Addiction treatment via an app? Yes! And it’s both convenient and effective. Here’s your guide to how it works.
When Workit Health launched our first app in 2015, it was revolutionary. Even in the current flourishing landscape of telemedicine and mental health apps, Workit Health stands at the forefront. But how does it work?
In this guide, you will learn all about our app and virtual treatment programs, helpful tips, and other frequently asked questions about both programs.
Signing up
The first step is to download the Workit Health app and create an account.
In the app, you’ll select your treatment plan and payment method. There’s an insurance checker so you can verify your coverage, or you can self-pay. Workit Health is significantly more affordable than traditional rehab.
Once your account is set up, it’s time to schedule your first appointment. Do this right in the app Just like when you go to an in-person doctor, there is some information that we will need. Fill out your pre-appointment checklist in the app and upload a photo of your ID.
Clinician appointments
Because regulations vary from state to state, your initial appointment may be with an intake counselor. Whether you speak first with a doctor or an intake counselor, you’ll receive non-judgmental, expert care from a team that takes your life and goals into account. This and all future appointments will take place via secure video chat in the app (except in Ohio, which may require one in-person appointment).
Workit Providers are clinicians with training and experience in addiction medicine. You’ll meet with your provider via our secure video chat platform, so you can ask all your questions about how your medication will work and what its effects might be. Appointments with your provider will function just like any other doctor’s appointment you might have, except they’ll be in a private video conference on your mobile device instead of in a doctor’s office. Your provider will discuss your health and substance use history to make sure that medically-assisted treatment is a good fit for you. They can also discuss other health concerns, like anxiety, depression, Hepatitis C, PrEP for HIV prevention, and more.
Receiving medication
There are governmental and pharmaceutical regulations around Suboxone, naltrexone, and other meds to make sure that they’re prescribed and administered properly. That means going through a pharmacy, so Workit Health will not ship medications directly to you.
If you and your provider agree that medication-assisted treatment is right for you, your provider will send an e-prescription to your local pharmacy. Some members who live in remote areas far from a pharmacy use a mail-order pharmacy. Workit providers and clinic staff will work with you to find a pharmacy that works with you.
Counseling and group sessions
Medication-assisted treatment works best in combination with behavioral health support, and for Workit members who do not use medication-assisted treatment, counseling may form a large part of their program. What this looks like in practice will vary depending on your needs and goals. For some members, it looks like one-on-one sessions with a trained and licensed counselor over video chat or audio calls. For others, it is text conversations with a counselor.
Workit online counselors are Master’s-level licensed social workers trained in addiction treatment, harm reduction, and behavior change. Many of our counselors are in recovery themselves or have been personally touched in some way by addiction, so they understand the real challenges that substance use disorder brings. Each of them supports all paths to recovery and celebrates positive change.
Many Workit members find it helpful to join our moderated recovery group sessions for support and encouragement from other members in similar situations. You can share as much or as little as you like in group sessions. Group sessions are moderated by a counselor.
Taking drug tests
If you receive medication-assisted treatment, you will need to take drug tests (also called drug screens) on occasion. It’s important for your provider to have that definite confirmation of which substances you’re using so that they can give you the best treatment. Workit will mail you sealed drug test panels for this purpose. If something happens to your shipment, many local stores also sell ones that will work in a pinch.
Like the rest of Workit’s services, drug testing happens in the Workit app, using the camera on your smartphone. When it’s time for you to test, you’ll use the app to enter a private waiting room until a counselor is available. Once a counselor is available, they’ll admit you to a private and secure video room. You’ll show your counselor the sealed, new test on camera, and then go off-camera to a private space to collect your sample.
You’ll come back on camera to review your results with your counselor. This is a judgment-free process, and the counselor will respect your privacy and work to make the process as easy as possible. They will not shame you or kick you out of the program because of a drug test.
Online courses
One unique aspect of the Workit app is our online recovery courses. We’ve carefully designed our courses with experts and advisors to combine the latest research on addiction science with therapy techniques like motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Your personalized recovery curriculum of courses will help you better understand your behaviors and habits and discover how to change them.
There are courses for many aspects of recovery, from navigating triggers to coping with cravings to dealing with social pressure. But substance use isn’t your whole life, so the courses don’t end there. Workit courses address mental health, personal growth, mindfulness, and personal relationships. Your counselor may also send you “Special Delivery” courses that are specific to your situation and goals, creating a personalized curriculum. Your in-app responses to your courses will be reviewed by your counselor so that they have a clearer picture of where you’re at in your recovery. These responses are kept confidential.
Reaching out
There is a chat feature within the app that has multiple channels, so you can reach out for help whenever you need it.
- Medical Team Chat: Use this channel for questions about your prescriptions, symptoms, drug testing, or lab tests.
- Coach Team Chat: Use this channel to connect with your counselor when you need support or to ask for help finding resources.
- Admin Team Chat: Use this channel to ask questions about billing or appointment scheduling, technical issues, or your account.
Notifications
Some members thrive with frequent reminders and notifications, and others find them overwhelming. You have control over whether you receive reminders for appointments and group sessions and notifications for new Special Delivery courses and chat messages. You can also choose whether the messages come via text, email, push notification, or any combination of the three. You’ll set these preferences in the Technology and Notifications tab of your account profile.
Confidentiality is key
We take your privacy seriously, and we’ve designed our app to take it seriously as well. Workit Health is HIPAA-compliant, HITRUST-certified, WCAG-accessible, and a SOC 2 Type II compliant program—an industry leader in telehealth. You can trust that we will never release your information to anyone without your permission. If you do want to release your information (to a family member, employer, or another provider), you can fill out a Release of Information form in-app, in the Documents section of your account profile.
