Psychotherapy is a term that sometimes scares people, but shouldn’t. It essentially means “talk therapy.” Psychotherapy is comprised of various methods that help people understand emotional, psychological, and behavioral challenges, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders (SUD). During psychotherapy, therapists choose the therapeutic modality that best meets an individual’s needs, understanding that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
At The Right Step Hill Country, we know the value of psychotherapy for addiction treatment. One method we rely on is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which has been proven to be highly effective for individuals struggling with self-destructive behaviors like addiction. DBT teaches clients how to regulate their emotions and develop healthy coping skills to manage stress and conflict, so they can overcome their unhealthy reliance on drugs or alcohol.
Five benefits of psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves structured conversations between a trained therapist and a client. It begins with the therapist getting to know the client’s general background information and goals. This information helps the therapist choose the best treatment methods for the client’s needs.
The ultimate goal of psychotherapy is to improve a client’s quality of life. This is accomplished by helping them understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to alleviate symptoms that interfere with daily life. Psychotherapy provides a safe and non-judgmental space for clients to work through their challenges with the guidance of a professional.
While there are numerous benefits, consider the following top five benefits of psychotherapy:
- Improved mental health: Psychotherapy helps clients understand the roots of addiction and the factors that may have led to their substance use.
- Improved coping skills: Psychotherapy teaches clients healthy ways to cope with stressful situations or complex emotions, instead of bottling them up or turning to harmful behaviors.
- Increased self-awareness: Psychotherapy explores beliefs and patterns of thinking and behaving, providing insight that helps clients create meaningful, long-term changes.
- Better relationships: Psychotherapy teaches communication skills, empathy, accountability, and how to set healthy boundaries, which contribute to healthier relationships.
- Improved physical health: Psychotherapy highlights the mind-body connection, which helps alleviate stress and promote healthier lifestyle choices that contribute to better physical health.
The therapeutic process encourages clients to challenge negative thought patterns and replace them with healthier ones, which leads to better decision-making. The personal growth achieved through psychotherapy promotes self-esteem, fosters self-confidence, and helps clients discover a greater life purpose.
Common types of psychotherapy for addiction
The root causes of addiction vary significantly among individuals, and addiction impacts everyone differently. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addiction treatment. Instead, effective psychotherapy for addiction considers the client’s individual needs and goals and adjusts to meet them.
While addiction treatment programs rely on a variety of treatment methods, some of the more common methods include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps clients challenge and change unhealthy thoughts and behaviors while teaching new coping skills to manage triggers and cravings.
- Dialectical behavior therapy focuses on helping clients regulate their emotions, tolerate distress, and practice mindfulness to increase awareness.
- Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered approach that helps boost motivation and readiness to change.
- Group therapy provides peer support, fosters accountability, and helps clients develop social and communication skills to improve relationships.
- Family therapy enables clients and their families to address family dynamics, heal damaged relationships, and learn healthy ways to communicate and interact with one another.
Addiction is often rooted in trauma, both past and present. As such, many addiction treatment programs also rely on trauma-informed therapy. Trauma-informed therapy is not a specific type of therapy like CBT or DBT but an approach that guides how therapeutic methods are delivered. This approach recognizes that healing trauma is equally as important as treating addiction because they are so intertwined.
Call now to speak with a Hill Country team member for addiction treatment
At Hill Country, we know how scary it can feel to ask for help when you are struggling with addiction. Talking to a team member about your treatment options can help alleviate your fears. We’ll take the time to answer your questions about what to expect from treatment, including different types of psychotherapy.
We know recovery is possible. Call 1.844.675.1628 today or complete our online form.