Treatment Services
Treatment services provided by DAODAS and the county authorities are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual in an attempt to stop the disabling effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse or dependence, and to prevent their recurrence and further disability. Specific services, as defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, include a range of outpatient treatment services, intensive outpatient treatment, halfway houses, social model detoxification, freestanding medical detoxification, residential treatment, inpatient treatment and day treatment. As the administrator of all state funds for Medicaid-reimbursable alcohol and other drug abuse inpatient and outpatient treatment services, the department works closely with the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the delivery of appropriate care for this population through both public and private treatment facilities. As such, the department provides prior authorization for all alcohol and other drug abuse rehabilitative services for the state's Medicaid-eligible population.
- The Bridge
- Day Treatment
- Detoxification Services
- Gambling Addiction Services
- Halfway Houses
- Intensive Family Services
- Intensive Outpatient Treatment
- Inpatient Treatment
- Outpatient Treatment
- Partners in Achieving Independence through Recovery and Self-Sufficiency Strategies (PAIRS) Project
- Residential Treatment
- Specialized Services for Women and Children
The Bridge
This specialized transitional program provides intensive case management services for adolescents who are preparing to leave alcohol and other drug inpatient treatment facilities, juvenile justice facilities or other residential settings, and are returning home to their families and communities. By providing a gradual "step-down" transition from an institutional setting into the community, the program works with both adolescents and their families to increase their chances of a successful return home and to reduce their risk of recidivism.
Through these services, the program strives to ensure that every adolescent who has experienced difficulties related to alcohol and/or other drug use receives an equal opportunity to achieve successful functioning in the community via a comprehensive support network. The Bridge's graduating clients are equipped with a step-by-step process and discharge plan. This “lifestyle plan” is based on relapse prevention that enables the graduates to develop a sobriety-centered value system in the context of their own recovery fellowship. They are able to develop healthy coping skills and a balanced lifestyle.
The Bridge began accepting clients on May 1, 1994. Since then, it has been successful in reducing recidivism and alcohol and other drug use among the target population; improving life skills by working with the adolescents to stay in school, get jobs, participate in GED programs and move on to college; and improving family functioning by involving them in family-strengthening activities.
For its first 13 years, the program was offered in four parts of the state through the William J. McCord Adolescent Treatment Facility (the youth services arm of the Tri-County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the designated county authority serving Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun counties); the Ernest E. Kennedy Center (the county authority serving Berkeley County that also provides Bridge services for Charleston County); LRADAC, The Behavioral Health Center of the Midlands (serving Lexington and Richland counties); and the Spartanburg Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. In October 2007, through collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, The Bridge expanded to nine additional sites: Aiken Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Services; Alpha Center (serving Kershaw, Chesterfield and Lee counties); Anderson/Oconee Behavioral Health Services; Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department; Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County; Cornerstone (serving Greenwood, Edgefield, McCormick and Abbeville counties); Dorchester Alcohol and Drug Commission; Gateway Counseling Center (serving Laurens County); and The Phoenix Center (serving Greenville County).
The Bridge has been recognized for its achievements twice by national authorities. In 1996, the program was recognized by the American Probation and Parole Association for its innovative approach to working with juvenile offenders. More recently, The Bridge was selected by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice as one of three promising approaches in the nation for treating substance-abusing juveniles and was featured on a national video teleconference that aired in December 1997.
For more information, see The Bridge brochure.
Day Treatment
Day treatment services provide 20 or more hours of clinically intensive programming at least four days per week based on individual treatment plans. This involves a structured treatment program that provides essential education and treatment components while allowing patients to apply their newly acquired skills within "real world" environments. This service is directed to individuals who are in need of more than traditional outpatient treatment services or as an alternative to inpatient treatment. Day treatment is available in various locations throughout the state. For more information, contact the county alcohol and drug abuse authority serving your community.
Detoxification Services
Two types of detoxification services are available in the state to help individuals withdraw from the physical effects of alcohol and other drugs. Freestanding medical detoxification programs are available in Charleston, Greenville, Richland and York counties. These programs provide 24-hour medical support, counseling services and medication as needed during the withdrawal process. In addition, social model detoxification programs are available in several locations of the state to provide 24-hour intensive supervision and counseling by non-medical professionals who help individuals during the withdrawal process. These programs are available in Horry, Marion, Newberry, Spartanburg and Sumter counties.
Gambling Addiction Services
In an effort to meet the increased need for gambling addiction services in South Carolina, counselors throughout the state have undergone extensive training to provide treatment in a group setting for individuals who are facing problems of this nature. To ensure continuity of care throughout the state, the same services are available in every county of the state -- from the smallest and most rural to the largest and most metropolitan. One of the greatest strengths of this system is that all services are designed to meet the unique needs of each individual and/or family.
For more information, click here.
Halfway Houses
Several halfway houses are available in the state to provide short-term therapeutic accommodations in a group setting to individuals who require this type of environment after a more intensive phase of treatment and before returning to independent life in the community. In addition to offering a structured living environment, these transitional programs provide individual, group and family counseling and promote stabilization and continued involvement in the treatment process. Halfway houses are located in Florence, Lexington/Richland, Marion and Sumter counties.
