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3 Types of Addiction Counseling to Help Someone Recover

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There are many options to choose from when it comes to getting sober; for many, addiction counseling is not only the best option but also the safest option. Addiction counseling is, at its core, evidence-based medical help that gives the patient tools to focus on their sobriety. The three types of addiction counseling are cognitive-behavioral (CBT), dialectical behavior ((DBT), and rational emotive behavioral (REBT). Each of these treatments treats addiction with additional therapeutic help digging to the root of the addiction in three different ways. Even if you understand the differences between psychotherapy vs. counseling, there’s more to addiction counseling than you might even realize.

Addiction Treatment that
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Individualized treatment programs delivered in a comfortable, relaxed setting promote healing in your recovery journey.

The Role of Counseling in Addiction Recovery

Counseling-supported addiction recovery significantly reduces the use of drugs and alcohol and has proven that someone who has professional counseling is less likely to undergo a relapse. Addiction counseling professionals know the impacts that addiction has on your mental and physical health and will work on healing all aspects. On top of working with you while in recovery, they will also work with your family to ensure your environment is physically and mentally safe. While working on your addiction recovery, you may also work on:

  • Self-worth.
  • Improved communication skills.
  • Emotional expression or bettering yourself to express your feelings to yourself and others.
  • Relief from other mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a type of therapy that helps address underlying causes that may be contributing to your addiction. Since being developed in the 1960s, it has become a staple in addiction recovery programs. Someone who is suffering from a chronic mental health condition like addiction engages in harmful thinking and behavioral patterns. While these actions and emotions are often unreasonable while in active addiction, they can also worsen someone’s situation. With therapeutic help, someone in recovery would be able to identify these harmful patterns and would be able to change them with healthier ways of thinking and behaving.

Three core principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy can help those suffering from addiction.

  • Psychiatric problems are based in part on flawed patterns of thinking — for example, jumping to the worst-case scenario in your mind, making your anxiety worse.
  • Psychiatric problems are based on unhelpful or negative behaviors — for example, learning to drink after a stressful day based on seeing the behavior growing up.
  • Psychiatric health can improve when individuals learn healthy and more effective coping methods. For example, one can practice yoga instead of drinking to relieve stress.

CBT can help identify harmful behavioral patterns and replace them with healthy alternatives in both thinking and behaving. Practicing is one of the biggest components of CBT; you practice the new, healthier patterns and replace the addiction pattern of thinking and acting. Common techniques and strategies for cognitive-behavioral therapy include:

  • Setting goals.
  • Maintaining a journal.
  • Engaging in problem-solving activities.
  • Learning to relax the body and mind.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is talk therapy that’s based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) but specially adapted for those who experience intense emotions. DBT focuses on helping those accept the reality of their lives and behaviors, not just for addiction but for other mental health conditions. Dialectical-behavior therapy works best with one-on-one therapy sessions as well as weekly group sessions. Skills and tools are taught at both sessions, with homework to help reinforce those new skills. Those receiving DBT might also be encouraged to keep a daily journal to track emotions, behaviors, and reactions and how they’re practicing their newfound skills.

DBT works within four guiding components

  • Mindfulness.
  • Distress tolerance.
  • Emotion regulation.
  • Interpersonal effectiveness.

Mindfulness teaches patients to pay close attention to their thoughts’ nature, quality, and volume. Distress tolerance is about managing emotional distress in the moment and using learned techniques like distraction or paired muscle relaxation. Emotional regulation is about recognizing, accepting, and managing intense emotion. The last component is interpersonal effectiveness is about improving communication with others to strengthen relationships and improve self-esteem.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, or REBT, is a type of cognitive therapy that helps you learn more positive, productive ways to react to certain stresses, traumatic experiences, or events in your life. REBT is a life philosophy based on the idea that when you become distressed during certain events, it’s not the event that is upsetting but your ingrained beliefs that cause your reaction to certain emotions.

REBT’s core concepts are known as the ABCs:

  • A — Action: This is the activating event or the triggering situation.
  • B — Belief: Your beliefs around this event may be rational or irrational.
  • C — Consequences: Your emotional response to the event.

Along with working with other cognitive behavioral therapies, utilizing rational emotive behavior therapy with your therapist can help disrupt sobriety and irrational thoughts you may experience more emotional events. Identifying, processing, and rethinking these events using REBT can make the difference between sobriety and possibly succumbing to these common relapse triggers. Besides talk therapy, some techniques your therapist might use while utilizing REBT include how to question whether your deep-seated beliefs are reasonable or justifiable.

Choosing the Right Type of Addiction Counseling

There are many different kinds of professional addiction counseling, ranging from once-a-week face-to-face sessions to multiple weekly sessions. The benefit of seeking out counseling, for any reason, is that it will always be catered to you and your needs. Someone with a more severe addiction may benefit from multiple therapeutic approaches, such as starting with medical detox and then moving to inpatient treatment. This treatment plan would provide 24-hour support and supervision in a safe environment for those who may be or become harmful to themselves. While searching for the best addiction counseling, consider the following:

  • Is the therapist easy to talk to?
  • Are they hopeful and ready to motivate?
  • Do you feel like you can trust them?
  • Are they knowledgeable?

Like any other counseling session, it might take a few sessions before you feel comfortable opening up. Remember, not all therapists are one-size-fits-all, but don’t let this discourage you from seeking professional help; your current counselor will know the path you want to go on and will help get you to the right person to help you continue that way.

Addiction Treatment that
Just Works

Individualized treatment programs delivered in a comfortable, relaxed setting promote healing in your recovery journey.

How Resurgence Behavioral Health Can Help

At Resurgence Behavioral Health, our highly trained medical staff take a more holistic approach to addiction treatment, not only treating the addiction but taking into account your physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs. Our team is made up of medical professionals, certified addiction specialists, and licensed therapists, many of who have struggled with addiction themselves and now flourish in a sober life. At Resurgence Behavioral Health, all treatment programs, including inpatient addiction treatment, are customized and geared toward your sustained addiction recovery. Our facility feels more like a home away from home, aiming for a harmonious environment. While at Resurgence Behavioral Health, you can focus on yourself and sobriety.

Taking the First Step Toward Recovery

Starting your journey toward recovery can be the most frightening and rewarding step. While admitting that you have a problem might seem like it would be the first step, you will answer this question while in recovery. Like stepping onto an escalator for the first time, it’s not about asking if you have a problem or an addiction, but if you are or your lifestyle makes you happy. Take a metaphorical step back and look at your current life and see if what you are doing makes you happy or if you are just stuck in your addiction. Seeking out professional counseling is not a sign that you’re weak, but it shows that you are strong enough to get help from a professional and take your addiction recovery seriously. If you are ready to take your first steps toward addiction recovery, please call Resurgence Behavioral Health at 855-458-0050 or contact us online. We’re here to help.

David Rofofsky
David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.


Research | Editorial

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