Program and Services

Substance Abuse Assessment

 The first step in entering treatment is typically to have a substance abuse assessment. The purpose of the assessment is to assess a person’s drug and/or alcohol use to determine if treatment is needed, what level of care is most appropriate, which program might best meet the client’s needs, and to complete any insurance funding requirements.

We offer walk-in assessments, and assessments by appointment Monday-Friday:

• 3300 County Road 10 Suite 100 Brooklyn Center, MN 55429

Weekend Assessments – Saturday’s, By Appointment Only:

• 3300 County Road 10 Suite 100 Brooklyn Center, MN 55429

Appointments fill up fast and can only be taken up to 3 weeks in advance.  Walk-in’s are taken on a first come, first served basis.  Clients with appointments should arrive 15 minutes early to complete paperwork. 

Assessments are free for those who qualify for Rule 25 funding, or we offer self-pay assessments. For those with insurance, the assessment is typically covered however, co-pays and deductibles may apply. The assessment lasts about an hour and include questions about many different areas of a person’s life. Whenever possible, the Assessor also speaks to “collateral” which is a person that can also give information about the client being assessed.

Outpatient substance abuse treatment:

Open Arms Recovery provides outpatient drug and alcohol treatment services to men and women in Brooklyn Center and surrounding communities. We are a community-based program that proudly and ethically provides services to individuals experiencing hardships related to substance use disorders.

 Our focus is on you and how your personal strengths can enhance your recovery. We are a program built upon respect and concern for our clients and their concerned persons/family. Individuals we serve can struggle with multiple barriers to recovery, including assimilation, cultural biases, stigma, mental health, homelessness, financial problems, legal issues and may lack emotional support.

Culturally Specific programming for Southeast Asians: 

Open Arms Recovery offers a culturally specific program for the Southeast Asian community. We define culturally specific programing as the creation of a safe environment in which the identity and experience of this specific group or culture is recognized, explored, and accepted while treating their substance addiction.  What makes this program different from non-culturally specific traditional programing is the ability to talk about race, issues with assimilation, barriers, cultural biases and pain that has arisen. Clients also participate in and benefit from traditional treatment topics such as relapse prevention planning, crisis intervention, and the development of a sober support network. This atmosphere allows individuals of the Southeast Asian community to heal and build a stronger positive cultural identity.

Day and Evening Schedules:

Day Program Hours:

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM   M-TH

Culturally Specific programming:

10:00AM-2:00pm M, W, F

Evening Program Hours:

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM M-TH

Culturally Specific programming:

6:00PM-9:00PM M, W, F

Chemical Health Tracks include:

Intensive Outpatient – 4 Days / Week

Outpatient – 2-3 Days / Week

Low Intensity/Relapse Prevention – 1 Day / Week

Group Therapy:

Group therapy is to guide clients through the process of gaining insight about themselves, others, and the world around them. Group therapy adds structure to chaotic lives while providing a safe environment in which to practice newly developed skills.

Through the group dynamic, clients foster hope and examine core issues that exacerbate their addictive disorders. They also work to develop their communication skills and learn to engage in fun, healthy social experiences. The group dynamic encourages honest feedback and facilitates bonding between individuals with shared experiences. Clients weigh in on the issues of others in order to offer suggestions or provide outside perspectives.

Other goals of group therapy include gaining inspiration through the recovery of others, self-identifying, and examining core values. Participants support and nurture each other like a family by reinforcing good behaviors and helping each other cope during difficult life issues. These groups further encourage exploration of emotional and interpersonal conflicts, harmful behaviors, and discussion about responsibilities and limitations.

Individual therapy:

Individual therapy is a joint process between a therapist and a person in therapy. Common goals of therapy can be to inspire change or improve quality of life. People may seek therapy for help with issues that are hard to face alone. Individual therapy is also called therapy, psychotherapy, psychosocial therapy, talk therapy, and counseling.  

Education and Interactive Lectures: 

The primary objective of education in addiction treatment is to give individuals the knowledge they need to fully understand addiction and to provide tools and insight for continued sobriety. Educational lectures review evidence-based research on the biology, psychology and recovery process of addiction in a way that’s easy to understand. 

 Educational lectures are also very useful for family members who participate in our family program because they are full of helpful information that provides valuable insight into your struggles, mindset, and reasoning behind your behaviors. This knowledge can help your loved ones understand what you’re going through and encourages them to develop a capacity for compassion and forgiveness.

“Addiction is a complex disease, but knowledge is a powerful tool that you can use to overcome it.”

