Nova Counseling Services: Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Does your friend or loved one have a drug or alcohol problem? Get that person the help he/she needs at Nova Counseling Services.

In Wisconsin, drugs and alcohol have plagued towns and cities statewide. Between 2014 and 2020, there were  6,845 drug overdose deaths reported in the state.

Fortunately, clinics and services have opened in the state to counter the problem and Nova is leading the way.

• Nova Counseling Services
  
• 3240 Jackson Street
• Oshkosh, WI 54901
• Phone: (920) 231-0143

Inpatient Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Located in Oshkosh, the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin, Nova Counseling Services offers an inpatient treatment program based on the 12-step principles of AA. The program follows a daily schedule that consists of the following activities:

Addiction Counseling

An integral part of Nova Counseling Services involves group and individual therapy. In group settings. patients open up and gain valuable knowledge from people in similar situations. In the one-on-one setting, the counselor employs dual-diagnosis therapy to help the patient identify the stress or trauma that feeds his/her addictive behavior.

• Community Meeting – The Nova Counseling team engages each inpatient client in regular community meetings. Here, people share their thoughts and concerns in a group setting. This environment gives patients the opportunity to grow acquainted and gain mutual insight. The Nova center offers a supportive environment where patients feel comfortable opening up among like-minded people.
• Individual Counseling – Each patient at Nova meets with a counselor to discuss his/her issues regarding drugs and/or alcohol. Through a series of one-on-one sessions, the patient can better understand the roots of his/her behavior. This helps the counselor draft the most effective customized treatment plan.

Personal Wellness

To conquer alcohol and drug addiction, patients must improve their mental and physical wellness. At Nova, patients are encouraged to exercise their minds and bodies in positive ways. Nova staff assigns tasks that help patients gain control of their mental trajectory and physical condition.

• Writing Assignments – One of the most effective strategies for mental wellness is writing. Inpatients at Nova are giving writing assignments that stimulate the thought process and aid in mental clarity. When people put their thoughts, ideas and insights into words, they become more clear-headed, articulate and better at communicating.
• Meditation – Another healthy strategy for mental wellness and peace of mind is meditation. At Nova, resident patients engage in meditative exercises where they focus on positive thoughts. This helps patients break from the negative thought patterns that fuel addictive behavior.

Life Skills

A lot of people who struggle with drugs and alcohol have difficulty facing daily tasks. As addiction takes hold, the mere thought of getting through a day’s work can seem overwhelming. A major part of rehab involves skill-building for life on the outside.

• Community Tasks – To help patients be more productive each day, Nova assigns community tasks. This helps patients who struggle with shyness and motivational issues. Community tasks help patients learn to take action and work together as teams. This makes patients more employable on the outside.
• Unit Cleaning – People who struggle with addiction often neglect their personal habitat. At Nova, each patient is responsible for the upkeep of his/her unit. Patients have cleaning tasks that must be completed as part of a balanced daily regimen. With improved habitat, patients raise their living standards.

Education

As patients conquer drug and alcohol addiction, it helps to hear from others who’ve already been down that path. At Nova, patients hear from people who’ve experienced substance addiction firsthand and come back from the brink clean and sober. They know that anyone who’s truly committed can overcome chemical dependency.

• Lecture – A typical day at Nova includes an afternoon lecture from a drug treatment specialist. These lectures are meant to be inspiring and educational. During each talk, patients can gain awareness about the triggers that fuel substance abuse and learn healthier ways to manage these situations.
• Recovery Speaker – Nova inpatients also hear from recovery speakers, who share their insights about overcoming alcohol and drug addiction. For most ex-drug users, sobriety involves new and improved methods of stress management. Patients gain insights during each speech that they can put to their own use.

Additional Services

Treatment involves many specialized forms of counseling. Some methods involve the whole family of the inpatient resident. Other methods involve specialized sessions where patients are grouped by age or gender. These sessions help patients heal and grow in the company of those with whom they have the most in common.

• Family Conferences – Drug addiction impacts family members. At Nova, they hold support groups for the loved ones of inpatient residents. This helps families understand their loved one who struggles with drugs and alcohol. It teaches them how to properly cope with and handle the situation.
• Gender-Specific Groups – Nova patients are sometimes separated into groups along gender lines. This helps male and female patients find support for gender-specific issues pertaining to drug and alcohol addiction, such as issues involving self-esteem and body (often women) and performance and work-related pressure (often men).

Sober Living Halfway House

For clients who complete the inpatient treatment program, Nova offers a 90-day sober living arrangement at its Terra House location. The facility offers 10 to 12 spaces for individuals who need additional help in their transition to the outside world. The program is divided into four stages:

Stage One

The first stage of the Terra House program consists of inpatient aftercare planning. This helps ensure the success of people who came to Nova from troubled backgrounds.

• Personal Plan – The first thing sober living residents do is develop a personal plan for their continued recovery. A plan consists of recovery goals, such as healthy new habits, positive interactions and a steady income.
• 12-Step Meetings – Nova promotes the 12-step model, as conceived by AA, for all its patients. This helps clients walk the straight and narrow as they become proactive in their daily lives and refrain from vice-prone behaviors.

Stage Two

During the second stage at Terra, residents put their ideas to work and speak with therapists about lingering concerns after the inpatient program. This is the stage where the recovery mission and all it entails (health, sobriety) comes into focus.

• Plan Implementation – Once the Terra resident has his/her plan for lasting recovery, the next step involves implementation. When people start with a few items each day and increase as healthy habits form, they often advance to new levels of success.
• Counseling – The therapeutic side of recovery remains integral to clients, even after inpatient treatment. At Terra, each resident meets regularly with a counselor to discuss his/her issues (fear, anxiety, depression) and specific needs.

Stage Three

At stage three, residents do volunteer activities and assist incoming residents. People at this stage have better communication skills and are more aware of their circumstances.

• Volunteer Work – As sober living residents readjust to society, it’s best that they engage in volunteerism. This helps former addicts develop responsible habits and partake in good causes that benefit the community. When a person enjoys helping others, it reflects in his/her own self-worth.
• Mentoring – By stage three, Terra residents should reach a point in their journey where they’re ready to serve as role models for incoming residents. A stage-three resident will usually have lots of insight regarding the challenges of recovery and assist newcomers with goal-setting and healthy habit-forming.
• Overnight Passes – Stage three residents may earn passes to spend nights away from the Terra house. As long as the individual has shown progress and has a point of contact, they can generally be trusted with their own health and safety.

Stage Four

During the fourth and final stage, Terra house residents avow their recovery plans and find sponsors to help with the readjustment process.

• Recovery Commitment – The stage four resident should have a self-evident, full commitment to his/her recovery. The individual should have an internalized set of healthy habits and proactive day-to-day goals that preclude the possibility of relapse.
• Sponsor – Terra residents who advance to stage four should have healthy relationships with sober people on the outside, including those who’ve recovered from drugs and alcohol. Before leaving, each Terra resident should have a sponsor to aid in his/her sobriety.
• Discharge Plan – With all these accomplishments under the resident’s belt, it’s time to draft an exit plan. He/she should have a new place of residence prepared and a financial plan. After the discharge, he/she should remember Nova’s resources and aftercare programs.

Contact Nova Counseling Services

Nova encourages communication between clients and their parents, friends, and partners. A lot of people don’t understand that addiction is a disease, often spurred by mental-health problems. Nova counselors encourage those closest to the situation to make an appointment for a group counseling session with the recovering individual.

Don’t let your loved one risk another day of drug or alcohol addiction. Call Nova today.