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How to Evaluate and Find the Best Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers

Michael Krowne

You can evaluate a dual diagnosis treatment center by looking for integrated treatment, levels of care, licensing and accreditations, evidence-based interventions, staff credentials, family involvement, and aftercare. This article discusses these features in detail and explains what BlueCrest Health Group offers.

Key Takeaways

  • Dual diagnosis treatment is recommended for individuals who are simultaneously battling addiction and mental health disorders.
  • The best dual diagnosis treatment centers will be licensed and accredited. They should offer a credentialed multidisciplinary staff, integrated care, evidence-based therapies, various levels of care, aftercare, and family involvement.
  • Cost and insurance are other concerns, but reputable providers will provide insurance verifications before you begin treatment and may offer payment plans to make care more affordable.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Addiction is not easy to overcome, and treating it often requires targeting the underlying cause. For many, substances are a way to self-medicate mental health conditions. In fact, according to SAMHSA 2024 research, 21.2 million people in America had co-occurring disorders, which describes when addiction occurs alongside a diagnosable mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, or bipolar disorder.

The best dual diagnosis treatment centers support optimal wellness

In these cases, a dual diagnosis approach is necessary. It simultaneously treats the addiction and the underlying mental health issue, rather than treating it as an afterthought, guiding long-term recovery.

While this approach has been shown to be successful, it’s important to find the right clinic. This article explains what to look for.

What Makes a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center High Quality?

A high-quality addiction and mental health treatment center offers integrated treatment, a multidisciplinary team, and licensure and accreditation.

  • Licensing: All addiction treatment programs should carry a license regulated by their state. BlueCrest of New Jersey is covered by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH).
  • Accreditation: This shows the facility exceeds standards. Accreditations often come from the Joint Commission, which requires excellence in the medical field, and CARF, which is more specific to rehab facilities.
  • Integrated Treatment: When care is integrated, both conditions are treated together by the same team or a closely coordinated team, supporting a unified treatment plan.
  • Multidisciplinary Care: The team should consist of medical and mental health professionals, including registered nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and addiction specialists.

What Levels of Care Should You Look For?

The right treatment center should offer various levels of care, supporting a step-up or step-down approach, meeting clients where they are on the treatment spectrum, according to ASAM criteria. Here’s what BlueCrest offers:

  • Medical Detox: Offered at the BlueCrest Detox Center, this is often the first step of the recovery journey, ensuring patients stabilize before rehab.
  • Partial Care: Clients who need highly structured care attend treatment several hours a day, several days a week, for a full-time approach. After therapy, they can return to our supportive living facility.
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP): Offers a flexible schedule, allowing clients who can adhere to treatment with less supervision to plan recovery around work, school, and other responsibilities.
  • Traditional Outpatient Treatment: Clients continue to see therapists once or twice weekly as a part of ongoing care.

What Therapies and Treatment Approaches Should Be Offered?

Therapy often plays a prominent role in dual diagnosis care

Evidence-based therapies should be used to address substance abuse and mental health disorders. Proven methods include:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Addresses negative thought patterns and teaches clients coping strategies so they can deal with their emotions without turning to substances.
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Offers a more mindful approach to emotional regulation, focusing on distress tolerance.
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): Used for clients recovering from opioids and alcohol addiction, this approach reduces complications during the detoxification process and can be used to manage cravings long-term.
  • Trauma-informed care: Trauma is often an underlying cause of addiction and can be treated through exposure therapy, EMDR, or somatic treatment.
  • Individualized treatment planning: All care should be tailored to client needs based on the type of addiction, mental health condition, goals, and lifestyle.

What Questions Should You Ask Before Choosing a Center?

When choosing a center, ask about staff credentials and ratios, family involvement, length of stay and program structure, discharge planning, and aftercare support.

  • Staff Credentials and Ratios: Ensure the staff is licensed and certified. The treatment center should also offer a high staff-to-client ratio.
  • Family Involvement: SAMHSA research shows better recovery outcomes with family therapy. It involves bringing families into therapy sessions to help them better understand their loved one’s condition and ensure they provide a healing environment.
  • Length of Stay: Ask how long the program runs, whether the stay is fixed or based on individual progress, whether there’s a minimum stay, and whether you can extend care if needed.
  • Aftercare Program: The best dual diagnosis programs offer discharge planning and aftercare to support a successful recovery. Aftercare should include relapse prevention and connections to local peer support.

