In 2016, the NAATP launched the Outcomes Pilot Program (OPP), a nationwide assessment designed to measure long-term outcomes for patients who receive inpatient substance use disorder services.
Among the numerous statistics provided by this assessment, the OPP highlights the importance of being able to stay in touch with clients once they leave a program. As stated in the assessment, 42% of the participants were planning on utilizing continuing care from the facility they received treatment from. They also felt that speaking with other clients was as helpful as group therapy, so cultivating an alumni community could prove useful!
So, then the question is – what’s the best way to engage with alumni once they’ve left the program? See below some ideas!
Phone Calls
The tried and true. It’s no secret that one of the most common ways to engage with alumni are phone calls. This allows treatment centers to continue building that relationship with their clients once they’ve graduated the program and also collect data. The only problem that comes with phone calls is what do you do when their number changes or they aren’t big on talking on the phone?
Texts or Emails
This leads us to the next most common means of communication with alumni – texts and emails. Our ever-evolving world has become so digitized that this form of communication, especially among millennials, is preferred. It’s less invasive and “easier.” But the same question comes into place. What do you do if they don’t have email or they’ve changed their number?
Alumni Events
Alumni events are another great way to develop an alumni community. Away from a screen and connecting face-to-face. Clients at multiple stages of their own personal recovery can connect with others that are going through a similar situation or have been through that situation already. This brings a sense of belonging and a way to build lifelong friends. This is also a great tool to help with referrals!
Online Community
As mentioned previously, in the world of technology, everything is online, including a majority of human interactions. Building an online community is a great way to connect with your alumni because it’s something that they’re already engaging with on a daily basis. Facebook groups are a popular route for this option.
One Step’s Client Engagement App
Last, but certainly not least, One Step! One Step has created an app that clients can use both in treatment and post-treatment. It has multiple features that you can use with your program. This includes sobriety counters, digital schedules, goal tracking, send out outcomes surveys for results in seconds (individual and aggregate), and also messaging. Alumni coordinators, therapists, and any staff member can communicate with the client while in treatment and post treatment. Regardless of number changes, you’ll always have that open line of communication through the app. You can also easily push a mass alumni event to all of your alumni in a click of a button! If you’d like to check it out, let me know!