There are many options when it comes to treatment for addiction. There are conventional treatments as well as holistic addiction therapy options. We know that mental health and addiction overlap, so addiction treatment programs typically involve at least one form of therapy. Grace Counseling offers a wide range of treatments and services for both mental health and addiction recovery. We encourage you to reach out to Grace Counseling today at 844.564.0712 to speak with a trained representative about common addiction therapies. The medical experts at Grace Counseling can help guide you through our options to find the most sensible treatment program for you or your loved one.
What Are the Most Common Addiction Therapies?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been one of the most common and effective therapeutic models for treating mental health conditions and addiction. Counselors using CBT help identify and change negative thought patterns and replace them with thoughts and behaviors that are positive and healthy.
Strategies for changing thoughts and behaviors can include:
- Improving self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence
- Understanding other people’s intentions
- Learning to recognize and accept harmful thoughts and emotions
- Developing techniques to better cope with stressful situations
- Learning to control your emotional responses to stressful interactions
CBT encourages patients to consider connections between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. CBT therapists usually suggest a set number of sessions to address a particular issue a patient is working through. Other than CBT, individuals can expect several other therapeutic options.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) helps patients find healthier approaches to the challenges of everyday life. DBT counselors often provide homework assignments for patients to reflect on between sessions. Counselors use DBT to help teach patients to learn methods to accept their personal situation and learn therapeutic techniques that promote positive thinking and healthy behaviors. DBT helps clients:
- Learn to combat intrusive thoughts
- Avoid negative thought patterns.
- Avoid a tendency towards black and white thinking
DBT has demonstrated success in helping patients ability to complete treatment programs and maintain a life of sobriety.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy involves working one-on-one with a therapist or counselor. Patients develop goals and a treatment plan with their counselor and have regular sessions. During individual therapy sessions, patients receive personalized care from a therapist they learn and trust.
The bond created with an individual therapist is important for patients as they learn coping skills to help them change their thoughts and behaviors to avoid substance abuse. Therapists help patients develop life skills applied in everyday circumstances to avoid relapse in sober life.
Group Therapy
Group therapy offers patients the opportunity to learn from others with similar or related life experiences and circumstances. While each individual has their own life journey, it is reassuring to listen to others who have experienced familiar stories of trauma and addiction. Hence, patients feel less alone on their journey towards lasting sobriety.
Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy is a broad term for a therapeutic approach that focuses on the patients who need to recover from the short and long-term impacts of traumatic experiences. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a common therapeutic technique used to address and retrain the mind and body of individuals suffering from the effects of trauma that can result from addiction.
Women, in particular, face a disproportionate amount of trauma as a result of substance abuse disorders. This is sometimes because women are less likely to seek help for their addictions. Our society puts women in situations that do not prioritize their physical and mental health. Women with addictions sadly often experience domestic or sexual abuse.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was first used to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR is now known to be effective for those battling trauma and addiction. EMDR can help reduce stress and anxiety in high-risk and triggering situations.
Patients in EMDR therapy learn to confide in their counselor about difficult past experiences that have resulted in trauma. Through guided talk therapy and a hands-on approach, a trained EMDR counselor helps patients access traumatic memories and rethink them to begin the healing process and move forward. Sessions can feel stressful, but a well-trained EMDR therapist knows how to ensure patients remain safe. EMDR treatments are typically eight sessions.
Play Therapy
This form of expressive therapy often involves art to help patients express complex ideas or emotions that they may struggle to put into words. Play therapy can be a healing practice for individuals in recovery. Exploring their experiences through art can allow patients to relax and better understand their decision-making process and how to rewire negative thoughts and emotions as they reenter society for sober living.
Play therapy can comprehend the experience and consider how emotions are tied to that experience. The next step is to consider how emotions surrounding an experience affect behavior.
Trauma-Focused Therapy
When individuals do not deal with their trauma, it can negatively impact their lives and those around them. Trauma makes people more susceptible to developing a substance use disorder because self-medicating can become a strong temptation. Negative symptoms of trauma can include:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Fear
- Guilt
- Shame
- Sleep issues
Trauma-Focused Therapy is designed to assist both individuals, and families overcome the negative effects of a traumatic experience. Trauma-Focused Therapy is an evidence-based method that has been proven effective for those who have experienced one or many instances of trauma.
Family therapy
Family therapy can help keep your loved one engaged and motivated during their personalized treatment program. In family therapy, family members learn about addiction, how to improve communication and their role in providing help that helps instead of helping that hurts. Family members learn when it’s appropriate to voice feelings and concerns, and how to help their loved ones stay on the right track post-treatment.
Family members often have mixed emotions as a result of the painful and destructive patterns of addiction. Clearly, family therapy can help ease these feelings of anger, fear, and anxiety, so they can refocus on helping their loved ones have the best chance at maintaining sobriety.
Contact Grace Counseling About Addiction Therapies That Are Right For You
The overall goal of all therapy methods is to help patients become more aware of how to address emotions, and experiences can help translate into real-world change. Therapy can help you alter negative thought patterns and learn high-risk triggers that enable you to avoid pitfalls that result in problematic behaviors that can lead to relapse. We know recovery is difficult, and the medical experts at Grace Counseling are here to help you and your loved ones on the path to recovery. Reach out to one of our trained representatives today at 844.564.0712, or contact us online to learn more about what Grace Counseling can do for you.
