The Basics
The town of Easton, Maryland, is halfway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and, as the seat of Talbot County, is home to the Talbot County Health Department. From a red brick building among a cluster of community service providers, the department manages the Talbot County Addictions Program for adults, adolescents and families struggling with drug and alcohol problems. Screening, assessment and individual and group outpatient counseling are offered, mostly to clients referred by the courts and, in a few cases, to clients looking to help themselves.
Treatment and Staff
There are no inpatient services offered at the Talbot County Addictions Program, and no detox, but members of the staff are happy to offer referrals. What they do offer are two levels of outpatient care—regular and enhanced. “Enhanced” is not to be confused with “intensive:” clients looking for Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) should consult another local facility, Shore Behavioral Health. Talbot County’s program is a step down in frequency; clients only come in for treatment twice a week, for an hour at a time. Clients at the regular level of outpatient care come once a week for one hour of group therapy. All in all, there are about 100 clients served by the Talbot County Addictions Program at any time.
A variety of groups are offered. Some groups are educational in nature, while others are discussion-based. In relapse prevention group, clients talk about tactics to employ in sobriety: how to handle real-world triggers and how to build a strong support network. A women’s-only group for dealing with issues of trauma, grief and codependency is also part of the programming. Clients arrange to meet with counselors for one-on-one sessions, sometimes in addition to and sometimes in lieu of going to group. For clients struggling with a mental health issue as well as a substance abuse problem, a dual diagnosis group is available once a week. Talbot County also partners with another local facility that offers more extensive dual diagnosis support.
Licensed counselors facilitate all groups; some are LCSWs with specialties in addiction. There are also unlicensed but experienced peer support staff on duty at all times; peer support staff are always available in groups and often for one-on-one appointments with clients. Outside the outpatient setting, all clients are encouraged to use the community support network of 12-step programs.
Extras
A service called Turnaround is available to parents concerned about their teen’s drug and alcohol use. Parents can bring their teens in for a free assessment and consultation.
For clients with DUIs, Talbot County offers a six-week education program, often as part of sentencing.
A Spanish-speaking group is offered, in addition to family education groups. Family members and significant others are encouraged to seek out their own support by meeting with a counselor, getting to know one another and looking to outside self-help groups.
In Summary
This is an outpatient program by the people and for the people. Men and women with less opportunity to access inpatient or intensive care programs populate this facility, and the staff works hard to give them the attention they deserve. Clients often stay in groups and counseling for up to six months, and many continue to take advantage of the monthly aftercare check-in phone call with one of the staff. Peer support is the real backbone of this program, a kind of informal sponsorship that allows clients to feel understood.
Talbot County Addictions Program
100 S Hanson St
Easton, MD 21601
Talbot County Addictions Program Cost: Sliding scale. Reach Talbot County Addictions Program by phone at (410) 819-5600. Find Talbot County Addictions Program on Google+
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