The first experience many people have with counseling occurs during drug addiction treatment. Some even avoid treatment because they’re afraid of taking a head-on approach to their problems. Although many programs help people face their problems, addiction therapy doesn’t always address them directly. Learning more about addiction counseling and what happens during the sessions could ease some minds about seeking treatment.
What Happens in a Typical Session?
Addiction therapy has many goals, including educating patients about addiction, preventing relapse, and offering support. During therapy, patients learn to identify why they use drugs and change how they act and think in regard to drugs. Therapists also teach coping skills and help repair damaged relationships.
It may take several therapy methods and techniques to achieve all of these goals. However, most counseling sessions follow a similar process.
The typical meeting lasts for about an hour in a private office. It usually begins with identifying the issues patients want to address. Patients also talk about the goals they want to meet. Therapists recommend methods that could help address the issues and achieve the goals.
Together, patients and therapists develop a treatment plan and decide how often to have sessions. Following the arrangement, therapists address one problem or goal during each session. Anything the patients say during treatment remains confidential. If either party feels the need, they can revisit the treatment plan and change it according to the patient’s needs.
Addiction Therapy Methods and Techniques
Since no addiction is the same, there’s no single therapy method that works for everyone. Sometimes people need multiple rounds of therapy treatment to fully achieve recovery. In any case, the addiction therapy techniques that therapists use address certain types of problems.
One technique is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It addresses the theory that what people think affects how they act and feel. After identifying negative thoughts in CBT, patients can replace them with positive thoughts. In turn, they have more positive emotions and behaviors, such as abstinence.
Behavioral couples therapy creates a sober contract for couples and uses behavior counseling techniques. It’s effective at decreasing drug-related legal and family problems. It also improves how much patients engage in their treatment.
Recent Addiction Therapies
Another addiction therapy is community reinforcement, which focuses on creating a social network, improving relationships and learning life skills. Therapists frequently screen patients for drugs. When the tests are negative, the patients receive vouchers that they can exchange for goods. The ability to earn rewards for abstinence increases patient participation as well as sobriety.
A fairly new therapy method is addiction text programs. Text messaging-based treatment is attractive for people who struggle with the cost and scheduling conflicts of conventional treatment. It involves using smartphones to send and receive messages with the purpose of monitoring patient activity. Studies show that text programs have the potential to reduce drug use and relapse after detox and rehab have been completed.
Take the First Step Toward Recovery at Serenity House Detox & Recovery
If you have an addiction problem, you need to take the first step in treatment, which is detox. At Serenity House Detox & Recovery, we urge you to take an active role in your recovery. We use 12-step and therapeutic approaches in our detox treatments, including:
Serenity House Detox & Recovery creates customized treatment plans for each patient. Our use of various addiction therapy techniques lays the foundation for the hard work that rehab requires. Rather than enter therapy for the first time in rehab, we make you familiar with how it works. All counseling sessions occur in our safe, welcoming environment.
Don’t continue living at the mercy of addictive drugs. Rebuild your life with help from the caring staff at Serenity House Detox & Recovery in Houston, Texas. Reach out to us for more information about our therapies and programs at 866.516.8356.
