Treatment for those who have been abusing drugs or alcohol can be intensive and varied. Depending on your unique situation, there is a therapy program appropriate for your needs. Partial hospitalization programs and outpatient therapy each may be more appropriate for some individuals, but in either case, therapeutic counseling for addiction is necessary to help you achieve success.
Which type of therapy is best for me?
Every case of substance use disorder is different. Why? Because every single client has a different personal experience with drugs and/or alcohol, from the root cause of the condition, to the length of time it’s been occurring to whether or not they’ve received professional help before. For this reason, many types of treatment exist to address these various needs.
The different types of therapy to consider include:
- One-on-one counseling;
- Therapy as a couple;
- Counseling that involves an entire family unit.
So how do you decide which type of therapy is right for your particular needs while undergoing rehab? We recommend talking with you therapist in addition to educating yourself on the different methods.
How individual therapy works
During individual therapy for addiction, you work with a healthcare professional privately in one-on-one sessions. Your therapist will likely utilize methods of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or the like.
These sessions can lead to a better understanding of yourself and provide you with insights into addiction and how it has shaped your life. Individual therapy is also a way to gain the inner strength needed to recover successfully.
The most common form of therapy used is CBT, during which you identify negative ways of thinking and behaving and learn how to replace them with healthier decisions and thought processes, including positive coping mechanisms.
These sessions can be held in the therapist’s office or anywhere that you can speak together privately for 50 minutes or an hour at a time. You will likely attend an individual therapy session at least once a week, though twice weekly can be more helpful.
The benefits and goals of this type of therapy include:
- Building your self-esteem;
- Increasing your desire to recover;
- Uncovering the initial motivation to engage in substance abuse;
- Identifying your triggers and goals.
High success rates have been seen through individual counseling and could be a beneficial addiction to your time in substance use treatment.
Couples therapy
If a couple and/or an individual in a relationship needs to undergo addiction treatment, there are therapeutic addiction counseling options for couples to help restore harmony and function to those relationships.
Addiction can have a huge negative impact on a romantic partnership, and the repercussions can be more intense if both are fighting addiction. During couples therapy, the therapist may give homework assignments to reinforce gains made in the previous sessions. The couple and therapist will discuss any relationship problems that exist and whether any substance abuse-related incidents have occurred.
The goals of couples therapy:
- Learn how to communicate more effectively;
- Gain insights into the issues that fuel addiction;
- Help each person to better understand the disease of addiction;
- Learn how to support and appreciate one another.
While overcoming addiction as a couple has its unique challenges, couples therapy can help the two of you keep each other accountable and motivated as you battle the disorder together and come out on the other side stronger than ever before.
What family therapy can achieve
Family behavior therapy has been found to be more effective for people in recovery than individual counseling alone.
With this form of therapy, families engage with one another using behavioral strategies taught during counseling sessions. These new strategies give family members the skills and strength needed to improve the living environment at home.
Family therapy for addiction includes educating family members about addiction, and sessions include discussions about family roles, ways to communicate better, how to rebuild healthy relationships, as well as learning what helps and what harms the individual combatting addiction.
The benefits of family therapy include:
- Helping everyone in the family understand addiction and how it relates to behavior;
- Being aware of family dynamics and patterns;
- Improving communication;
- Restoring trust;
- Sharing feelings without fear.
When one family member battles addiction, the whole family unit suffers; with the right type of therapy, however, health and peace can be restored to your family.
Get the right type of counseling for you
If you are motivated to take the steps towards receiving therapy for addiction, contact Rehab After Work today. Our staff of professional mental healthcare providers will work with you to find the best type of therapy to meet your needs and put you on the path to recovery in no time.
Gather more information by giving us a call at 610-644-6464.
