"Ok Deborah, sorry to say, but you have to complete court-mandated services if you want to get your license back."
You never thought you'd hear those words before. You're a good person. That sort of thing is for bad people. Alarm bells ring in your mind.
You wonder about the embarrassment of facing the consequences of your actions. You worry about other people you will encounter. And you may not have been offered up words of encouragement. You are on your own.
This is a dilemma faced by many people every year. After a DUI, drug or alcohol charge, anger management charge, or similar incident, you are assigned a probation officer, or are encouraged by your attorney to take certain actions to protect yourself.
Now you have a new challenge ahead: satisfying court mandated requirements so that worse consequences don't come your way, or so that you can earn back privileges.
Court-Mandated Requirements.
Those requirements are likely to include:
- Initial Evaluation. Meet with a counselor to discuss your alcohol and drug use, and overall mental health
- Classes. Regular sessions in a group of your peers who are there for similar reasons
- Intensive Treatment. If you are identified as having a substance use disorder, you may be recommended for more intensive treatment including longer hours of counseling and seeing a psychiatrist
This doesn't sound easy. Especially if you haven't done this before.
What to Expect.
And as you enter this arena, you know only that it is going to be expensive. Most treatment providers put their interests above yours and charge an arm and a leg – because they can. And because you don't really have a lot of options.
Those treatment providers are likely to put you through long hours of mind-numbing education about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. In a word, this is boring. The providers don't have much incentive to make your time with them meaningful. And upon completion, you are unlikely to have gotten much out of it.
At Kemet, We Take a Different Approach.
We are clinical nerds. We know what is most helpful during court mandated services and how to achieve the best outcomes: for you, for the courts, and for the community.
We are honest with you. From Day 1.
This is not common. But it's what we would want if we were in your shoes. What to expect from our programs, what you can expect from the courts, how to best communicate with your assigned probation officer, and how much everything costs. There is no hidden agenda at Kemet. We want to help.
We focus on prevention, not abstinence.
What does this mean? It means we don't want to see you ever again. At least, not in a court-mandated fashion after more legal charges against you. We want to prevent the behaviors that led you down the path to our program.
We aren't here to push an abstinence-focused future. That mentality may sound great to many – no more drinking! – but it is unrealistic in the long term. Instead, try to create healthy habits and build self-awareness around dangerous behaviors. You won't be allowed to drink while in treatment with us, but you can learn new strategies for the future.
Your motivation is critical to your success. We are not here to kill your motivation.
Expensive treatment and mean treatment providers seem to be the norm. This doubles down on your punishment at a time that you need someone to connect with most. Someone who is there for you when life is difficult. At a time that you are more likely to build new healthy habits for the future. We are not here to be confrontational.
To do this, we are engaging and sometimes even have fun. Our group sessions get loud: we laugh, we share intimate stories, and we explore a lot of what it means to be human. We know all that goes into living healthy and happy lives, as well as how to address the pain that many of us carry around every day.
You will learn at Kemet. But not like a school or from long, tired videos. You will learn real skills.
At Kemet, we care about exposure to new ideas. We care about bringing you the best of what has worked for clients in the past. You may not come into this process with the mindset of learning, but we want to give you value and be useful for your future.
We see comparable prices at treatment centers of $70, $80, $100 per session. And we also hear horrible reviews from the poor souls who get stuck there. At Kemet, we charge $55 per session and we are also in your corner.
Give us a call at 703-256-1600 to speak with someone who will treat you with dignity and respect through this process. We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Our aim is to offer the best services at affordable prices in our corner of the universe of Northern Virginia.
