More About Rehabs with First Responders Program
Working as a first responder can cause unique mental health struggles as they manage high stress and may also witness trauma.(1 )These factors can increase the risk of developing a substance use disorder (also known as addiction) and can make it difficult to achieve recovery. However, evidence-based treatment for addiction and first responder specialty treatment programs are available and can lead to positive health outcomes. Understanding the risks first responders face regarding mental health and addiction and how first responders treatment programs can help can be important in achieving recovery.
What Is a First Responders Addiction Treatment Program?
A first responders addiction treatment program is specially formulated to address the unique challenges that first responders may face. First responders often have occupation-specific risk factors that increase their risk of some mental health conditions, such as:(1, 5)
- Witnessing traumatic events.
- Actual physical injury or assault.
- Routine stress from the job.
- Unsupportive workplace culture.
- Common gender or ethnic discrimination.
- Erratic sleep patterns that disturb inflammatory and physiological stress response.
- Hostile occupational environments.
Addiction programs that focus on first responders understand how these and non-occupational risk factors can work together and lead a person to substance misuse or a use disorder.(5) They may offer trauma-specific therapy, teach coping mechanisms that are compatible with their lifestyle, or help first responders better manage stress or hostility. Specialized programs may give first responders a better start toward recovery.
What Happens During First Responders Addiction Treatment Programs?
First responders addiction treatment programs are usually incorporated into a larger continuum of substance use disorder care. Addiction recovery may flow from one level of care down to the next as a person progresses throughout their recovery journey.(2) Types of treatment along the addiction recovery continuum include:(2)
- Medical detox: Detoxification is the process in which a person’s body clears itself of a substance, which can cause withdrawal symptoms. Medical detox allows a person to undergo detox in a supervised setting with trained professionals and sometimes medication.(2)
- Inpatient treatment: Inpatient care may occur in a hospital or a residential setting, but both deliver service and supervision 24/7 with more intensive treatment schedules. Inpatient hospital settings may be equipped to handle additional medical complications or more severe substance use disorders, but both provide strong support and a range of evidence-based treatment services.(2)
- Outpatient treatment: Receiving outpatient addiction services, a person may remain living at home, and sometimes continuing at work or school. Partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs are comparable to inpatient treatment in their intensity and time commitment, while traditional outpatient treatment may be as little as once or twice per month.(2)
- Aftercare (continuing care): Continuing care for addiction treatment may consist of any number of recovery supports intended for involvement after a formal treatment program. Community-based or organized by treatment centers, they include mutual support groups, recovery housing, recovery coaches, and more.(2)
Treatment Approaches in First Responders Rehab Programs
Throughout the various levels of addiction care, addiction staff use similar treatment approaches to make progress in recovery. During a first responders rehab program, a person may utilize the following therapies and interventions:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based therapy used for substance use disorders and many other mental health conditions. It focuses on building coping skills to identify and change harmful ways of thinking, which then leads to behavioral changes. It is particularly helpful for people with co-occurring mental disorders.(2, 4)
- Trauma-focused processing. This approach may utilize a variety of techniques to help the person work through their trauma. First responders may have several traumatic experiences that contribute to chronic stress if they are not processed in a healthy way. Research suggests that trauma-focused cognitive processing therapy may be a preferred treatment for first responders.(1)
- Twelve-step facilitation therapy (TSF): TSF can help people prepare for involvement with mutual aid groups after treatment. As a 12-week therapy, it focuses on acceptance, surrender, and active involvement in a 12-Step program as key ideas for recovery.(2)
- Family therapies. These therapies involve family members or other significant social supports to improve long-term commitment to treatment and increase positive outcomes with behavior changes. Also, it can provide education for family members about the complexity of their loved one’s disorder, thus increasing support toward recovery.(2)
Other therapeutic techniques, medication, and social support may also be used depending on the person’s substance use history and other needs.(2) Treatment plans for each person are written according to the needs of the person and change as their needs change.(2)
Does Health Insurance Cover First Responders Addiction Treatment Programs?
In the United States, health insurance companies are required to offer mental health benefits, including substance use disorder treatment, at the same level that they cover medical interventions and surgeries. So, most health plans should cover at least a portion of a first responders addiction treatment program. The Affordable Care Act ensured that health services must cover essential health benefits, which include care for mental health and addiction services.(3)
However, the precise amount of coverage varies per plan. Talk to your insurance to find out how much of addiction treatment may be covered for you, or if the rehab you want to attend is within network for coverage. Finding the right place can decrease the amount you are required to pay.
Sources
- Lewis-Schroeder, N.F., Kieran, K., Murphy, B. L., Wolff, J.D., Robinson, M.A., & Kaufman, M.L. (2018, July). Conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of traumatic stress in first responders: a review of critical issues. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 26(4), 216-227.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General, Facing addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s report on alcohol, drugs, and health. Washington, DC: HHS, November 2016.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Does the Affordable Care Act cover individuals with mental health problems?
- Papazoglou, Konstantinos. Journal of Police Emergency Response. (2017). Examining the Psychophysiological Efficacy of CBT Treatment for First Responders Diagnosed with PTSD: an Understudied Topic.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018, May). First Responders: Behavioral Health Concerns, Emergency Response, and Trauma.