How Do You Pay for Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Payment typically involves insurance or private pay, and it’s important to learn what each treatment center offers. Many, like BlueCrest, can conduct an insurance verification before you agree to care, so you’ll know what’s covered and what isn’t. Payment plans are also a common option, spreading the cost of dual diagnosis addiction treatment over time, so it becomes more manageable.

How Do You Get Started?

Getting started requires an assessment and intake. Then you will work with a therapist to develop an addiction recovery treatment plan. Here’s what that looks like at BlueCrest:

  • Contact Us: Call our office directly or fill out our online form, and someone will get back to you. We will gather information on you and your substance use disorder and mental condition, discuss treatment options, and conduct an insurance verification.
  • Assessment: Each client undergoes a thorough assessment. We consider all aspects of physical and mental health to support a successful, effective recovery.
  • Treatment Planning: You will work with your therapist to develop a treatment plan based on your goals and lifestyle.

Get Started with BlueCrest Health Group Today

Don’t let drug or alcohol addiction or mental disorders interfere with your ability to enjoy life. BlueCrest Health Group of New Jersey offers treatment that supports optimal wellness. We are licensed, accredited, and offer personalized, evidence-based, comprehensive treatment provided by a credentialed, multidisciplinary team.

Contact us to learn more about our extensive services.

FAQs

What is dual diagnosis?

Dual diagnosis refers to having both a mental illness and a substance abuse disorder. Either condition can develop first, and each is diagnosed independently.

What’s the difference between sequential, parallel, and integrated treatment?

Sequential treatment addresses one condition first, then the other. Parallel treatment addresses both at the same time but through separate, uncoordinated providers. Integrated treatment, which is recommended by SAMHSA, treats both conditions simultaneously through one coordinated team and a single treatment plan.

Why does integrated treatment work better than treating each disorder separately?

Integrated treatment works better because the two conditions influence each other. Untreated mental health symptoms often drive relapse, and unaddressed substance use can worsen psychiatric symptoms. Treating them together addresses their interaction rather than treating each in isolation.

What questions should I ask before choosing a center?

When evaluating addiction treatment centers, ask about treatment models, levels of care, staff credentials, and the plan for transitioning to aftercare.

Is dual diagnosis treatment covered by insurance?

Many insurance providers cover dual diagnosis treatment. However, coverage varies by plan. Talk to your insurance company or the treatment center to get an idea of what you’ll pay.

Sources

  1. Co-Occurring Disorders and Other Health Conditions. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/treatment/co-occurring-disorders
  2. SAMHSA Releases Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20250728/samhsa-releases-annual-national-survey-on-drug-use-and-health
  3. SAMHSA Releases New 2024 Data on Rates of Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder in the U.S. National Association of Counties. https://www.naco.org/news/samhsa-releases-new-2024-data-rates-mental-illness-and-substance-use-disorder-us
  4. Managing Life with Co-Occurring Disorders. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/serious-mental-illness/co-occurring-disorders
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  6. Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-resources/search/pages/2019-133.html
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  8. New Jersey Treatment Center Compliance. Behave Health. https://behavehealth.com/compliance/new-jersey
  9. Frequently Asked Questions: Type of Facility Licensing Chart. New Jersey Department of Health. https://www.nj.gov/health/healthfacilities/documents/CN/guidance/HF_LicensingChart.pdf
  10. N.J.A.C. 10:161B, Standards for Licensure of Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities. New Jersey Department of Health. https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/notices/documents/rules-and-regulations/NJAC%2010_161B%20%20STANDARDS%20FOR%20LICENSURE%20OF%20OUTPATIENT%20SUBSTANCE%20USE%20DISORDER%20TREATMENT%20FACILITIES.PDF
  11. Regulation of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Services. New Jersey Department of Health. https://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules/mhsud.shtml
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  13. S4030. New Jersey Legislature. https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4030_I1.HTM
  14. S349. New Jersey Legislature. https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S0500/349_I1.HTM
  15. What Is Somatic Therapy? How the Body Holds and Heals Trauma. Bhava Therapy Group. https://www.bhavatherapygroup.com/blog/what-is-somatic-therapy/
  16. Somatic Therapy. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/somatic-therapy
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  18. Chapter 6, Family-Based Services. Substance Abuse: Clinical Issues in Intensive Outpatient Treatment, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64085/?report=reader
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