Understanding the Psychotherapy Definition

The treatment of an addiction is a complicated process. It involves complete cooperation from the patient and the dedication of caring counselors or psychologists. What’s usually at stake is the patient’s personal welfare and sometimes his or her life. Of the number of treatment modalities commonly used in the addiction treatment industry, psychotherapy seems the most popular. Below, we will discuss the psychotherapy definition.

Psychotherapy Definition

At the most basic level, the textbook psychotherapy definition is the treatment of mental or emotional disorders through the verbal communication of problems. It would not include the use of medication to try to regulate behaviors or moods. The goal is to alter destructive behaviors by offering alternative behaviors and talk therapy.

Admittedly, the definition sounds simplistic. However, it is somewhat complex. The job of the therapist is to get the patient to openly discuss the inner turmoil that is causing her or his dysfunction. It’s only when the inner turmoil and pain have been identified that some form of treatment can be applied. Psychotherapy can be extended to include psychoanalysis, non-directive psychotherapy, re-education, or hypnosis.

Psychotherapy Definition Expanded

Many addiction treatment clinicians prefer to use evidenced-based treatment methods. Among the options currently being used in the industry is cognitive behavioral therapy. This treatment developed to treat disorders where the patient exhibits disturbing thought patterns that translate into harmful behaviors. Using this form of treatment, the counselor or clinician looks for the cracks in the patient’s thought patterns. Once identified, they begin the process of changing the negative, destructive thoughts into positive ones.

During addiction treatment, the counselor is looking for the pain that inspires the patient’s need to escape reality through the use of drugs or alcohol. This is a difficult task because many patients are ambivalent about their drug use. On one hand, they want to use and avoid living life on life’s terms. On the other hand, they know the behavior is destructive and want help.

Treatment at Beaches Recovery

At Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida, we are big proponents of the psychotherapeutic approach to treatment. Through one of our treatment programs, we are looking for the patient’s “why”. Depending on the drug of choice and the length of the patient’s addiction, we design a treatment program that gets to the why and looks for ways to solve the core problems.

At our 30-bed facility, we offer the following treatment options:

• Partial hospitalization, followed by outpatient appointments
• Standard outpatient
• Intensive outpatient
• Extended residential care
• Family therapy
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Post-care treatment programs and living solutions

You don’t have to live every day fighting an addiction. If you can summon the strength to say “no more” and ask for help, Beaches Recovery is willing to render that help. With a simple phone call to 866.605.0532, you can start the clock running on your recovery. By working closely together, there’s an excellent chance that clock will never run out.