“Unexpected test results present an opportunity to find out what happened, encourage honesty, and implement specific interventions to help get the client back on track.”
Using Definitive Testing as a Tool to Support Treatment Planning and Success in Substance Use and Mental Health Care
Katie Twomey, LCSW, LADC-1 has been working with Paramount Recovery for about two years after spending time in various other roles, including as a counselor in the prison system. Paramount is an outpatient facility specializing in primary substance use and secondary mental health diagnoses, and they are a dual-diagnosis-capable program. They offer partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient programs. Many Paramount clients struggle with alcohol use disorder (AUD), and marijuana, methamphetamine, and opioids also present a significant challenge for many clients.
“We have worked with several different laboratories prior to Aegis, and none of them even came anywhere close to providing the support that Aegis provides,” Katie shared about her experience thus far working with Aegis. “If I had a question before Aegis, I didn’t know who to ask.” As clinical supervisor, Katie reviews toxicology results to make decisions on how clients will progress through the program and what level of care is appropriate.
Testing has been helpful for Paramount to identify relapses that clients may not otherwise report. The clients say that testing helps hold them accountable to their treatment goals, and results that demonstrate abstinence help rebuild trust with their families who in many cases have experienced trauma secondary to their substance use. Results of testing help Paramount understand which interventions are working and which are not so that they can best support the client. “Secrets keep us sick,” Katie said in talking about how the results help when sitting down to talk with clients about their results. “If clients don’t get honest with those who want to support them, they will remain sick.”
Clients will sometimes be very adamant that they have not re-used a substance and will ask about the potential for false positive results caused by other medications. Being able to confirm with definitive testing what substances can or cannot contribute to positive findings can help with the most difficult clinical decisions.
Katie recalled the story of an individual with AUD and stimulant use disorder (StUD) who successfully progressed through treatment and on to sober living without any relapses, but there was a new issue that would not have been identified through traditional toxicology testing. This client was struggling with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and this was affecting their success at work. The client had not mentioned this in therapy, so testing positive for phenibut allowed for more specific conversations about these symptoms and discussion with the medical team to transition them to clinically appropriate psychotropic medication considering the history of StUD.
This client’s story demonstrates the positive potential of enhanced definitive testing. There was not a punitive outcome, but rather the client’s care was improved and optimized by identifying a previously unrealized issue that was causing them difficulty in their daily life. “Unexpected test results present an opportunity to find out what happened, encourage honesty, and implement specific interventions to help get the client back on track.”
Katie Twomey, Paramount Recovery
Paramount Recovery Centers is a treatment center for adults that provides alcohol and drug treatment along with a dual-diagnosis focus. They provide gender specific programming for men and women.
