University of Colorado Denver/ARTS

About University of Colorado Denver/ARTS

Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) is a clinical program of the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, offering addiction treatment for adults and adolescents across the Denver metro area, with clinics in Denver, Arvada, and Aurora. For more than 50 years, they have treated substance use disorders as biopsychosocial conditions that can become chronic, using trauma-informed, science-based care that addresses the whole person, including co-occurring mental health concerns. Their services include adult outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, office-based opioid treatment, mobile health services, and sober living homes for adults. They accept self-referrals as well as referrals from courts and social services, and they are a contract provider for Medicaid, Kaiser, and the VA.

The medication-assisted treatment program pairs counseling with methadone or buprenorphine (Suboxone) for opioid use disorder and offers naltrexone, including Vivitrol, for alcohol use. Adult clinical work draws on relapse prevention, dual diagnosis care, disease management, mindfulness, and positive psychology techniques. Their Synergy program has served young people ages 12 to 21 since 1978, in English and Spanish, and offers care at home, in the office, or by telehealth. Teens and families can access evidence-based models such as Multisystemic Therapy for substance use, the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach, ENCOMPASS for co-occurring disorders, trauma-focused family therapy, and assertive continuing care after intensive treatment.