Right now, someone is moving toward treatment without any program knowing they exist. They compare options, question whether treatment is necessary, try to overcome resistance, or wait for the moment when help will be accepted. They have not called admissions or completed a form, so they remain invisible. But the decision process is underway, and the program that helps them along the way may be the one they ultimately choose.

The road to admission is much longer than programs realize

Programs begin tracking a potential admission when someone calls or completes a form, but the journey to treatment starts much earlier. One national survey found that families waited an average of 37 months before seeking treatment. During that time, they gauge the severity of the problem, try other solutions, and wrestle with questions that delay action. When admissions finally hears from them, they may still be deciding what to do.

The person exploring treatment usually is not the one who needs it

Ask any admissions team who they talk to, and you’ll find it’s almost never the person who needs treatment. It’s a family member or trusted friend looking for a way to help after other options have failed and their loved one continues to spiral.

Information alone does not create readiness

Treatment websites do an important job: they show facilities, list in-network insurance providers, and explain levels of care. But people considering care are carrying a different set of questions. Does my loved one need treatment? How do I get them to accept help? What should I say if they refuse?

A website gives them an overview of a program. Practical guidance is what helps them move toward treatment.

Pressure backfires. Guidance and honesty stand out.

Admissions teams have a real responsibility: bring people into the program and keep census steady. But someone who is still considering care may experience that urgency as pressure. They may politely finish the conversation and appear ready to move forward, then navigate away and keep exploring.

Clear answers, honest information, and room to think it over may not result in an immediate admission, but they build trust for when the person is ready.

Can programs stay connected while people consider care?

People considering care are often invisible to the program. They do not call or complete a contact form. They navigate away or do not return admissions’ call, so the team moves on. But they may still be considering care, if not today, at the next moment of crisis.

Programs need a way to keep people connected without pressuring them into a conversation or decision before they are ready. This group is enormous and may represent the largest pool of potential admissions.

Pathroot is introducing Considering Care at Behavioral Health Tech

At Behavioral Health Tech, Pathroot is announcing Considering Care, a new way for treatment programs to engage people before they are ready to call admissions.

Considering Care gives programs a branded place where people can explore treatment, understand their options, and receive practical guidance. To sign up, they provide their contact information and agree that it will be shared with the program. Pathroot then helps the program stay connected and provides multiple ways for the person to reach admissions when ready, without burdening staff with repeated follow-up.

When we understand how the journey to treatment unfolds, who influences the decision, and which concerns delay action, the greatest admissions opportunity may not be the lead in your CRM. It may be the family member or trusted friend still exploring treatment and influencing whether it happens.

Frequently asked questions

Why don’t treatment programs see most people considering care?

Programs typically begin tracking a potential admission when someone calls or completes a form, but the decision process starts long before that. People compare options, question whether treatment is necessary, and work to overcome a loved one’s resistance without ever contacting a program, which makes them invisible to admissions even though they are actively moving toward a decision.

How long do families wait before seeking addiction treatment?

One national survey found that families waited an average of 37 months before seeking treatment. During that time they gauge the severity of the problem, try other solutions, and wrestle with questions that delay action, so even when they finally contact a program they may still be deciding what to do.

Who usually contacts admissions at a treatment program?

It is almost never the person who needs treatment. Admissions teams most often hear from a family member or trusted friend looking for a way to help after other options have failed and their loved one continues to struggle.

What questions do people considering treatment actually have?

Beyond facilities, insurance, and levels of care, people considering care want to know whether their loved one needs treatment, how to get them to accept help, and what to say if they refuse. Practical guidance on those questions, more than program information alone, is what helps them move toward treatment.

Why does urgency from admissions push people away?

Someone still deciding may experience admissions urgency as pressure, politely end the conversation, and keep exploring elsewhere. Clear answers, honest information, and room to think it over build the trust that brings people back when they are ready.

What is Considering Care from Pathroot Health?

Considering Care is a program-branded place where people exploring treatment can understand their options and receive practical guidance before they are ready to call admissions. People sign up by providing contact information and agreeing to share it with the program, and Pathroot helps the program stay connected and gives the person multiple ways to reach admissions when ready, without adding follow-up burden for staff.

Sources

• National survey data on family delay before seeking addiction treatment (average of 37 months)

• Pathroot Health, Considering Care product overview

• SAMHSA, Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 39: Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Family Therapy (updated 2020)

• Children and Youth Services Review (2024). Identifying family engagement priorities in youth residential treatment settings: A group concept mapping study