Specialized Military Addiction Treatment
Veterans & Active Duty
Our VALOR program specializes in substance abuse and helping military, both active duty and veterans, combat PTSD and other trauma-related issues that contribute to substance abuse. Participants will take part in at least 1 hour of weekly psychotherapy with a Licensed Therapist in order to address the following: triggers for use, family dynamics that may or may not contribute to maladaptive pattern of substance use, setting boundaries that lead to long term recovery and healthy relationships going forward, and how to manage emotional dysregulation. The individual therapist will aid the participant in the development of distress tolerance skills to use in place of mind and mood-altering substances, while helping the client connect to the powerlessness and unmanageability of disease.
Group Support
Weekly psychoeducation groups will cover the following topics:
This group will explore what trauma is, how it presents, and what it looks like. It will also provide a general guideline for what is necessary to treat trauma, especially with a co-morbid substance use disorder.
Participants will learn about the phases of relapse and how to combat relapse when cravings hit. They will also begin to get a better idea of what a Relapse Prevention Plan entails. Development of an individual Relapse Prevention Plan will occur one-on-one with the participant’s therapist.
Participants will gain better insight into the biological differences in the brain of addicts/alcoholics, in order to help reduce the stigma and shame surrounding the disease of addiction.
Participants will learn about inclusive spirituality, in the absence of any specific religion or denomination. They will explore what they consider to be a higher power or anything outside of themselves that brings them peace and comfort. Topics such as mindfulness and meditation will also be discussed.
Participants will learn how the disease of addiction manifests in mind, body, and spirit. This group will cover the mental obsession, physical craving, and spiritual bankruptcy that addiction causes when active. Participants will gain a better understanding of how the disease manifests in their daily lives, specifically in maladaptive thinking patterns.
Participants will learn how to best manage their time efficiently so that they can become productive members of society. With an emphasis on discipline, positive habit forming, and accountability, topics covered will include, but not be limited to, daily living skills, following a schedule, nutrition, money management, and employment skills.
Participants will gain skills to use in place of mind and mood-altering substances when experiencing a variety of life stressors, including distressing emotions that may have historically lead to substance use. Participants will gain a better understanding of various emotions, along with how to identify what they are feeling and articulate emotions effectively to others. They will also learn the importance of asking for help and support when feeling emotionally dysregulated.
While the focus of VALOR is substance abuse, providing care for combat related PTSD and other trauma is vitally important. At Riverside, veterans will participate in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) with therapists who are specially trained to facilitate ART. ART helps participants manage trauma that may inhibit their overall functioning and/or their ability to take part in programming that will lead to alleviation of the primary substance use disorder. Some veterans may need more intense trauma therapy than is provided on site at Riverside and will be permitted to attend Veterans Alternative as a supplement to the Riverside VALOR program. Veterans Alternative provides 5 day long specialized ART therapy for veterans to help manage combat related PTSD. Participants will attend Veterans Alternative and then return to Riverside upon completion.
VALOR participants will benefit from the expertise of an onsite Physical Therapist who will provide both individual and group sessions to address health, fitness, and pain management. Exercise programs are designed to meet participants at their current ability level and include, but not be limited to, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), yoga, and water aerobics.
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