, buprenorphine,
and disulfiram (Antabuse) can be effective in helping some addicts. Treatment providers should discuss them with patients and determine if the patient could benefit from using an addiction medication. It is important to know that in younger populations (18 years and younger), there is not as much research on the use of medication assisted therapies to treat addiction. If your child requires medication to help with his/her substance use disorder it is critical that he/she receive appropriate medical supervision and monitoring.


2. Can the staff/program manage all of my child’s medications? Are there
medical doctors on staff to prescribe an addicted patient’s other medical or
mental health diagnoses? What type of professional (e.g. a medical doctor)
provides medical and psychiatric care? What is his/her availability? How
often does he or she see the patients? Is there emergency coverage?
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Why this is important to ask: Many of addicted patients’ medical symptoms may be
complications of addiction and clear up after a period of sobriety, but this is not always the case.

Source: http://www.aliveandwelltrainingcenter.org/14_questions_to_ask_treatment_programs_staff.pdf