Individual Therapy
Addiction recovery requires a fair amount of introspection, and that often comes in the form of therapy. This can take the form of group-based therapy options, but individual therapy is an essential ingredient in addiction recovery. It’s very important to figure out your own reasons for addiction and why you turned to substances in the first place.
Wisconsin Recovery Institute provides multiple forms of individual therapy to encourage healing for all patients. Specialists trained in addiction can offer individualized treatment plans for addiction, so the individual’s needs are always taken into account. Multiple options are available and range from heavily talk-centered to mostly focusing on how the body processes trauma. Recovery is the ultimate goal, and there are many specialists on staff to help you reach that end.
Individual therapy takes place solely between you and a therapist, and is entirely centered on your own recovery. This can involve talking about your past, discussing your day-to-day life in recovery, or figuring out techniques to help you maintain sobriety in your life outside the rehabilitation program.
There are many benefits to group therapy and support groups, as well as classes and time spent reflecting alone. But undergoing individual therapy under the supervision of a specialist is essential to recovery, especially if you are undergoing dual diagnosis treatment. It’s incredibly important to understand your mental illness and how it relates to your addition to achieve full and lasting recovery.
Goals of Individual Therapy
It’s natural to feel initial resistance to undergoing individual therapy, especially if you or no one in your family has ever undergone it before. But there are very clear benefits to individual therapy, especially within addiction recovery. Going in with clear outlined goals may help drastically reduce your anxiety about addiction recovery in general.
After going through medical detox, you may be uncertain about how to progress in your recovery (or even what it will require of you). Working with a specialist in individual therapy can help you put your goals into words and set goals to work through within your recovery.
Many times, people turn to substances to help deal with emotions that feel too overwhelming to manage. It may feel impossible to deal with something that “should” feel doable to a non-addicted person (at least to your mind). Individual therapy can help you label the feelings around certain experiences, such as anxiety or resentment, so they feel more manageable without the use of substances.
It can be very hard to detect your own behavioral patterns, or to see your background from an objective point of view. A specialized therapist can help you spot recurring themes in your life and recovery efforts — and help you come up with alternative ways to act in the future.
Therapists and specialists in individual therapy are there to help you, and solely you, address your individual needs. They can help you strategize around your relapse triggers and even come up with reminders or strategies for difficult situations. They won’t judge you for having made mistakes or not having coping mechanisms around particular triggers. If anything, they’re the people who can help you best close the distance.
Types of Individual Therapy
You may have a vision of individual therapy as laying down on a couch while someone takes notes on a pad beside you. But therapy isn’t always as how it’s portrayed in the movies — and for good reason. There are many different options for individual therapy, ranging from very talk-centered to mainly focusing on the interactions between the mind and body.
It’s important to note that not all forms of therapy are the same as talk therapy, where the individual recounts stories and generally leads the session while the therapist takes notes. In other words, modern therapy isn’t always like the movies and television. But that’s because there are more types of therapy available to the average person than ever. Individual case management allows you to select the options that best suit your recovery needs.
Here are some of the types of individual therapy you may undergo at Wisconsin Recovery Institute:
Growing steadily in popularity, cognitive-behavioral therapy (also known as CBT) is a type of treatment that focuses on patterns of thought and belief within the individual. Addiction-centered CBT focuses on harmful thought patterns and behaviors. The individual is empowered with practical knowledge and techniques so that they can adjust their mindset (and therefore their actions) for an addiction-free lifestyle.
Based on the idea that trauma is stored in the body, Somatic Experiencing Therapy helps the individual become aware of how they react to current and past memories. Once triggers and reactions have been identified, the work begins on learning regulation and self-soothing. This may be an excellent choice for individuals skeptical of or who haven’t seen satisfying results from traditional talk therapy.
Focusing on mindfulness and self-regulation, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is based around helping the individual handle difficult emotions with an attitude of acceptance. Individuals are taught to accept distress instead of trying to numb it with addictive substances. This technique also has a heavy focus on building up interpersonal relationships, including setting and maintaining personal boundaries.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (also known as EMDR therapy) is a modern therapy treatment that’s designed to encourage healing within the brain itself. The individual is asked to recall traumatic events while being lightly stimulated physically, such as while tapping their hand. The idea is to desensitize the brain to the trauma so healing can take place, with the individual better able to process the negative memories in a positive way.
Benefits of Individual Therapy
Here are some of the benefits of individual therapy in an addiction recovery setting:
Trust is important in the recovery process, and no one goes to a treatment facility to learn secrets about other people. But it’s natural to feel a little uneasy about sharing details of your addiction with people you haven’t ever met before. Therapists and specialists have a professional standard of confidentiality and privacy, so you may feel more open divulging details in an individual setting.
Mayne group therapy settings are centered around learning texts and completing lesson plans. Support groups (especially those associated with 12-step programs) may have assigned topics for every meeting. It’s inevitable that you may attend a gathering of this kind and find that the topic doesn’t apply to you. Individual therapy can be much more attuned to your needs every time.
If you have a particular concern about your recovery, such as the side effects of a particular substance or how to repair a specific type of relationship, individual therapy may be better suited to help you answer those questions. The specialist with whom you work can provide targeted advice or sometimes research answers for ongoing conversations.
When undergoing therapy in a group setting, lessons are dictated by the progress of the group as a whole (or if a discussion ends at the right time so you can progress to the next section of the book). This may not always feel satisfying to the individual. You may have more questions on a topic, or not require as much focus on a particular one as other members of the group. An individual therapist can help you develop ways to track progress that don’t depend on the needs of others.
Individual Therapy for Addiction at Wisconsin Recovery Institute
As essential as individual therapy is to the recovery process, it is by no means the only tool at your disposal when you enter recovery. Individuals participating in our residential program and dual diagnosis programs will utilize different types of treatment as part of their individual treatment plan.
Addiction affects millions of people, and it’s never too late to start recovery. There are specialists ready to help you build an addiction-free life, starting with safe detox and with support at every stage. Contact us today if you’re ready to begin your healing journey.
