PTSD and Addiction Treatment in North Dakota

What does treatment for PTSD and substance use look like in North Dakota?

Treatment for PTSD and substance use disorder in North Dakota is usually co-occurring care, meaning one team assesses both conditions and builds them into a single plan. When you call a North Dakota provider, ask whether a licensed clinician assesses PTSD at intake and who leads the mental health side of the plan.

A program that calls itself trauma-informed is describing how staff operate, for example avoiding practices that can retraumatize clients. That approach is useful, but it is not the same as therapy aimed at PTSD itself, such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure or Seeking Safety, which was built for trauma and substance misuse together.

If trauma sits beside depression, anxiety or another condition, dual diagnosis programs in North Dakota may also fit. Stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines suddenly can be dangerous, so withdrawal from either often calls for medical supervision. Withdrawal management listings in North Dakota show where that service is offered.

Veterans can start with the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Fargo, which offers mental health and substance use disorder services, and community care can pay an outside provider for those who qualify. North Dakota Medicaid, TRICARE, private insurance and sliding-scale fees also appear on listings.

You can browse residential programs, intensive outpatient programs and outpatient care statewide.

Crisis care comes before any treatment search. If you or someone close to you is thinking about suicide, call or text 988, and veterans can press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. In an emergency, call 911. North Dakota’s Recovery Talk line, (701) 291-7901, offers free peer support around the clock for people in recovery.

Which trauma therapies do programs in North Dakota offer?

The trauma-focused therapies a North Dakota program may list include cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and Seeking Safety. Seeking Safety was designed for people working on trauma and substance use at the same time. When a listing names one of these methods, ask:

• Who delivers the therapy, and what training do they hold in it?
• Does it begin during residential care or only after discharge?
• Will it continue if you step down to outpatient care?

How can veterans and first responders in North Dakota get care for PTSD and substance use?

Veterans in North Dakota can start with the Fargo VA Medical Center, which offers mental health and substance use services. For eligible veterans, VA community care can pay for treatment with an outside provider. Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling, and the VA can point you to the one nearest you. Service members and families can browse programs listing TRICARE, and veterans programs in North Dakota show who reports serving former service members. Ask each program directly whether it accepts VA community care authorizations. Tribal members can also contact the Indian Health Service Great Plains Area, whose units include the Standing Rock, Turtle Mountain and Trenton Service Units.

Many North Dakota listings note groups for first responders, survivors of violence and LGBTQ clients. Women can browse women’s programs, and families can look at teen programs. State law lets anyone 14 or older consent to substance use treatment without a parent. Languages other than English appear on a listing when the provider reports them.

Does North Dakota Medicaid or private insurance pay for co-occurring PTSD treatment?

North Dakota Medicaid can pay for care at programs that accept it. Medicaid Expansion has covered lower-income adults since January 1, 2014, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota manages care benefits for Expansion members as a managed care organization. Our Medicaid page explains how to search by coverage.

The Behavioral Health Division of the state Department of Health and Human Services directs federal block grant funds to substance use treatment, and state-funded programs in North Dakota are listed separately. Listings also note private insurance, Medicare, sliding-scale fees and self-pay.

How can you tell whether a North Dakota program is licensed?

The Behavioral Health Division of North Dakota Health and Human Services licenses substance use treatment programs and publishes a list of licensed addiction treatment programs that you can search by name. Opioid treatment programs hold a separate state license. PTSD care is mental health treatment, so ask each program which licenses cover each condition it treats. Accreditation from The Joint Commission or CARF appears on a listing when the provider reports it.

Federal rules at 42 CFR Part 2 limit how substance use treatment records can be shared. Sharing usually requires your written consent, but exceptions exist, such as medical emergencies and some court orders.

Reading the North Dakota listings

Seven in ten programs listing PTSD care in North Dakota are in towns and the rest are in rural areas, at elevations between 840 and 900 feet. Bismarck and Fargo have the most listings. Eighty-two percent are within 25 miles of a river, most often the Heart River. Hector International Airport in Fargo is the nearest airport more often than any other, and the median distance to the closest airport is 3.8 miles. Much of the rural west is far from any program, so telehealth or travel may be part of the plan. For every service type in the state, start from the North Dakota overview.