At JourneyPure At The River, clients are treated through a variety of treatment methods, or “modalities.” Combining modalities makes a more comprehensive treatment. Addiction affects everyone differently, so combining modalities offers clients the best chance at lasting recovery.
One of the most widely used modalities is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. CBT is a psycho-social therapy that treats mental health issues, including alcoholism and substance use disorder. It does this by identifying and modifying negative thoughts and behaviors.
CBT is effective for many mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug use problems, and eating disorders.
What is CBT?
A type of talk therapy, CBT has the patient work with a therapist during individual or group therapy sessions. It works based on the theory that addictive behavior takes root in people in ways similar to that of learning processes like reinforcement and conditioning.
In CBT sessions, the therapist helps the patient become aware of his or her negative thinking. This prepares the patient to view “triggering” situations more clearly. And once a patient sees these situations more clearly, he or she can respond more effectively.
Sometimes, the client and therapist look at how certain thoughts and behaviors can affect feelings. For example, if a patient believes that nothing in life ever “works out” for them, he or she might withdraw from being with other people. This leads to feelings of sadness, which in turn can lead to increased withdrawal, and so.
Through CBT, the therapist offsets this negative mental cycle by coming up with exercises to help the patient recognize and challenge these negative thoughts, disrupting the negative behavior.
CBT for Addiction
CBT is most widely used to treat mood disorders like depression, but it has also proven effective in treating substance abuse disorder. In fact, therapists first used CBT as a method to prevent relapse when treating alcoholism. People learn to identify and change problem behavior by applying different skills to reduce or stop their substance abuse. These skills include:
–exploring the positive and negative consequences of continued
substance use
–self-monitoring to recognize cravings before they get out of control
–identifying high-risk situations for substance use
–developing strategies for coping with and avoiding high-risk situations
A JourneyPure Modality
JourneyPure uses an abstinence-based treatment model that incorporates not only CBT but Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and the 12-Step program originated by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. We also communicate recovery enthusiasm, meaning we teach clients that a life of recovery is not a life minus something, but one of presence and joy.
From the JourneyPure team where we get to explore a wide variety of substance abuse- and mental health-related topics. With years of experience working alongside those suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues, we bring important messages with unparalleled knowledge of addiction, mental health problems, and the issues they cause.