The Behavioral Health Program at West End Outreach (WEOS) is currently taking on clients in its Substance Use Disorder treatment program.
Treatment at WEOS is designed to help people address the underlying causes that might contribute to the abuse of drugs or alcohol, while also helping people chart their own course for recovery and overcome the problems that their drug or alcohol abuse may have caused.
The main goal is to eliminate barriers and make recovery available to everyone. WEOS is unique in its ability to close the gap for people who might have co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders and is taking the lead on this approach locally.
There are currently 7.7 million adults in the U.S. who have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
One disorder doesn’t necessarily cause the other. Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9 percent also had mental illnesses. Of the 42.3 million adults with mental illness, 18.2 percent had substance use disorders, according to NIDA.
Not everyone is getting the treatment they need. Of those with co-occurring conditions, 52.5 percent received neither mental health care nor substance use treatment, 34.5 percent received mental health care only, 9.1 percent received both, and 3.9 percent received substance use treatment only, according to NIDA.
A client at WEOS has access to individual substance use counseling, substance use assessments, mental health therapy, case management, day treatment, substance use group counseling, activity groups, and mental health group therapy. It’s all tailored for the person’s individual needs.
The first step in getting help for yourself or a family member is to call 360-374-5011 and schedule an appointment or simply stop by WEOS, located at 551 Bogachiel Way in Forks.
Disclaimer: This column is not intended as a diagnosis or recommended treatment of a specific condition. Answers are not a replacement for an individual medical evaluation. Individual health concerns should be evaluated by a licensed clinician.
