Working professionals deal with unique stress related to their industry. Hectic hours, high-stress demands, and other pressures related to work can lead to struggles with substance abuse.
Nurses and doctors, veterinarians, dentists, lawyers, and pilots can find themselves struggling with addiction when they initially turn to something like stimulants to get through the day, benzodiazepines to calm their anxiety, or sleeping pills to help combat an erratic sleep schedule.
As a working professional, taking time off for long-term care can be daunting, if not impossible. Thankfully, there are many ways you can figure out how to work while in treatment that offer flexible schedules and communication options.
How to Work While in Treatment
With the right facilities, figuring out how to work while in treatment starts with designing a flexible level of care to meet your needs.
Flexible Levels of Care
Partial hospitalization programs or intensive outpatient programs both offer flexible schedules, often with treatment taking place in the evenings during the week so that you’re still able to work during the day and then participate in your recovery plan immediately after.
The right programs will also meet any professional requirements your employers have. As a working professional, you might need to complete programs approved for airline pilots by the FAA or treatment specifically for physicians that involve a one-year commitment. With the right care, you can continue to work as your employer allows while also participating in a flexible outpatient plan that meets employer requirements.
Collaborative Programs
As a working professional, you need collaborative programs that utilize evidence-based individual and group therapy designed specifically for your demographic. The right type of care will incorporate treatment with individuals in similar jobs who understand the demands of your hectic schedule and the stress that comes with your unique position.
Getting Care with Providence Treatment
If you are a medical professional, airline pilot, or other professional working in a high-stress job and struggling with substance abuse, you need to learn how to work while in treatment and how to find programs that are designed specifically for your circumstances. Providence Treatment, an outpatient rehab in Boston and Philadelphia, offers several levels of care specifically tailored to meet the needs of professionals.
Partial Hospitalization Program and Intensive Outpatient Program
For our partial hospitalization programs, we assess the length of your program on a weekly basis, contingent upon your needs. These programs meet for an average of 20 hours per week, helping you figure out how to work while in treatment but still get the help you need.
Our intensive outpatient programs meet in the evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for those clients who are ready to return to work but benefit from additional support. You can expect a commitment around 10 hours per week making it feasible to continue working while in treatment.
With our unique drug rehab for pilots, airline pilots can continue to participate in outpatient and aftercare programs after other levels of care.
Collaboration
We also collaborate with medical professionals and employers to decide when you are healthy enough to return to work. Sometimes, working while in treatment is limited to tasks such as handling emails and phone calls while you focus on your recovery plan with the agreement that completing an appropriate level of care with minimum interactions at work is the best course of action.
Overall, there are ways that you can continue to work while in treatment. For some people, that means participating in a partial hospitalization program or intensive outpatient program in the evenings around work. For others, it means participating in year-long, specialized aftercare programs for their industry. Whether you need to meet employer requirements for recovery programs or you are looking to continue work while in recovery part-time, you can find help with Providence Treatment.
Call our team to learn more about our specialized addiction treatment for executives and other working professionals.
