A woman with long hair sits on a couch, looking pensive with her head resting on her hand. Across from her, a psychotherapist takes notes, observing thoughtfully.

Do I Need a Psychotherapist in Rehab?

The term psychotherapist covers a range of trained professionals who help people with emotional and mental problems. Psychotherapists can also be psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers among other types, and they may employ talk therapy with couples, families, singles or groups for a variety of problems. Psychotherapy is frequently employed in the treatment of addiction at rehab facilities.

What is a Psychotherapist?

A psychotherapist helping an addiction patient.A psychotherapist engages in talk therapy to help people with a wide range of mental issues or emotional problems. A psychotherapist can help these people stop or control various symptoms and triggers in order to cope and function better in situations and relationships. Understanding their symptoms and triggers and learning to cope with them, can help those addicted to a substance achieve a healthier state of being.

Some of the issues that psychotherapy can help include the following:

  • Coping with daily life
  • Trauma
  • Medical illness
  • Death of a loved one
  • Mental disorders like depression, addiction or anxiety

Several different types of psychotherapy exist and some types work better with certain issues than others. Psychotherapy can also be used alongside other types of therapy as well as with medical treatment and medication.

How Do Psychotherapy Sessions Work?

A psychotherapist may conduct sessions with individual clients or multiple clients such as a family, couple or group with the same issues, such as with addiction. Sessions usually last between 30 and 50 minutes. Both the clients and psychotherapist need to be actively engaged in the therapy. Trust and relationship established between the client and therapist need to be cultivated early for effective treatment.

Psychotherapy can work in the short term, such as over a few sessions that deal with a person’s immediate issues, such as marital difficulties or grief. It can also work over the long term to deal with deep-seated problems and complex disorders like an addiction. Treatment goals are usually established by both the client and the therapist. Confidentiality is always understood in addiction counseling so clients can feel comfortable talking about their personal thoughts and emotions during psychotherapy.

In some cases, a psychotherapist will use medication along with talk therapy treatment. This might happen in a detox situation, for example, while the client is taking medication to help with withdrawal symptoms from an addictive substance. It can also be appropriate in the treatment of certain mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. In some other cases, psychotherapy may be used alone without any additional medication or treatment.

How Does Psychotherapy Work?

Research supports the ability of psychotherapy to provide relief for those struggling with mental or emotional issues. Around 75 percent of people who seek the help of a psychotherapist benefit from the experience. Psychotherapy has shown a clear improvement in the emotional and behavioral health of clients and is further linked with good changes in the brain. Brain imaging has allowed researchers to see these positive changes in the brains of people struggling with addiction and other mental health issues. These changes are very similar to the changes caused by medication.

Getting the most out of psychotherapy involves collaborating willingly with the therapist. It’s important to be as open and honest as possible and to do any assignments given during the session. Those who approach psychotherapy in this fashion can expect to feel better both mentally and physically. Talk therapy is considered to be one of the top treatments for addiction and it has the most success over any other type of therapy. You will almost always see a psychotherapist in drug or alcohol rehab. People suffering from addiction often struggle to cope with either underlying mental issues or unresolved trauma. Learning to talk about and deal with their thoughts and feelings keeps them from becoming the triggers that lead to repetitive substance abuse.

Types of Psychotherapy

A psychotherapist may use several types of therapy to connect with clients. The type of therapy used depends on the person’s preference, situation, and illness. Therapists might even combine some aspects of different therapy types to fully meet the client’s needs during treatment.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common type of psychotherapy used in addiction treatment. CBT helps clients recognize certain patterns of thoughts and behavior and work to change them. It helps them replace negative thoughts and behaviors with positive ones that are helpful and functional. Clients learn to focus on solving current problems and they are often encouraged to practice these skills in the real world away from therapy. CBT is helpful for a variety of disorders, not just addiction. It works by helping a person recognize their thought patterns and triggers that lead them to abuse drugs or alcohol.

A more specific type of CBT is dialectical behavior therapy, which works to regulate emotions. A psychotherapist using this type of therapy will help clients learn new skills in order to change their unhealthy behavior patterns.

Various Therapies Cater to Individual Recovery

Interpersonal therapy, or IPT, works primarily in the short term. It helps clients understand and identify underlying personal issues such as grief, social or work changes, and conflicts with their spouses or family and friends. It helps clients learn how to express emotions in a healthy manner and improve communication. IPT commonly works well in treating depression.

Psychodynamic therapy works on the premise that behavior and mental health are both heavily influenced by a person’s childhood and subconscious repetitive thoughts. Clients work with therapists here to improve their self-awareness and make changes in their behavior patterns. A more intense form of psychodynamic therapy is known as psychoanalysis.

Supportive therapy works by helping clients develop their own strong resources in life. It helps them build self-esteem while also reducing anxiety and building better-coping skills. Clients benefit from an improved function within social and community settings. Supportive therapy helps clients deal with the issues triggered by their mental health disorders that influence the rest of their lives.

Including Psychotherapy During Addiction Treatment at Healing Springs Ranch

One of the first things to understand about addiction is that it’s a very personal disorder. No two cases of addiction present in exactly the same way. For this reason, the most successful treatments are the ones fully personalized to the client. At Healing Springs Ranch in Tioga, Texas, our exhaustive intake process begins the personalized treatment plan. Psychotherapy is just one part of our individualized treatment plan. It continues with our own Integrated Addiction Model, called I.AM. By incorporating 12 step principles, functional medicine, and a trauma model, it allows for a deeply personal experience during rehab and addiction treatment with us.

Guests at Healing Springs Ranch will find the following services:

Break free of addiction through the fully personalized and individual treatment plans at Healing Springs Ranch. Give us a call at 866-656-8384 and don’t allow addiction to control your life for another day. The road to a successful recovery starts at a quality addiction treatment center like Healing Springs Ranch.