Lincoln Medical Education Partnership Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones Lincoln provides outpatient substance abuse treatment and mental health services to adults and families in Lincoln, Nebraska's Lancaster County. For people who have completed a higher level of care or who are beginning treatment while managing daily responsibilities, an outpatient program offers the structure of regular clinical contact without requiring a residential placement. The center's Monday through Friday availability creates a predictable rhythm that fits around work schedules, parenting, and community commitments — all of which tend to be central to long-term recovery success.

The program's reach extends beyond substance use. Clients dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, and eating disorders can receive treatment within the same outpatient setting, which matters for the significant portion of people in recovery who are also managing a mental health condition. When psychiatric services are needed beyond the clinic's on-site scope, off-site psychiatric referral is available to connect clients with those resources.

Recovery rarely affects only one person, and the therapeutic framework at Stepping Stones Lincoln reflects that reality. In addition to individual work grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the clinic offers Couples Therapy and Play Therapy — modalities that draw partners and children into the treatment process. This makes the program a meaningful option for families where substance use or mental health challenges have affected multiple members or strained key relationships.

CBT is a well-established approach for both substance use and the co-occurring conditions the clinic treats, helping clients examine the connections between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that drive patterns of use or distress. By combining these therapeutic methods within an outpatient structure, Stepping Stones Lincoln offers a recovery community that extends into the family unit — an important element for adults who identify family stability as part of what sustained recovery looks like for them.

Access to addiction treatment and mental health services depends heavily on whether a facility accepts a person's insurance or offers manageable self-pay options. Stepping Stones Lincoln accepts Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE, private insurance, and self-pay, covering a wide range of financial situations. TRICARE acceptance is particularly relevant for the veteran and active-duty military community in the Lincoln area, providing a covered pathway to outpatient substance abuse treatment and co-occurring mental health care.

For individuals and families navigating recovery without commercial insurance, the combination of Medicaid acceptance and self-pay options removes common barriers to entering care. Inquiries about specific coverage and scheduling can be directed to the clinic by phone at (402) 488-6511 or by email at [email protected] during regular business hours.

The clinic's outpatient program is built for adults who are actively working on recovery from substance use, managing co-occurring mental health conditions, or both. Families are also a recognized part of the population served, with therapeutic options like Couples Therapy and Play Therapy making the program relevant for households where multiple people are affected by addiction or mental health challenges.

Geographically, Stepping Stones Lincoln focuses on the Lincoln, Nebraska service area, making it a community-based recovery resource for Lancaster County residents. Services are provided in English, and the outpatient format means clients remain connected to their local support networks — neighborhoods, families, and communities — throughout treatment rather than stepping away from them.