Intensive Family Services
The department funds intensive family services in 11 locations of the state through which a range of clinical services are provided within the identified client's home environment. The services are designed to prevent disruption of the home environment, avoid occurrences of child abuse and neglect, promote reunification of the family, as well as strengthen and empower the family unit. Intensive family services are available in Anderson/Oconee, Barnwell, Charleston, Cherokee, Darlington, Dorchester, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Lexington/Richland, Newberry, Pickens and Sumter counties.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment
Intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment programs are available in many areas of the state for individuals and families whose problems warrant more extensive services than are offered through traditional outpatient counseling but which do not require the structure of an inpatient treatment setting. IOPs are available in Aiken, Anderson/Oconee, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Darlington, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Horry, Lancaster, Laurens, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union and York counties.
In addition, several county authorities offer adolescent IOPs and women's IOPs. Adolescent IOPs are available in Anderson/Oconee, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Lexington/Richland, Spartanburg and York counties. Women's IOPs are available in Aiken, Anderson/Oconee, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Horry, Lexington/Richland, Pickens, Spartanburg, Sumter and York counties.
Inpatient Treatment
The department provides support for an inpatient treatment program for South Carolina adolescents ages 12 to 17 through the William J. McCord Adolescent Treatment Center. Named for the founder and long-time leader of the state's alcohol and drug abuse system, the program is located in Orangeburg and is the first such program in the state designed exclusively for this population. The most restrictive of all of the levels of care provided by the county authorities, this program is a medically monitored service that includes 24-hour physician and nursing coverage.
Outpatient Treatment
Outpatient treatment is available throughout the state for individuals and families who are suffering from problems related to their use of alcohol and other drugs. The least restrictive of all of the services provided by the county authorities, traditional outpatient treatment includes assessment and referral, individual and group counseling, family counseling, case management and crisis management services. Outpatient treatment is available in every county of the state.
Partners in Achieving Independence through Recovery and Self-Sufficiency Strategies (PAIRS) Project
The PAIRS Project, formerly known as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Demonstration Project, is a collaborative effort involving DAODAS, the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) and their local counterparts. Through this project, the state and local service providers are working together to increase the effectiveness of treatment services for substance-abusing individuals and their families. The PAIRS Project helps parents whose substance abuse serves as an obstacle to their ability to become economically self-sufficient through intensive case management and access to treatment services. These services are available through the residential treatment programs in Charleston, Florence, and Greenville, counties. They are also available in Aiken, Barnwell, Cherokee, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Fairfield, Lexington/Richland, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union, Williamsburg and York counties.
Residential Treatment
The department supports a variety of residential treatment programs provided through several county authorities for individuals who need more intensive treatment than can be provided through an outpatient setting as well as other ancillary services, such as parenting training and vocational assistance. Residential treatment provides a planned 24-hour regimen of care. Medical services are available but are not usually provided on site. Some of these facilities are designed exclusively for women and can accommodate a limited number of dependent children as well. (See Specialized Services for Women and Children.) In addition, residential treatment is provided for juvenile offenders. (See John G. Richards Therapeutic Community.)
Specialized Services for Women and Children
The department recognizes that women are closing the gender gap with regard to their use of alcohol and other drugs. In fact, recent studies reveal that women are now drinking, smoking and using other drugs at approximately the same rates as their male counterparts. Unfortunately, however, there are women who do not seek treatment, primarily out of fear: fear of what others might say; fear of prosecution; fear of losing their children; fear of losing their jobs; and fear of losing the support of their families. For these reasons, the department provides a variety of services to reach women, ranging from prevention services that educate the community to residential treatment services for those who are experiencing a greater level of need. Many of the county authorities provide services that are designed exclusively for women, and all of the local agencies give priority admission to pregnant women.
More specifically, there are 11 women's intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment programs in South Carolina, 10 of which are funded by the department and one of which is funded by another source. These programs are designed for women who are in need of more than traditional outpatient counseling but who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to receive inpatient care. Because the lack of child care has historically been a barrier to treatment for many women with children, all 11 of the women's IOPs provide on-site day care or have arrangements with local child-care facilities to provide these services for the children of women in treatment. These programs are available in Aiken, Anderson/Oconee, Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Horry, Lexington/Richland, Pickens, Spartanburg, Sumter and York counties.
The department also supports five women's long-term residential treatment programs, four of which allow the women to bring a limited number of dependent children with them to treatment. These programs include: (1) the 16-bed Chrysalis Center in Florence County that allows the women to bring up to two children (ages 10 and under) with them to treatment; (2) the 10-bed Lowcountry Crossroads program in Colleton County that allows the women to bring one child (one year and under); (3) the 16-bed New Life program in Charleston County that allows two children (ages 5 and under); (4) the 16-bed Serenity Place in Greenville County that allows women to bring up to two children (ages 5 and under) with them to treatment; and (5) the 24-bed Women's Community Residence in Lexington County that provides a supportive living environment for women who are in the early stages of recovery to assist them in making the often difficult transition from treatment back to their families and their communities.
The department also supports Fresh Start, a long-term residential program for pregnant and/or parenting female adolescents (ages 17 and under) and their children. Located in Marion County, this nine-bed facility allows the adolescents to bring up to two of their children with them to treatment. The program also provides a continuum of outpatient services for up to one year following the residential phase of treatment.
In addition, therapeutic child treatment (TCT) is offered in three locations of the state for young children up to age 6 in an effort to cultivate the physical and emotional well being of the children. TCT is available in Charleston, Florence and Greenville counties.