If you need a cognitive-behavioral therapy program to help you cope with an addiction, The Addiction Recovery Institute of America is ready to talk with you. We offer a variety of treatment options for clients at every stage of the addiction and recovery process. With the right support in place, you can get the help you need every step of the way. Recovery is much easier if you build a support network and commit fully to the process. You are the only one that can change your circumstances, and you deserve to heal from your addiction.For most recovering people, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) plays an essential role in this healing process. In the next few sections, we’ll look at how this form of therapy works.
Types of CBT
There is no “one size fits all” approach in cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is why CBT includes various approaches and techniques that strive to address negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a manner best suited to the patient. The different CBT approaches include:
- Cognitive Therapy – focuses on identifying distorted mental, behavioral, and emotional patterns, and helping the patient find ways to change them into healthy and well-rounded responses to triggers.
- Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT) – centers on negative thoughts and emotions while creating strategies for mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-calming.
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) –address irrational thought patterns and finding ways to challenge and change these beliefs.
- Multimodal Therapy – a type of CBT that treats psychological issues by identifying and addressing issues stemming from seven different but interconnected modalities: cognition, affect, imagery, sensation, interpersonal factors, and drug/environmental considerations.
Understanding a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program
CBT uses an ‘interventionist strategy’ to repair distorted thinking patterns and behaviors. CBT is helpful for anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and other mental health issues. Clinicians often use CBT to help people with substance use disorders because it helps clients change the destructive thinking that so often accompanies addiction. Here is a sampling of what you can expect from a cognitive-behavioral therapy program:
- To learn how negative thought patterns emerge and cause problems in your life.
- Begin to unlearn negative patterns of behavior and make positive changes in your life.
- To acquire new problem-solving skills that allow you to think more clearly about your situation.
- New and more effective techniques of symptom management.
- You make a connection between the mind and body, as well as how to manage your thoughts.
In a cognitive-behavioral therapy program, you will talk about your addiction triggers and the thoughts or behaviors that led to your addiction. You might feel depressed or as if nothing is ever going to change in your life. You may feel as if you have no control over your life, or you are not going to get better. Through CBT, you will discover that you can make positive changes in your life and heal from your addiction.
Gain Control Of Negative Thoughts and Behaviors
When you focus on mental health treatment in addiction recovery, your therapist will use CBT strategies to help you gain better control over negative thoughts and behaviors. While it may seem difficult at first, you will uncover your negative thought patterns one by one. As each thought or behavior is identified, you will discuss other ways you could approach the situation. Negative thoughts and behaviors don’t improve your life and can make living with addiction nearly impossible. Some negative thoughts or behaviors can include:
- Feeling like your life will never change.
- Turning to drugs or alcohol to deal with tough emotions.
- You feel like a failure and giving up too fast.
- Denying your true feelings and refusing to talk openly about them
Your thinking patterns have a huge impact on your ability to achieve recovery. As you learn more about CBT, you will uncover your strengths and improve your life. Your progress will make it easier for you to avoid a relapse and move forward in your life with a positive attitude. You have strengths, but you have to take the time to figure out what your strengths are.
Common Techniques
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is more than simply identifying negative thought patterns; the goal is to help you overcome these thoughts through various techniques such as:
New coping methods. It is important to find healthy coping mechanisms that you can use in real-world situations. Triggers can happen anywhere, anytime, and you need to be equipped with the proper coping mechanisms to identify these triggers and avoid them.
Goal Setting. Setting goals is an important step in your CBT. Our therapists will help you create SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based targets. Furthermore, we will also help you create a plan to achieve these SMART goals. We will be with you each step of the way.
Self-Monitoring. We believe that self-monitoring is the best way to see your progress. You will be asked to keep an updated journal of your behaviors and responses to triggers to be shared with your therapist. Self-monitoring will help your therapist keep track of your progress as well as determine the best course of action during your CBT.
Find A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program Now
At the Addiction Recovery Institute of America, we use a variety of treatment methods to help you heal from an addiction to substances. Through mental health treatment focused on addiction therapy, we get you on the path to recovery. You can move forward in your life when you are willing to make positive changes. Contact us at 844.973.2641 and learn more about the programs we can offer you. With the right treatment, you will be able to overcome an addiction and learn new ways to deal with your mental health needs.
