Residential Treatment

There are various treatment options for substance use disorder, including residential treatment. Read on to learn more about how we can help.

Understanding the Continuum of Care

A residential treatment program is the most intensive level of care for addiction and mental health treatment. Unlike the outpatient programs offered at Continuum Outpatient Center, clients attending residential treatment live on-site at their treatment facility while receiving quality, evidence-based care. 

Our team has partnered with Ripple Ranch Recovery Center to provide the best residential treatment in Texas and help our clients get the right level of care for their needs. 

What Types of Care Are Offered in Residential Treatment?

There are several different levels of care in residential treatment that offer unique services and treatments. The different levels of care vary in intensity, but in general, they offer both evidence-based and holistic treatments that can help you thrive in recovery.

The continuum of care extends from the most intensive services to the least. In order, the continuum of care generally follows a structured path:

  • Medical detox
  • Inpatient or residential treatment
  • Partial hospitalization program
  • Intensive outpatient program
  • Outpatient program
  • Aftercare program


Each step down in care requires less time commitment, provides more opportunities for you to put the skills learned into practical application, and is generally less restrictive or rigid. While many people may follow the full path of the treatment continuum, it’s not typically necessary to attend each stage in order. 

Who Is Residential Treatment Beneficial For?

Residential treatment is one of the highest levels of addiction care. Typically, residential treatment is best suited for people who:

  • Have severe substance use disorders
  • Struggle to stay sober at home
  • Want the highest intensity of treatment services
  • Have experienced multiple relapses
  • Want to learn the tools of recovery quickly
  • Need around-the-clock support


While treatment at a residential facility often doesn’t last as long as other levels of care, the intensive nature of therapy and treatment interventions lets you quickly build the tools of recovery to last a lifetime. 

The Benefits of Residential Treatment

Residential treatment offers several key advantages for people attempting to overcome a substance use disorder, such as:

  • Social support for recovery
  • Several hours of treatment and therapy per day
  • A safe, drug-free environment
  • Highly structured programming
  • Daily access to a number of master’s level clinicians and therapists


The intensive nature of the program is highly effective at helping people break through the difficult first stages of sobriety and build a solid foundation of recovery to last a lifetime. 

The Residential Treatment Process

The full residential treatment process typically lasts between four and six weeks. Each stage of the process has key components for helping you build the tools of recovery and has been designed to guide you through each stage of overcoming addiction.

Assessment and Diagnosis

The very first step in residential treatment is a thorough assessment and diagnosis process. This begins on the first day of treatment and is meant to help your team of clinicians provide a customized and personal treatment plan. There are multiple steps in the assessment process, including:

Substance Use History

Taking a substance use history provides key treatment insights. You may be asked about what substances you use, how frequently you use them, and your typical dose and route of administration.

Mental Health Assessment

Substance use rarely happens in a vacuum. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, almost two in five people with substance use disorders also have a co-occurring mental health disorder. A mental health assessment can help identify any co-occurring mental health challenges and help guide you toward the right treatment for your needs.

Medical History

Medical illnesses can often complicate the treatment process if they are not appropriately addressed. Drug allergies, chronic health conditions, and any current medications are gathered during the medical history process.

Treatment History

If you’ve attended treatment before, this information can be used to help guide you toward the treatments that have worked for you in the past and can help you avoid spending time on treatments that don’t work.

At the end of this process, the clinical team will determine your official diagnosis and start creating a customized treatment plan for you. 

Residential Treatment

Treatments and Therapies

Evidence-based treatment is at the core of the residential treatment program at Ripple Ranch Recovery Center. 

The exact treatments and therapies that you receive depend largely upon your unique needs. Certain treatments are catered toward treating specific mental health challenges, while others are more generalizable treatments for addiction and mental health.

At a residential treatment center, these treatments typically happen five days a week, for several hours at a time. This intensive, focused style of treatment can help people quickly build the tools needed to achieve and maintain a life of sobriety. Some of the treatments you can expect during treatment include: 

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy is the most in-depth, personalized treatment option available. During individual therapy, you’ll meet one-on-one with a counselor or therapist to discuss your unique personal challenges and to learn a number of tools and skills that can help you thrive in your new life in recovery.

While other forms of therapy tend to focus on a singular issue, working with an individual therapist offers the greatest breadth and depth of treatment. You can direct your energy entirely on diving deep into personal challenges or use it as a tool to work toward your goals and ambitions. 

Group Therapy

Group therapy is where you will spend the bulk of your time while receiving care at a residential treatment facility. Group therapy brings several clients together who share a common problem and offers a space for clients to work together to find strategies to overcome these challenges.

Different styles of group therapy include:

  • Interpersonal process groups
  • Addiction therapy groups
  • Mental health groups
  • Life skills training groups


These groups are always led by a specially trained counselor. However, while the counselor is there to guide the discussion, the power of group therapy is within the members themselves.

Sometimes, the person best equipped to help someone living with an addiction is another person with a similar experience – someone who truly understands how you feel, what you’ve experienced, and how to make it through to the next day can speak to your worries and reassure you.

That’s what group therapy offers, and it has proven itself time and time again to be an essential component of a comprehensive treatment program. 

