Therapy Options at Granite Mountain Behavioral Healthcare

Each individual that suffers from substance abuse does so in their own unique way; no one person is a carbon copy of the other. Similarly, no treatment option approaches to care in only one way. This philosophy to which we cling so closely at Granite is especially true when it comes to therapy treatment options.

What Is Therapy?

Therapy is a process in which those who struggle from substance abuse meet with a skilled professional in an attempt to heal from their addiction. Therapy can be structured in a variety of ways, many of which have been known to yield excellent results. The goal of the work we do here at Granite is to help patients recover from their addiction and start living a sober life.

The main way to excel in therapy in any way is to trust the process. Talking about some things in therapy may seem embarrassing or silly, but in order to get better, a therapist needs to know their patient. This is why trust in the realm of therapy goes a long way. Once patients can trust their therapist, there are great strides to be made when it comes to their recovery.

Types of Therapy for Substance Abuse

Therapy is an important part of the substance abuse journey; it could be the difference between quick recovery and recovery that drags on. There are several different kinds of therapy which include the following:

Individual Therapy
Group Therapy
Family Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy is a therapeutic technique in which patients attend sessions in a private environment with their therapist. The purpose of this is to have access to a patient one-on-one, and vice versa. This allows patients to discuss the subject matter in private that they might be less inclined to disclose in a group setting.

These intentionally intimate environments are often quite peaceful. This makes it all the more comfortable for a patient to talk about the more uncomfortable parts of their lives.

The frequency of one’s individual therapy sessions depends greatly upon their specific recovery needs. Some patients may attend twice a week, but some may attend once a week. Regardless of the frequency, however, each patient is the proper amount of individual attention to fulfill their needs.

Why Individual Therapy?

There are many that benefit from individual therapy while in recovery, some of which include the following:

Private Setting
Relaxing Environment
All Attention is Given to Patients
More Personable Therapists
New Range of Coping Skills

Pursuing a sober life is difficult, but when one chooses the right therapy option for them, they can make great strides in their recovery. Individual therapy is great for those who require more attention and affirmation. If you believe that you or a loved one would benefit from a more attentive kind of therapy with successful progression, individual therapy may be for you.

Group Therapy At Granite Mountain

Group therapy is a method of therapy in which groups meet up to share their past experiences, thoughts, and emotions. These counseling sessions are moderated by a trained professional, and the layout is Socratic, in a way. There are chairs in either a circle or semicircle so that everybody can see, address, and validate each other.

When it comes to group therapy that is specific to substance abuse treatment, usually patients will all share their history with drugs or alcohol, and possibly even how their past has influenced their decisions in any way. Progress since their last session is also discussed. The structure of each session may differ upon the therapist’s strategies.

Usually, as far as the therapist’s strategies are concerned, some may have discussions planned, and others may just approach sessions with open-ended communication. Both of these have their benefits and drawbacks. As far as planned discussions are concerned, they promote structure within the group, but many who attend could feel trapped, as though what they’re going through cannot relate to the planned discussion.

On the other hand, open-ended communication allows for patients to speak about what is on their minds and validate others, but this method lacks the structure of the former, making it more prone to chaos amongst group members.

Why Group Therapy?

Group therapy’s greatest strength is how it brings people who couldn’t be more different together to show them how similar they are. Groups uniting together to achieve a common goal are inspiring for individuals within the group. This allows each member to feed off of each other’s energy.

In group therapy, patients disclose their past experiences with one another. This allows others to see that they are not the only ones who suffer the way that they do themselves; it gives strength to those who need it most and empowers them to achieve what they’ve thought to be impossible. When those who participate in this program share the skills they have learned with others around them, it inspires others to keep going and try new ways to combat their substance abuse safely.

Family Therapy at Granite Mountain

At Granite Mountain, family therapy sessions include therapy sessions with a family and professionally licensed counselor, and also some family education activities. When it comes to examining one’s family life, there are either many factors that contribute to substance abuse, or there are loved ones of a patient who have been impacted in some way by this. This helps because treating the cause rather than the symptoms makes for more effective recovery.

There is no cookie-cutter treatment method when it comes to substance abuse. This is why it is so imperative that we at Granite Mountain treat every patient individually. This philosophy rings true for family members as well. In a family, there are many needs to be met; our therapeutic process has been known to meet every individual’s needs as it relates to how they’ve been impacted by their loved one’s addiction.

Family therapy aims to patch up the relationship between patients and their loved ones. To do this, each person needs the tools necessary at their disposal; recovery within treatment facilities is just as important as being prepared to step into the outside world after treatment. Family therapy helps patients and their loved ones do just that.

Why Family Therapy?

There are many ways in which family therapy sets up patients and their loved ones for success. Those who suffer from addiction are not the only ones impacted; their families are too. At Granite, mending the broken relationships between addicted patients and their loved ones is one of our top priorities.

We want to make sure that we do everything in our power to heal everyone affected by substance abuse, even if they weren’t the ones abusing and were just innocent bystanders.

To heal the dynamic of a family, everybody needs to be on the same page – doctors, therapists, patients, family members, and loved ones.

Those who have participated in family therapy before are consistently awestruck by the understanding they receive. This is good for helping the entire family heal from the wounds that addiction has afflicted.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a therapeutic technique that includes the following:

Skills Training
Individualized Therapy
Team Consultation

DBT is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that addresses a vast array of particular behavioral disorders. The thought process behind this is to analyze the thought process of each patient. Through this, therapists and psychiatrists will be able to evaluate the best course of action moving forward in their addiction treatment. Some of the behavioral and mental health disorders that DBT treats include the following:

Depression
Substance Abuse
PTSD
Borderline Personality Disorder

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy at Granite Mountain

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic method that provides patients with ways they can cope with their addiction; this allows them to improve their behavior and overcome their addiction. The goal is to evaluate why a patient reasons the way that they do.

By doing this, professionals can treat the cause of mental illness rather than the symptoms. Treat the symptoms and a patient will be fine for a season but treat the cause of the disease and the patient has the potential to live their whole life free from the shackles of addiction.

Granite Has Therapy Options for You

We know that life with addiction is difficult, whether you or a loved one is suffering. At Granite, our philosophy is to do whatever it takes to help our patients break free from the prison of addiction. We do this by providing the best care available to meet each patient’s individual needs. If you or a loved one are suffering from addiction and would like to learn more about therapy options in substance abuse treatment, contact us here, or call us at (928) 756-0694.