Define Psychotherapy for Addiction Treatment

It is commonly understood that attending a professional treatment center is necessary for any serious substance abuse problem. But, what goes on at a professional drug and alcohol addiction treatment center? We know that psychotherapy is an integral part of most programs, but how exactly do we define psychotherapy for addiction treatment?

Below, we will define psychotherapy and explain how it’s used in addiction treatment to great effect.

How Do We Define Psychotherapy?

Generally speaking, there are two avenues to take when it comes to getting treatment for mental health disorders. There’s psychotherapy–talk therapy or treatment through communication. And there’s medical therapy–for example, a non-addictive anti-depressant medication.

All of this comes into play with addiction because many therapists believe that addiction is a form of a mental health disorder. Furthermore, many patients with addiction receive a dual diagnosis when they arrive at their treatment center. A dual diagnosis is the diagnosis of both an addiction and a mental health disorder or mood disorder. For example, someone may be diagnosed with addiction to alcohol as well as bipolar disorder or chronic depression.

All of these things can be treated with psychotherapy. It helps both those who suffer from an addiction, have an addictive personality or those who have a dual diagnosis.

Define Psychotherapy and Helping Those with an Addiction

A variety of psychotherapy-based interventions can treat patients with addiction. All treatment centers and individual therapists will decide on different aspects and approaches to psychotherapy to use with their clients. Generally speaking, however, psychotherapy offers the following positive benefits for improving a state of addiction:

Providing a trustworthy and safe space where clients can speak about their addictions and past behaviors
Support for negative feelings of shame, resentment, depression, or anger
Providing a space where friendships and bonds between clients bloom
Teaching coping skills for future addiction management
Providing parental-style, authoritative guidance for recovering from addiction
Providing examples or models of behavior that clients can style their recoveries after

Beneficial Psychotherapy During Rehab

One cannot truly define psychotherapy as one single approach to counseling. That’s because there are a variety of types of psychotherapy that are available for clients of addiction. All of them have their own unique benefits.

At Beaches Recovery, we offer the following types of addiction psychotherapy:

Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT
Dialectical behavioral therapy or DBT
Anger management therapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy or EMDR
Post-traumatic stress disorder therapy or PTSD
Holistic treatment, such as music, boating, fitness, and hiking therapy
Mindfulness-based treatment

Contact Beaches Recovery Today

To find out more about your treatment options at Beaches Recovery, please give us a call by dialing 866.605.0532. Take time to familiarize yourself with our treatment programs and you’ll see that we are the best addiction treatment center that Florida has to offer.

Why wait to start your new life? Find hope after addiction at Beaches Recovery.