The Basics
Since 1969, Seattle Counseling Service has provided outpatient substance abuse treatment services with a focus on the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. Though they welcome clients of all sexual orientations, Seattle Counseling Service puts a priority on serving the gay population in the colorful Capitol Hill district of Seattle. Their program features a mix of individual counseling, group therapy and case management.
Treatment and Staff
Seattle Counseling Service’s outpatient treatment breaks down into three phases. Phase I is an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), featuring three group sessions a week for three months. Groups meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 pm. These sessions address the disease concept of addiction, relapse prevention and building coping skills. Group sizes vary—anywhere from five to 20. Clients also have two individual counseling sessions a month. Phase II, referred to as the “Discovery” phase, is a scaled down version of the IOP program, with two 90-minute group sessions a week. This phase also lasts three months. Finally, there is Phase III, or “Relapse Prevention,” also three months. This involves one 90-minute session per week, with a focus on long-term abstinence through ongoing education and development of relapse prevention strategies.
Dual diagnosis support is not technically part of the substance abuse program, but Seattle Counseling Service does have a separate mental health counseling track, with a similar structure. Substance abuse clients can add sessions from the mental health program to supplement their own recovery plan. Since a client’s individual sessions in the substance abuse program are with a chemical dependency counselor, they can also make appointments with the mental health therapists to address mental health concerns.
All clinical staff members at Seattle Counseling Service hold Master’s-level degrees or higher and are credentialed mental health professionals. All staff members have training and experience in providing culturally sensitive services to the LGBTQ community. Clients in the mental health program have direct access to the psychiatrist on staff. Clients in the substance abuse program must be referred, but this is a fairly regular occurrence. There is no medical detox offered at Seattle Counseling Service.
Extras
In keeping with their overall commitment to the LGBTQ community, Seattle Counseling Service offers Project NEON (Needle and Sex Education Outreach Network), an HIV-prevention program for gay, bi and trans men addicted to crystal methamphetamine. The program is geared toward men who are actively using and offers peer education groups, educational sessions and individual counseling. There is also a free, peer-facilitated weekly transgender support group, which meets Wednesdays from 7 pm to 9 pm.
In Summary
Seattle Counseling Service is committed to filling the LGBTQ niche in the city’s recovery community with a comprehensive treatment program. Attractive features of this program include the flexibility clients have to create their own schedule of group and individual sessions and the combination of substance abuse and mental health treatment. The program is also extremely affordable, with a sliding scale option for payment. While Seattle Counseling Service is open to all, those who identify as LGBTQ will find themselves in a comfortable environment that is dedicated to their specific needs.
Seattle Counseling Service
1216 Pine St, Ste 300
Seattle, WA 98101
Seattle Counseling Service: $840 (30 days). Reach Seattle Counseling Service by phone at (206) 323-1768 or by email at info@seattlecounseling.org. Find Seattle Counseling Service on Facebook and LinkedIn
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Sponsored DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertisement for California Behavioral Health, LLC, a CA licensed substance abuse treatment provider and not a service provided by The Fix. Calls to this number are answered by CBH, free and without obligation to the consumer. No one who answers the call receives a fee based upon the consumer’s choice to enter treatment. For additional info on other treatment providers and options visit www.samhsa.gov.