Individualized Treatment Planning:

Recovery is a journey. Not all individuals experience the same thoughts and/or feelings. In order to plan the best course of treatment for an individual, it is important to understand how a person processes their thoughts, expresses emotion and views recovery. In addition, personal history, family dynamics, and support networks are considered when designing a treatment plan specific to the individual. “Each person and their circumstances are unique and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating addiction.”

Family Education/Support:

Substance abuse and addiction can damage family dynamics, erode trust, and weaken communication. Family members who experience a loved one battling with a substance use disorder often endure a host of painful emotions.  

 Including families in addiction treatment is an imperative part of recovery. Open Arms family education program uses support materials that can help the family better understand what the addict is going through in their life and provide education about the disease of addiction and the different ways family members are affected whether parent, child, spouse or partner.  It also empowers the family members in dealing with the addict’s behaviors and recovery. 

“Recovery is stronger when all family members understand the nature of drug addiction and are involved in the healing process.”

Crisis Intervention: 

Crisis intervention is focused on minimizing the stress of an event, providing emotional support and improving the individual’s coping strategies in the here and now. Like psychotherapy, crisis counseling involves assessment, planning, and treatment, but the scope is generally much more specific.

Crisis intervention is an immediate and short-term psychological care aimed at assisting individuals in a crisis situation in order to restore equilibrium to their bio-psycho-social functioning and to minimize the potential of long-term psychological trauma.

Crisis counseling is not intended to provide psychotherapy or similar treatment, but offers a short-term intervention to help clients receive assistance, resources, stabilization, and support.

Relapse Prevention:

When someone relapses, it can be hard for them not to feel like they’ve ruined all of the hard work that they had put into maintaining their sobriety. Suddenly, everything they’ve worked for is gone, and they’re back to square one. 

However, this is not the case. Relapse does not mean that someone has failed. Addiction, like any other chronic illness, requires lifelong management. With statistics showing that about 40 to 60 percent of people in recovery from substance use disorder relapse at some point, it’s fairly common and something to prepare for.

 Relapse prevention involves not only gaining the tools and techniques needed to help cope with different internal and external triggers, but it also allows you to identify and, therefore, prevent situations that can leave you vulnerable to relapse. To create an effective relapse prevention plan, it is first necessary to have a full understanding of how relapse works.

Recovery Maintenance:

Recovery maintenance is more about having a well-rounded plan, so you can focus more on living well. Rather than focusing on avoiding relapse (which, of course we hope to do). In addition to planning for a slip, having a strong recovery maintenance plan means adding good things into your life, including self-care, support groups and regularly scheduled fun (and safe) things to do.  It is important that you put this plan in writing and be prepared to focus on it daily for a long while. 

 “Recovery takes effort to maintain, but with a plan, you can get there.”

Coping Skills:

Open Arms realizes as you go through treatment for addiction, you will experience a lot of new things. You will start to learn more about addiction, what causes it, and the changes it makes in your life. But, some of the most valuable lessons you’ll have are the ones that teach you more about yourself. Through therapy, you will begin to understand how your actions, behaviors, and thoughts are all connected to your substance abuse problem. We understand it can be challenging to work on changing the way you think or act. But you’ll see that developing healthier patterns in your life will lead to a more successful recovery from addiction. As you go forward on this path, you’ll begin to learn how to adopt good coping skills for addiction recovery. It’s one of the greatest things you can do as you pursue a new and better life. 

Coping mechanisms are skills we all have that allow us to make sense of our negative experiences and integrate them into a healthy, sustainable perspective of the world. When life gives us lemons, our coping skills help us see this as an opportunity to make lemonade. Without effective coping mechanisms, we can feel like a “lemon” ourselves, misinterpreting accidents or other people’s bad intentions to be a reflection of our own inadequacy.

Community Referral and Resource Services:

Community resources are the businesses, public service institutions and charitable organizations that provide assistance and services to local residents. The range of services touches the lives of everyone who lives in a community

Open Arms Recovery understands your needs may extend beyond clinical services and navigating community agencies can be confusing and overwhelming so that’s why we are here to help. We want to help connect you to other relevant resources in the community to help you manage life issues.

Peer Recovery:

Peer Support Specialists is an integral part of behavioral health treatment.  While especially important and effective in the early stages of recovery, peer support is available to help clients at all stages to maintain a healthy life in recovery. Peer Recovery Specialists use a strengths-based approach helping clients find and utilize their values, assets, and strengths while supporting them in achieving success. They recognize that it is normal for clients to have gaps in their skills or development. The role of the specialist is to help clients recognize and fill these gaps with the skills needed. Peer Recovery services focus on the present and future and are based on partnership with the client.

 “The peer is not a sponsor or a therapist but rather a role model, mentor, advocate, and motivator.”