Medication-Assisted Treatment

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a critical component of an effective residential treatment program. MAT uses targeted medications designed to reduce the symptoms of physical withdrawal, lessen cravings, and help people achieve sobriety in relative comfort.

The medications used in MAT have been specifically developed to help people overcome substance use disorders and can drastically increase your likelihood of lasting recovery.

MAT is considered to be a front-line treatment option for multiple different types of substance use disorders, including:

  • Opioid use disorders
  • Alcohol use disorders
  • Methamphetamine use disorders


The clinical team at your residential treatment facility will work with you to determine whether MAT is right for you and will develop a customized medication regimen to help you stay focused on the work of recovery. 

Relapse Prevention Programs

Relapse is one of the many challenges that people can face in the journey toward recovery. However, a relapse prevention program can help you develop the tools to resist relapse for the rest of your life.

Relapse prevention programs focus on several different key strategies to help prevent relapse from occurring, including:

  • Identifying high-risk situations
  • Developing plans to deal with cravings as they arise
  • Recognizing the multiple stages of relapse and when clients can break the cycle
  • Providing clients with the tools to return to recovery if they experience a lapse


Relapse prevention programs have been studied for decades and have been shown to be one of the most effective methods for helping people maintain their sobriety. 

Family Therapy

Addiction almost never affects a single individual alone. It can cause rifts in families, breakdowns in communication, and often fosters resentment among the people you care about most. Healing from these harms can be a pivotal turning point in your recovery process, and that can begin in family therapy.

At Continuum Outpatient Center, we take a family system approach to recovery.

Family therapy is done with a specialized therapist who meets with both the person experiencing addiction and their loved ones. They not only pave the way for healing from the damages of the past but can also help families learn how to support and communicate effectively with one another. 

Start a Residential Treatment Program Today

Call Continuum Outpatient Center today for an individualized treatment plan designed to fit your needs.

What Is Daily Life Like in Residential Treatment?

During your stay at a residential treatment facility like Ripple Ranch Recovery Center, you’ll live on-site at your treatment center with other people working toward recovery. 

However, residential treatment differs from inpatient facilities by offering comfortable, home-like environments for you to live in, where you can spend your leisure time in a safe place with other people in recovery.

These facilities are typically staffed with support professionals around the clock who are there to help with medication administration, maintain structure and accountability, and support you at any time of day if you’re experiencing challenges. 

Daily Schedules

Treatment happens during the day, five days a week. After the treatment day has been completed, you’ll return to your residence with your housemates and may attend local support groups or recreational activities set up by your treatment center.

The goal of this style of living in treatment is threefold:

  1. It allows you to devote your full energy to the work of recovery
  2. It keeps you away from high-risk situations
  3. It surrounds you with other people working toward recovery


This combination of factors can help you not only stay sober but also build a recovery toolkit that can last long after your time in treatment has come to an end. 

What Comes After Residential Treatment?

Treatment at a residential facility is an excellent first step, but continuing treatment in a less restricted environment can further reduce your risk of relapse, help you continue the work of recovery, and provide a unique set of services while you transition back to living at home.

By stepping down in care to an outpatient facility following residential treatment, you can continue receiving the evidence-based treatments and therapies you’ve already familiarized yourself with, but in a format that is designed to fit around your life rather than overtake it.

Continuum Outpatient Center provides several styles of outpatient treatment options to help you continue the path of recovery, including: 

Partial Hospitalization Program

A partial hospitalization program is similar in intensity and time commitment to residential treatment programs, but they allow clients to continue living in their own homes or in supportive recovery housing while receiving addiction and mental health care.

This is the highest level of outpatient care available and is designed for people working on overcoming severe substance use problems. 

Intensive Outpatient Program

An intensive outpatient program is a more relaxed style of treatment, meeting fewer days per week and for fewer hours at a time.

The key benefit of an intensive outpatient program is that it allows you to return to your everyday responsibilities and obligations. You can go to work, go to school, or spend time with friends and family — all while receiving quality, evidence-based care.

This also means that you have the support of addiction professionals to help you overcome the challenges that are simply a part of daily life. Rather than removing yourself from your home environment, an intensive outpatient program fits around your environment. 

Start a Residential Treatment Program Today

At Continuum Outpatient Center, our team has dedicated themselves to helping people from all walks of life break free from the challenges of living with a substance use disorder.

While our treatment center focuses on providing outpatient services, we recognize that residential treatment is often the better choice for many of our clients. That’s why we’ve partnered with Ripple Ranch Recovery Center to provide the best residential treatment in the state of Texas. 

Providing Comprehensive and Holistic Care

Together, Ripple Ranch Recovery Center and Continuum Outpatient Center can cover the full spectrum of addiction or mental health treatment that you need, and you can get the support you need to overcome your symptoms.

When you’re ready to begin, fill out the confidential online contact form at Ripple Ranch Recovery Center’s website for more information, or explore the Continuum Outpatient Center website. You can break free from addiction; you only need to reach out for help. 

Choose Continuum Outpatient Center as Your Partner in the Journey to Wellness

Explore the possibilities of a renewed life with Continuum Outpatient Center, where our mission is your well-being.

Join us on this journey. Let’s work together to create a future where mental health and addiction are not obstacles, but opportunities for growth, resilience, and a life filled with possibilities.