Unfortunately, mental illness and addiction do not go away after you finish treatment. While you will be equipped with new coping and recovery tools, you will still face many challenges in your recovery. Thankfully, discharge planning at Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital can give you everything you need for a successful, long-term recovery.
Put simply, discharge planning ensures that you have a clear, actionable, and long-term care plan. For example, if you enter our inpatient Adult Psychiatric Program, our discharge planning process might refer you to an outpatient treatment center, verify that you have a safe place to return to, refer you to a mental health professional for continued treatment, or some combination thereof.
And it’s important not to underestimate the importance of post-treatment care. Outpatient treatment can help solidify the lessons you learn at your inpatient hospital stay. That’s why discharge planning is so important in guaranteeing you a high quality of care.
This process improves your odds for recovery by giving you a gradual, gentle transition out of treatment. For many, going from inpatient treatment to regular life can be overwhelming and lead to relapses. Discharge planning prevents this abrupt change, which allows you to more holistically return to your everyday life.
Contrary to popular belief, the process of discharge planning does not wait until it’s almost time to leave the hospital. From the start of treatment, you will meet with one of our discharge planners to discuss your treatment goals and living situation. After this talk, you will meet with them periodically throughout your hospital stay to track any changes in your goals.
These conversations not only ensure that you’re getting the most out of treatment, but they also help you establish clear steps to follow after treatment. For example, if you were admitted for moderate-to-mild depression and inpatient treatment significantly reduced your symptoms and gave you coping mechanisms, your discharge plan might instruct you to return home and schedule regular sessions with a therapist. For others, their symptoms may be more severe and need long-term care that inpatient treatment cannot provide by itself.
Discharge planning is not always a solo venture, either. In many cases, discharge planners may consult post-treatment options with family members as well. This ensures that you will have a support system in place after treatment, which is a highly effective relapse prevention tool. Moreover, this is one way that we make sure that you will return to a stable, supportive environment following treatment. But no personal information will be given to family members that you’re not comfortable sharing.
Remember, our discharge process is not about telling you what to do. You will play an active role, because our goal is for you to regain control of your life.
At Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital, all of our treatment programs offer compassionate, comprehensive discharge planning. Whether you’re struggling with a mental health condition or co-occurring addiction issues, we are here and ready to help. If you have questions about our treatment programs or discharge planning, fill out this contact form or call our admissions specialists at 225-300-8470.
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