What Are the Types of Therapy for Addiction?

What Are the Types of Therapy for Addiction?

• Mandy Sandhu
• 9 Feb 2023

The purpose of therapy, despite the stigma associated with it, is to benefit the health of patients and prevent relapses.

Therapists provide a safe, non-judgmental environment to help patients explore their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Through this exploration, patients can gain insight and develop effective strategies to cope with the challenges they face. This can lead to improved mental well-being and healthier relationships.

There are several types of therapy for addiction, and depending on the condition of the patient, a physician may elect to apply more than one technique during treatment.

Continue reading to discover more about the different types of addiction therapy and what it can do for you in this article.

Medical Detoxification

Medical detoxification is a type of addiction therapy that involves removing a toxic substance from the body under the supervision of a licensed medical professional.

Using medication specifically designed to treat the patient’s condition, a medical professional will administer the drug to minimize cravings and control withdrawal symptoms. This helps the patient start their recovery safely and maintain their sobriety longer.

Mental Health Programming

If you’ve ever asked yourself the question: “How do psychologists treat addiction?” We’ve got the answer right here. One of the methods therapists use is mental health programming, which addresses mental health issues that make someone more prone to addiction.

The process involves behavioural modification, life skills training, and education so the patient is better equipped to challenges without resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Some of the examples of mental health programming are as follows:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps the patient recognize negative thinking and their behavioural patterns so they can explore healthier ways to deal with their emotions.

This type of addiction therapy develops a patient’s confidence to handle difficult situations and help find better outlets so they don’t turn to harmful substances for relief.

Addiction Education

Awareness about addiction helps both addicts and their loved ones understand what causes it so they can work together in ending the habit and preventing relapse. Education is a tool to prevent addiction and to suppress it as soon as the first sign appears.

This also helps remove the stigma behind addiction, and shows people that it’s okay to ask for fhelp when they need it. It also acts as a preventive measure for children in families where addiction is a common occurrence.

Motivational Interviewing

Another type of therapy for addiction is motivational interviewing. This is a counselling technique designed to help addicts find motivation to make positive changes. Instead of dictating patients what to do, the physician empowers them to find meaning in their actions, understand the causes, and build their ability to do what’s right for them.

In turn, the patient feels more in control of their decisions and are less likely to resist any changes they make. This helps them commit to their recovery long term.

Emotional Recovery

Recovering from emotional trauma related to addiction is essential to a patient’s recovery. Whether this is the cause or the result, addressing emotional trauma will uncover the reasons behind the addiction.

This type of addiction therapy can also prevent additional stress, which could send an addict back to unhealthy and dangerous patterns.

Concurrent Disorders Treatment

Mental health issues can bring a lot of stress and uncontrollable impulses that lead to addiction. But sometimes, an addiction co-exists with another mental disorder.

In addition to addressing the patient’s addiction, treating concurrent disorders like binge-eating disorder, OCD, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and intermittent explosive disorder is necessary to prevent other issues from getting worse or contributing to a patient’s relapse.

Trauma-Informed Therapy

Trauma-informed therapy is a treatment approach wherein a medical service provider assumes and acknowledges the role of trauma in a patient’s condition, and will take great care to avoid triggering or retraumatizing the patient.

This type of therapy is not a therapy for addiction but rather a guiding principle based on trauma-informed care, wherein a service provider assumes there’s trauma when servicing clients in order to prevent harm that can happen from unknown triggers.

Trauma-informed therapy is meant to maintain a safe environment for the patient so they can focus on healing and gradually learn to accept their condition. This will also aid them in developing healthy coping mechanisms.

Relapse Prevention

Aside from treating addiction and concurrent mental health issues, relapse prevention is also essential in keeping the patient healthy and sober.

Although this form of addiction therapy is needed for all recovering addicts, it is particularly helpful to patients who have struggled to stay clean in the past and for patients who have just finished an in-patient rehab program.

Relapse prevention may include the following programs:

Wellness Therapy

Personalized fitness therapy helps recovering addicts restore their physical health and maintain their overall well-being. It also builds strength and endurance, and fixes coordination problems, and things that might have compromised the health of the patient during substance abuse.

This type of addiction therapy is a good way to help a patient transition into a positive and healthier lifestyle, one of the things that will help them adhere to their treatment plan.

Life Skills Education

Life skills education equips patients with fundamental skills so they can better adapt to stress and become self-sufficient.

This is important because having independence nudges a patient to make the right decisions and avoid getting trapped in desperate situations where they may be tempted to go back to unhealthy patterns.

12-Step Program

The 12-step program is a set of guiding principles based on the Alcoholics Anonymous’ guide to addiction recovery. While it was based on the belief of a “Higher Power,” this addiction therapy can be modified to follow a non-religious approach.

This program involves a group of recovering addicts who motivate each other through sharing sessions, and helping each other to stay on the right track. One key feature of this program is sponsorship, where a recovering addict with a good sobriety record becomes a mentor to another participant and helps facilitate their recovery.

Participants are not required to find and have sponsors, but having one improves their chances of staying sober, especially during crises.

Finding the Right Partner and Therapy for Addiction

Committing to sobriety can be challenging, especially during the early stages of recovery. Finding a treatment partner who can give proper care and guidance will go a long way and can help restore damaged health and relationships.

At Freedom From Addiction, we are committed to helping addicts find their way back to wellness. That’s why we’ve created comprehensive recovery programs and built a world-class rehab centre to provide the best possible care to our patients.

If you’re ready to quit, call us now and we’ll help you start your recovery today.