Treatment Models
At New York Center for Living, we are experts in treating substance use, mental health, dual diagnosis and behavioral health condition faced by adolescents, young adults and their families. Our several treatment options are designed to accommodate your situation, using a hybrid service model delivered in-person and via telehealth in an easily accessible boutique-like outpatient setting. Whether your situation requires a comprehensive wrap-around treatment alternative to residential care, or a psychoeducational group coupled with individual and family treatment, we will provide you with connection to a supportive recovery community of like-minded peers. If we cannot meet your needs, we will facilitate access to the best alternative treatment options.
Conditions We Treat
Substance Use
Young adults and adolescents in the United States are exposed to substance use in the media, by their peers, and on the internet. Despite this exposure, lack of education on the dangers of alcohol consumption, vaping, and substance abuse can mean that young adults and adolescents develop dangerous habits without realizing the consequences. Substance abuse is also frequently stigmatized in American society. This stigma stops people from discussing the issues around it, which often means that use can become abuse without fully recognizing it.
Substance use is extremely common among high school students, with substance use often glamorized in music and other art forms. Surveys indicate a majority of grade 12 students have tried alcohol recently, normalized by portrayals in movies. Studies indicate around 20% of high school students have been personally exposed to the drug trade on school property. Vaping, while relatively new, shows increasing popularity in high school students. NYCFL strongly advocates against vaping, due to the health and addictive dangers along with the escalation in types of addictive substances consumed through vaping.
NYCFL uses various models to treat substance use. The developmental, wraparound, telehealth hybrid, and family models all approach the core substance use issues. These models focus on the individual with a substance use issue and expand to include their families. Additionally, NYCFL advocates prevention through education programs. More information can be found on our videos page for some of the outreach we do around vaping.
Dual Diagnosis
Dual diagnosis is a term used to describe co-occurring disorders related to mental health, substance abuse, and alcohol abuse. Sometimes referred to as dual disorder or co-morbidity, dual diagnosis is an issue that affects many people recovering from a substance use disorder, mental health disorder, or alcohol use disorder. Substance abuse and alcohol abuse can have a detrimental effect on the brain’s chemistry by severely altering the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. It is not uncommon for prolonged substance abuse or alcohol abuse to trigger other disorders, such as clinical depression or bipolar disorder.
Treatment for dual diagnosis varies and can focus on one specific area, or several disorders at once. The need to properly diagnose disorders is emphasized in cases of dual diagnosis because specialized treatment plans can be crafted to meet the unique needs of patients who suffer from co-occurring disorders. Not every treatment option should be recommended to an individual, and certain people may not be compatible with some treatment modalities.
NYCFL proudly offers a wide range of holistic treatment options to address the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the whole person. Mental health treatment has numerous options implemented on a case-by-case basis. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves one-on-one therapy with a licensed mental health professional to identify mental health disorder triggers and treat emerging symptoms before they advance. Medication is another potential therapy used to treat chemical imbalances in the brain along with the discomfort encountered from withdrawal from substance use. Group therapy provides the opportunity to engage in a 12-step format with a shared experience focus, an approach widely used for overcoming substance abuse.
Behavioral Health
Mental health is focused on a person’s psychological state and does not usually incorporate physical health. Behavioral health is a broader term to describe the interplay between physical health and mental health, as well as the struggles experienced concerning them both. It can be helpful to understand mental health as one aspect of the larger picture of someone’s behavioral health.
All aspects of mental health can be related to behavioral health, but all aspects of behavioral health are not related to mental health. Behavioral health encompasses more specific areas than mental health does, as it is related to both physical and mental wellness. Things that affect behavioral health include dietary habits, sleeping schedules, physical activity, cognitive engagement, substance use, alcohol consumption, nicotine consumption, and a variety of other factors.
Mental Health
Mental health disorders commonly affect millions of Americans each year. Stigmatization associated with mental health disorders act as a barrier for seeking and receiving needed treatment. Lack of understanding about causes of mental health disorders and their behavioral factors require greater education to have people recognize and address mental health disorders and related stigmatization. Mental health disorders can be brought about by a mixture of genetics, environmental factors, and historic events that can interplay. For example, scientists have not identified a single gene that causes specific mental health disorders but have noticed several which seem to occur more frequently in those with mental health conditions.
Substance use disorders and alcohol use disorders also serve as contributing factors to mental health disorders. As substances alter the brain’s chemistry, levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine can be affected. Mental health disorders such as clinical depression can be a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, which can be caused or worsened by the use of substances.
NYCFL is qualified to address a range of mental health disorders, such as clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia to mention some of the most common disorders. Treatment can include therapy and medication along with a breadth of other approaches employed as individually recommended. Behind all of the therapies are specific models to guide treatment.
Models We Use
Developmental Model
Wraparound Treatment Model
Telehealth/Hybrid Model
Family Model
Simply put at NYCFL, recovery begins with the family. We know that facing the confusion of mental health and substance use issues with your loved one is genuinely bewildering, maddening and certainly anxiety producing. It can place great strain upon the parental, marital and/or partner relationship. It can be further complicated for step-families to act with a unified voice to set clear expectations and goals.
Parents and partners are therefore expected to be active participants in the recovery process. Parents join with other families to create a supportive community to learn new ways to communicate more effectively. Our NYCFL master level family clinicians are specifically qualified to assess and support adolescents and young adults who struggle with a full range of substance use problems and to strengthen the family relationship, reduce conflict and restore harmony in the home. Siblings are encouraged to join our support groups. For married or partnered clients coming to treatment we offer couples counseling to help to restore balance, regain trust and face the challenges of early recovery with the guidance of professional help.