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Psychological & Psychiatric Care

Psychological & Psychiatric Care

Comprehensive Support for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery

Substance use disorder and mental health conditions frequently occur together. At Ashley Addiction Treatment, our dual diagnosis treatment program addresses both at the same time, under one coordinated plan, with a clinical team that specializes in exactly this overlap.

Our full-time psychiatrists and clinical psychologists treat mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma alongside addiction. If you or someone you love is living with both a mental health disorder and a substance use problem, Ashley’s approach to co-occurring disorders offers a path forward that treats the full picture.

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What Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Dual diagnosis treatment addresses two conditions simultaneously: a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental health disorder. Common pairings include depression and alcohol dependence, anxiety and opioid use, PTSD and stimulant addiction, and bipolar disorder and polysubstance use.

When only the addiction is treated, the untreated mental health condition often drives relapse. When only the mental health disorder is treated, active substance use undermines progress. Depression, anxiety, trauma, and other conditions frequently overlap with addiction. Ashley’s dual diagnosis program treats both together, with a single clinical team managing the full treatment plan.

Our approach follows American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria to assess each patient’s level of care needs across six dimensions, including emotional and behavioral conditions. This informs how psychiatric care, therapy, and addiction treatment are structured for each individual.

Signs You May Be Dealing With a Dual Diagnosis

Many people arrive at treatment having been diagnosed with one condition without knowing the other exists. Some common indicators that both may be present:

  • Substance use that began around the same time as a mental health episode
  • Mood symptoms that persist through periods of sobriety
  • Using alcohol or drugs to manage anxiety, depression, or trauma responses
  • A history of psychiatric hospitalization alongside substance use
  • Difficulty functioning emotionally even when not actively using

A formal psychiatric evaluation at Ashley determines whether co-occurring conditions are present and how they interact. Treatment is built from that assessment.

Our Psychological Services

Our licensed therapists provide a wide range of therapies to help individuals process emotional pain and rebuild healthy coping skills. These services are available in both individual and group settings and are tailored to support each patient’s mental health needs.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): addresses distorted thinking patterns that drive both substance use and mood disorders
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): builds emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: structured trauma treatment designed for individuals with post-traumatic stress
  • Schema Therapy: examines deep-rooted behavioral patterns developed in early life
  • Group Therapy for Depression and Anxiety: peer-supported sessions targeting the emotional conditions most commonly paired with addiction
  • Gender-Specific Trauma Groups: single-gender settings for processing trauma within a trauma-informed care framework

Trauma-Informed Care at Ashley

Trauma-informed care in addiction treatment means every aspect of the clinical environment is designed with trauma’s effects in mind. For patients who have experienced trauma, standard approaches to confrontation, disclosure, and group participation can retraumatize rather than heal.

At Ashley, trauma-informed care shapes how clinicians communicate, how groups are structured, and how treatment is paced to build safety before processing difficult experiences. Patients are not required to disclose trauma before they are ready.

This approach is built into Ashley’s broader dual diagnosis treatment model and applies across residential treatment and outpatient levels of care.

Our Psychiatric Services

Psychiatric support at Ashley is delivered by board-certified professionals who specialize in treating mental health and addiction together. Services include:

  • Full psychiatric evaluations, including diagnostic assessments for mood, anxiety, and trauma disorders
  • Medication management for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD
  • Monitoring of psychiatric symptoms throughout inpatient mental health treatment
  • Support for managing addiction cravings tied to emotional and psychiatric triggers
  • Education on dual diagnosis, medication-assisted recovery, and relapse prevention
  • Coordination between psychiatric and addiction treatment staff on a unified care plan

This level of care ensures that patients are not only stabilized during treatment but are also prepared to manage their mental health after they return home.

Education and Skill-Building in Recovery

Alongside therapy and psychiatric care, Ashley offers structured psychoeducation throughout residential treatment. These workshops use interactive formats, written exercises, and facilitated discussion to build practical recovery skills.

Topics covered include:

  • Understanding dual diagnosis and how mental health affects addiction
  • Emotional regulation and distress tolerance
  • Boundary-setting and communication in relationships affected by substance use
  • Recognizing early relapse warning signs tied to mental health symptoms
  • Medication literacy for patients managing co-occurring psychiatric conditions

Family members are also involved in select educational programming to support recovery after discharge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dual diagnosis treatment addresses a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental health condition at the same time, under a coordinated clinical plan. At Ashley, this means psychiatric care, individual therapy, and addiction treatment run in parallel rather than in sequence.

Yes. Ashley’s residential program on the main campus in Havre de Grace, Maryland provides full inpatient mental health treatment alongside addiction care. Board-certified psychiatrists and licensed therapists work together throughout a patient’s stay.

Trauma-informed care means the clinical environment and therapeutic approach are designed to avoid retraumatizing patients who have a history of trauma. At Ashley, this shapes how groups are run, how therapists communicate, and how treatment is paced to build safety before processing difficult experiences. It is built into the broader co-occurring disorder treatment model.

Yes. Ashley offers specialized group therapy for depression and anxiety as part of its dual diagnosis programming. These groups run alongside individual therapy and are facilitated by licensed clinicians. Learn more about Ashley’s full range of therapeutic approaches.

Speak With Our Clinical Team Today

If you or someone you love is dealing with a depressive episode, addiction cravings, or a combination of substance use disorder and psychiatric symptoms, help is available. Our experienced staff is here to guide you toward healing.

Call 800-799-4673, contact admissions online, or verify your insurance coverage to take the next step.