Individual Counseling for Addiction
Most addiction treatment programs provide lots of group counseling but little or no individual counseling. Clients here can receive individual counseling as treatment if they are appropriate for the outpatient level of care or they may supplement their treatment at a facility that provides higher levels of care or group treatment for substance abuse with individual sessions at our practice. We provide real psychotherapy, not just addiction counseling, delivered by licensed professional counselors that have training and expertise to treat both substance abuse and mental health problems. Many clients come here already engaged in psychotherapy with outside practitioners who may be treating them for issues other than substance abuse. For these clients, the individual therapy we provide here can enhance and accelerate their outside therapy as we focus more specifically on substance-related issues and relapse prevention.
Psychotherapy for Underlying Issues
Substance abuse is a complex problem. To produce lasting change, treatment must address not only the addictive behavior itself, but also the psychological and emotional issues that often are intertwined with and underlie the substance use. If not adequately addressed these issues lie dormant until re-activated by life stress that may stimulate an individual’s desire to self-medicate intolerable feelings/moods with alcohol and drugs. Accordingly, our treatment approach integrates cognitive-behavioral therapy and other behavior change techniques with psychodynamic therapy to resolve underlying and co-existing emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Our substance abuse counseling services are designed not only to help clients break free of compulsive alcohol/drug use, but also to develop more effective coping skills, work through underlying emotional issues, and thus reduce their relapse potential over the long term.