Houghton House Treatment Centre recognises that not all people are able to make the commitment to attend a thirteen-week residential program and in light of this we facilitate an eight-week secondary treatment outpatient programme in the evenings. The outpatient program is modeled on the same philosophy as the residential program and is there to accommodate people that are unable to become inpatients. The program is aimed at those that have completed a primary program and are in need of additional support in order to maintain a meaningful recovery.

Group Therapy
Groups are facilitated each evening by a trained counsellor and give the patient the opportunity to present the difficulties that they are encountering in the early stages of their recovery. Because these patients will be living in the community they may have many challenges with their sobriety or abstinence and the group can assist them in handling this. In addition each group will be based on a worksheet that is aimed at enhancing their understanding of addiction and recovery and presenting new ideas and challenges.

Individual Therapy
As part of the outpatient program, the patients will need to attend one individual counselling session a week. This session will cover any material that they feel unable to present to the group as well as managing their progress through the programme. This session will be scheduled during the day so as not to take them away from the group experience.

Education
As in the residential program, the treatment follows a set of themes. Each evening there will be a lecture aimed at educating patients on various aspects of recovery. Homework assignments are given to assist with these lectures. The emphasis is on participation and patients taking responsibility for their own growth and progress. With this in mind, lectures are designed to be active and require full patient involvement. In addition there is an workshop each week based on the theme of the week.

Re-integration
Patients who are attempting to break away from a lifestyle based on addiction sometimes struggle to make new connections in the community. A requirement of the program is that three Narcotics or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are attended each week in an attempt to develop new relationships and a new support system. Members of the community will also be invited one night a week to share their experience of addiction and recovery with the group.

Family Involvement
Families are also recognized as an integral part of the treatment process and regular contact will be made by the focal counsellor. In addition the families of outpatients are invited to the weekend family days that are facilitated by Houghton House.

Program 2:

• The intensive programme is focused on helping the patient make behavioral, attitudinal and lifestyle changes for a lasting recovery through patient education.
• By learning about the nature of their problem, cognitive behavioral strategies to deal with their life and prevent relapse for a lasting recovery.
• The program consists of three continuous phases:
• The encounter phase (4 sessions)
• The relapse prevention phase (8 sessions)
• The coping skills phase (3 sessions)
• The last session is a closure and a consolidation of the programme and aftercare planning.
• The program is presented in group form and is held twice a week for eight weeks.
• A feature of the program is that the family is involved in two of the eight sessions.
• There are also urine screens to help detect whether the patient is compliant with the program.
• The program is also part of the continuum of care provided by the facility.