Addiction is not cured by a pill.
I provide the medication part of medication assisted addiction therapy.
Patients must be enrolled in a counseling program to receive ongoing prescriptions.
I require that you attend a counseling session from a licensed counselor at least once a month.
Once you are down to a level of 8mg/day it is made optional.
Patients who have had a relapse are required to complete remedial counseling before they present for a follow-up.
Most counselors follow the insurance imposed requirements of 8 to 12 weekly sessions.
In my experience a prolonged engagement of once a month session works better as the medication assisted program is long, with gentle tapering, so that your body slowly adapts to a life without narcotics. Once a month sessions do not interfere with your work or study schedule that much, and in the event of a relapse, you have an established relationship to turn to, … and immediately institute remedial measures, and not let a relapse become a failure.
There are many consequences to addiction behavior and your counselor will help prioritize your goals, making your treatment more manageable.
It has been my observation that many patients do very well in the first few months, remaining drug free … but end up relapsing. If they remain engaged with a counselor for monthly sessions they seem to do much better in rescuing themselves out of a relapse.
Addiction Counselors in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Please call your insurance plan for a list of contracted counselors within your insurance network.
Medicare and Tenncare provide coverage through Mental Health Services. Other insurance plans call it Behavioral Health Services.
Centerstone is a known contracted provider for psychiatric/mental health services. They have many clinics throughout Tennessee. They also have providers who prescribe Suboxone. You have to specifically ask for a Suboxone provider. The contact phone number for addiction disorders at Centerstone is: 615-714-9240.
Their Tennessee facility list can be found here http://www.centerstone.org/tennessee-facilities . The services offered in Tennessee are listed here http://www.centerstone.org/tennessee-services
Recovery Consulting Services http://www.recoveryconsult.com
Tom Diffenderfer, who is a state licensed addiction counselor, located at Murfreesboro, is offering new options for counseling … ranging from one on one individual counseling, once a month counseling, and intensive one month counseling. The services are designed to fit your financial resources. Insurance plans however are not accepted.
The details including current schedule and fees can be obtained from the
website: http://www.recoveryconsult.com
Tom Diffenderfer, LADAC
306 Uptown Square, Murfreesboro 37129
Phone: 615-904-9338
e-mail: tom@recoveryconsult.com
Cedars Counseling http://cedarscounseling.com
Randle Branch, LPC, and associates offer counseling services. Some insurances are accepted.
Randle Branch, LPC
Cedars Counseling, Inc.
319 West McKnight Dr, Suite 8, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
Phone: 615-896-9160
This location also holds Smart Recovery meetings, on Wednesday nights at 7:30 pm, a peer support group led by Brian Fleming. These are free group meetings similar to NA, AA, Celebrate Recovery, … but free of religious overtones.
For a meeting location near you or for additional information check the website http://www.smartrecovery.org/
Searching for an Addiction Counselor
Counselors who are specifically licensed to provide alcohol and drug abuse counseling are designated Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADC) and are listed as such by the state of Tennessee.
https://www.tn.gov/health/topic/pcmft-board
Counselors with such certification are few, and you do not have to restrict yourself to them. Most counselors do focus their practice on certain areas of counseling, so it is advisable that you find out whether they provide substance abuse counseling before you enroll in their program.
A good resource to find counselors in your area is by doing a search from http://www.psychologytoday.com/ .
This site lets you browse through the profiles of counselors and you can short list some names. The listing on psychologytoday.com does provide a biography, areas of interest, insurance acceptance, and fee structure.
The benefit of private counseling is that it is confidential. Many counselors now provide phone and or video counseling via webcam. You would still need to meet them in person to enroll. Ask if they provide group counseling. It may be less expensive, however it is not confidential anymore, as other members of the group get to know you.
What should you look for in a counselor?
It would be ideal if the counselor is a licensed drug and alcohol addiction counselor (LDAC). However, there are not many counselors with such specific licensure. You should short list those counselors who advertise themselves to work in the area of drug addiction. Ask them if they are familiar with Suboxone, and if they have a working relationships with doctors who prescribe Suboxone.
These counselors are more likely to provide the documentation and record of your attendance that you can present to your provider as proof of ongoing counseling.
To help you with your goals for recovery you can seek the help of others who have recovered, … or are working towards the same goals. There are free resources available, many are in the form of forums, organized by volunteer groups … being open forums they are not confidential.
If you have internet access then you can try:
- http://AddictionSurvivors.org/ : People helping people. It is an online community with chat facilities.
- http://smartrecovery.org/ : Unfortunately they have not mentioned the cost of the program anywhere, so I assume that it may not be free. It offers online meetings.
The above online programs let you remain anonymous and you can access them from home and according to your convenience.
Many area churches have group counseling programs. many are patterned after Narcotics Anonymous meetings. http://www.celebraterecovery.com/ is a Christ based program.
You can find their groups at http://www.celebraterecovery.com/find-a-group/usa-tennessee/ . Generally you do not have to be a member of the church to attend these programs.
Narcotics Anonymous is a nationwide group patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. Such groups are excellent resources to discover additional resources in the community. You can ask others of their experiences, and get a realistic idea of the methods they have tried, the costs, and the availability of additional resources in the community.
I recommend that you start attending these meeting seven before you enroll in a program. You can attend more than one group. Many meetings are held outside work hours. Participation is free.
You can find a meeting from their website. http://www.na.org/
You may have to go to several different meetings to find one that you are comfortable with. Look for meetings that are open to everyone.
Nashville including Murfreesboro area Narcotics Anonymous web site is at http://www.nanashville.org/
And if you are affected by the addiction of a family member, there is a group for you too … Nar-Anon Family Groups; … now there is no reason for you to be left out. Addiction in a spouse or family member can be very frustrating, so you may find some like minded people there. Their meetings website is http://nar-anon.org
They have a few meetings in Memphis area, but I did not see any meeting listed for Murfreesboro, … may be you can start one.
For additional resources and links to free downloadable workbooks please check the resources page.
Preauthorization:
Most prescription plans require that the patient be enrolled in a counseling program to be eligible for Suboxone coverage.
Check with your prescription plan for the rules. Tenncare covers Suboxone prescription with certain limitations.
If pre-authorization requires that you be enrolled in a counseling program then, please enroll with a counselor and take the necessary information to your provider to apply for pre-authorization. It takes a few days for the process to be completed, and you will not be able to get the medications until approved.
If your Tenncare plan is through a private Insurer like BlueCross BlueShield, or UnitedHealthcare, or Amerigroup, then you have to call them to find out what is covered and how.
I do not have the clerical staff to assist patients in obtaining medications.
Addiction treatment facilities have counselors available and provide you a one-stop experience. Such facilities are also familiar with insurance coverage. That should be your first choice if you have insurance. Call your insurance and ask them if substance abuse treatment is covered in your plan, and if covered a list of approved treatment facilities in your area.
This page was last modified on: April 21, 2020