MAT Coordination · Biddeford, Maine
Medication-assisted treatment, backed by real therapy
FDA-approved medications ease cravings and withdrawal, but medication alone isn't treatment. We work hand in hand with trusted local MAT providers: they manage your Suboxone or naltrexone, and we provide the therapy, groups, and programming that heal the reasons underneath the addiction, not just the symptoms.
Same-week starts · MaineCare accepted · Answered 24/7
Accredited & Licensed
LegitScript Certified
Joint Commission Accredited
Maine DHHS Licensed
Psychology Today Verified
How we work with MAT
The medications, explained plainly
Opioid & fentanyl use disorder
Buprenorphine (Suboxone)
Reduces cravings and withdrawal without producing a high. Taken as a daily film or tablet, it lets you stabilize quickly and focus on the therapeutic work instead of fighting your own body.
Opioid & alcohol use disorder
Naltrexone (Vivitrol)
A non-addictive blocker that removes the reward from opioids and alcohol. Available as a daily tablet or monthly injection, a strong fit once detox is complete.
Every client on MAT
Coordinated, never siloed
We work hand in hand with your local MAT prescriber, aligning goals, sharing progress, and flagging concerns together. Medication and therapy move as one plan, and you're never left relaying messages between offices.
Medically reviewed
Benjamin Crocker, MD
Psychiatrist · Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine · MD, The Ohio State University · Residency & fellowship training at the University of Michigan and LAC+USC Medical Center
Last reviewed August 2026. Read our editorial standards & clinical review process
Why medication + therapy
MAT is a tool, not a cure
Research is clear: people recovering from opioid use disorder do significantly better when medication is combined with counseling than with either one alone. Medication steadies the brain chemistry that addiction hijacked. Therapy rebuilds the life around it.
That's why everyone on MAT in our care is enrolled in real programming at our Biddeford center, individual therapy, group work, and skills-based modalities like CBT and DBT, through our PHP, IOP, or outpatient programs. Your prescriber handles the medication. The therapy here walks you through everything else.
And let's be direct about the stigma: taking Suboxone or Vivitrol is not "trading one drug for another." It's evidence-based medicine, the same way insulin is medicine for diabetes. Our team, many of us in recovery ourselves, will never make you defend that choice.
The process
How MAT works at Portland Treatment
01
Assessment & MAT referral
A confidential evaluation with our clinical team. If MAT fits, we connect you with a trusted local prescriber and coordinate the induction onto buprenorphine or naltrexone around where you are in withdrawal.
02
Stabilization
The first days and weeks focus on settling in: your prescriber dials in the right dose while you start our PHP or IOP schedule, so cravings fade and you can think clearly again.
03
Therapy & skills
With the physical noise quieted, you do the deeper work: individual counseling, group therapy, and relapse-prevention planning.
04
Maintenance or taper
Some clients stay on medication long-term; others taper when ready. Both paths are valid, and the decision is made with you and your prescriber, never for you.
Insurance
In-network with almost every plan.
Portland Treatment is in-network with Anthem, UMR/UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Martin's Point, TRICARE and MaineCare, Cigna is our only out-of-network plan. In-network means contracted rates, lower coinsurance and no balance bill. We verify your benefits free, in minutes, with no obligation.
Free, confidential, no obligation
Or read the coverage guide for your plan, Anthem rehab coverage, Cigna rehab coverage, MaineCare rehab coverage and other accepted insurance plans.
Sources & further reading
- SAMHSA, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), federal overview of FDA-approved medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders.
- NIDA, Medications to Treat Opioid Addiction, how buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone work, and why they're effective.
Questions
MAT, answered honestly
Do you prescribe Suboxone at Portland Treatment?+
No, we don't prescribe MAT medications in-house, and we think the way we do it works in your favor. We partner hand in hand with trusted local MAT providers who prescribe and manage buprenorphine (Suboxone) and naltrexone (Vivitrol), while we provide all of your therapy, groups, and programming. One coordinated plan, with each specialist doing what they do best. Don't have a prescriber yet? We'll connect you with one.
Is MAT just replacing one addiction with another?+
No. Buprenorphine and naltrexone are FDA-approved medications that normalize brain chemistry without producing a high. National addiction-medicine guidelines recognize MAT as the gold standard for opioid use disorder, and it significantly lowers the risk of overdose death.
Can I start MAT if I'm still using fentanyl?+
Yes, that's exactly who MAT is for. Induction onto buprenorphine needs to be timed carefully to avoid precipitated withdrawal, which is why it should happen under medical guidance. Call 855-449-7674 and we'll walk you through what the first days look like, including connecting you with a local prescriber for a carefully timed induction while you start therapy with us.
Does MaineCare cover MAT?+
Yes. MaineCare and most private insurance plans cover both MAT services with a prescriber and the therapy and programming we provide alongside it. Verify your benefits free with no obligation, call 855-449-7674 or use our online verification.
Do I need detox before starting MAT?+
Not always. Many clients begin buprenorphine without a separate detox stay. When a medically supervised detox is the safer first step, for example with heavy alcohol or benzodiazepine use, we coordinate admission with a trusted licensed provider and bring you straight into MAT and programming afterward.
Keep exploring
Related care at Portland Treatment
Levels of care
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP) in Biddeford
Our most structured day treatment, five days a week, home each night.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Southern Maine
Nine-plus clinical hours a week with day and evening tracks.
- Virtual IOP for anywhere in Maine
The same IOP curriculum by secure telehealth, statewide.
- Outpatient program (OP) for ongoing recovery
One to two sessions a week that fit around work and family.
How we treat
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Practical tools for the thoughts that drive use and relapse.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills that hold up.
- Individual therapy in Biddeford
One-on-one counseling with the same clinician each week.
- Group therapy sessions
Small clinician-led groups with people in the same fight.
Where we serve
- Addiction treatment in Biddeford, Maine
Our home clinic, in the mill district off Route 111.
- Addiction treatment for Portland, Maine
A 20-minute drive down I-95 from the Portland peninsula.
- Addiction treatment for Saco, Maine
Minutes across the river from our Biddeford clinic.
- All Southern Maine areas we serve
Every city and town within driving distance of Biddeford.
Medication can quiet the storm. Therapy teaches you to sail.
Let's talk about whether MAT fits your recovery.
855-449-7674Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free and confidential.