New Direction Treatment Services get referrals from all kinds of various sources. Such as: Local County probation, out of state probation, out of state court systems, Department of Transportation (DOT), local unions halls, other counselors or psychiatrists, Job and Family Services, and various employers. We cooperate to the best of our ability. with all referring agencies, however, our focus is on the recovery of the client who is receiving our services. We believe it is that priority that builds trust and rapport with our clients.
Often people want to come sign up for classes at New Direction Treatment Services as if they were signing up for a cooking class or a yoga class. However mental health, anger management, or substance abuse issues require that there be an important first step. All services available at New Direction Treatment in Cincinnati will start with a minimum a brief or at most, a lengthy more formal assessment process. The assessment is essential to determine if the services that a person is seeking can be matched with the services that New Direction has to offer. An assessment is needed to develop an individual care plan to address the person needs. If it has been determined that this agency cannot provide the services needed, then the person will be directed to other agencies that are deemed to be a better fit. The staff at New Direction assist the client is making that appointment or arrangement with a more appropriate provider.
All assessments that are provided at New Direction Treatment Services, will consist of a comprehensive Evaluation. The assessment will screen for substance abuse and mental health issues. When issues are identified then additional tools (i.e., MAST, DAST, CAGE, BASIS-24, BDI, BAI, URICA) may be utilized to get a better understanding for appropriate level of care and diagnosis. This will also help to guide the treatment planning process.
Urine drug screening is part of the assessment process, but we understand that the urine screen may not be clean at the assessment. This is quite common, and we understand this, but it is also a part of getting honest. Additionally, it is more important that the client gets the proper help and be placed in the proper level of care so that money and time is not wasted. We may not advise the client prior to the assessment that a urine screen is part of the process because we know may be difficult to get honest about continued use of substances. The staff at New Direction will not shame or belittle a person for seeking help. It is more important to let the clinician know exactly what the struggles are. Some of those struggles may be with friend, family, health issues, money issues, cravings, triggers, anxiety, grief, or depression. We know that patience, understanding, and compassion will promote recovery from both mental health and substance abuse issues.
When person has been referred from another agency and has already obtained an assessment, then with a release of information, New Direction will utilize the information from that assessment thereby saving time and the assessment/intake fee can be reduced. A termination or discharge report from the previous provider may be helpful and reduce their intake fee as well.
New Direction Treatment Services will cooperate with other agencies if the client chooses another provider in the middle of their treatment, or they cannot continue at New Direction for some reason. We will provide a copy of their assessment and or termination summary to help with the transition of services.
An assessment at New Direction Treatment Services takes about one ½ hours. Basic information about living arrangements, family history, substance use history, legal, work history, mental health treatment history, relationships, medical history, and medications.
Once a diagnosis and level of care is determined then the client will have choices about their treatment. All services can be arranged by telehealth (i.e., Zoom, phone, Google meet, Duo, etc.) unless otherwise restricted by referral source. We make scheduling very flexible and have weekend, early morning, and evening appointments for all services.
