24 Jul How Case Management Teams Provide a More Holistic Approach to Care
Dealing with substance use disorder (SUD) is hard enough on its own, and even taking the first step toward recovery can feel overwhelming. Trying to coordinate your own resources in recovery can add to the stress. On top of that, working with individual organizations can make your treatment feel disjointed or like you’re missing the bigger picture of recovery. A holistic approach can be beneficial as you will feel seen and understood as a whole person in your sobriety journey. As part of this approach, it may be helpful to utilize a case management team.
What Is Case Management?
In general, case management is the process of a client and health professionals working together to develop an ongoing treatment plan. This plan takes into account the services available and the client’s needs and goals. Case management is a collaborative process; the client and their family work closely with a group of professionals to make treatment decisions. It aims to help clients navigate a complicated set of services and supports offered by a given institution or organization.
In addiction recovery, a case management team is typically made up of mental health professionals and addiction specialists. These are people who are extremely knowledgeable about the physical, psychological, and social needs of people in recovery from substance abuse. With their combined expertise, they offer a big-picture look at your SUD and the road to sobriety. In this way, case management is a uniquely holistic approach to treatment.
Working With a Case Management Team and Holistic Benefits
Holistic care is the idea that all of the working parts of something are interconnected and can only be understood fully by considering the whole. This concept aims to treat the mind, body, and spirit of a client. In addiction treatment, this means taking into account a variety of factors beyond sober versus not sober. Working with a case management team can provide holistic benefits such as:
- Client-driven and need-based treatment: Two of the main principles of the case management model. Your case management team works closely with you at every step to identify your needs and goals. While the team is there to identify resources and provide treatment options, you maintain self-determination throughout.
- Flexibility and pragmaticism: These are necessary for the case management process. Your case management team will be ready to adapt to any set of factors that are specific to you. They also understand the importance of meeting you where you are and giving you the resources you feel are important.
- Anticipatory treatment: Relies on the ability to understand the course of addiction and recovery. As specialists in the field, your case management team has that. They are able to foresee bumps in your road to recovery and take action to manage them.
- A consolidated point of contact: Replaces the complicated process of referrals for clients to deal with themselves. Your case management team delegates in your place and organizes your treatment plan to work for your best interest. When you have a question or need help, you always know who to go to.
- Culturally sensitive accommodation: Built into the case management process. As advocates for you and your well-being, your team should be culturally competent and ready to accommodate for race, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, and stage of life.
By combining all of these benefits into a single structure, a case management team treats you as a whole person instead of just your SUD. This holistic practice can help you feel acknowledged, understood, and supported throughout your recovery and beyond.
The Value of a Holistic Approach
A holistic approach to SUD treatment can be beneficial to receiving well-rounded care in recovery. Holistic treatment considers all facets of a person, including the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. This approach can provide benefits such as:
- Stress reduction
- Healthy coping mechanisms
- Relapse prevention
- Improved sense of self
- Spiritual connection
Many different types of holistic therapies can be integrated into a treatment plan. One of the benefits of having a case management team is that they can help you identify which therapies might be helpful to you.
Mindfulness practices such as meditation and yoga are considered holistic because of the emphasis on the connection between mind, body, and spirit. Music therapy, nature therapy, and art therapy take similar approaches. Any of these could be beneficial to you and your recovery when paired with clinical treatment and a good support system.
Moving Forward With Case Management
The first step to moving forward with the holistic approach of case management is finding a facility that supports this type of treatment. An organization that truly sees you for who you are will acknowledge where you came from and the trauma that you might be dealing with.