The Role of Therapy in Outpatient Heroin Addiction Treatment
The Stigma of Heroin Addiction and the Importance of Therapy
One of the most important aspects of receiving heroin addiction treatment or any opioid addiction treatment is breaking the stigma surrounding the treatment and therapy. Many individuals have a personal stigma associated with therapy which will prevent them from receiving this extremely useful tool to assist them in their treatment for heroin addiction. There are many potential stigmas associated with therapy and all of them are not true. Therapy is a crucial tool in the treatment of heroin addiction or any addiction. One stigma associated with therapy is having other people know that the person is attending therapy. The advancements in telehealth greatly assists in overcoming this specific stigma to therapy for heroin addiction treatment, or any treatment or therapy assistance.
In telehealth all therapy sessions can be truly 100% private if the person desires. With the ability to complete therapy sessions from the privacy of a person’s home or any secluded location, the only person that will know an individual is in therapy is the patient and the therapist. There is no longer needing to have your vehicle parked at an office and have any chance of any person to see that someone is potentially at a therapist’s office. This is the same for any aspect of telehealth regardless of the field, if telehealth options for that medical need are available. As well as telehealth is often more convenient for people and limits time required for appointments by removing the travel associated with attending any in person appointments.
A stigma also associated with therapy in heroin addiction treatment is that it is of no value. Most individuals after only a couple of therapy sessions quickly realize that this is not the case. Therapists provide a crucial role in helping a person understand many aspects of their addiction as well as other potential underlying problems. With assistance from a therapist a person can learn valuable tools to assist in their recovery from heroin addiction at a greatly accelerated pace then if trying to learn these tools on their own. Some of these useful tools is identifying triggers, coming to terms with reasons for continued substance abuse, assistance with other comorbid disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, among others. Often with addiction there are other underlying issues that caused the substance abuse to continue, and treatment of these comorbid psychological concerns is crucial to successful recovery from any addiction.
Outpatient Heroin Addiction Therapy Types
The most used modality of therapy in any substance abuse treatment is that of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), especially with heroin addiction treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has many core principles, with a main one being that psychological problems are at least in part based on unhelpful or faulty ways of thinking. Another core principle is that the psychological problems are at least in part based on learned patterns of unhelpful behaviors, such as that of using substances as a coping skill. A third core principle is that individuals can learn better ways of coping with their psychological problems which will assist in relieving the symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives.
The therapy strategies utilized in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can vary greatly and all depend on the individual’s needs. Some of these will be assisting the person with gaining a better understanding of their behaviors as well as the motives of others. A therapist may teach a person problem solving skills to assist them with coping with life’s difficult situations. And during CBT a person will develop a greater sense of self confidence, especially in their own abilities in life.
Another modality of therapy commonly used in the treatment of heroin addiction is that of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). DBT is a form of talk therapy which is utilized for individuals that experience emotions very intensely. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is based on the principles of the previously mentioned Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The word Dialectical means the combination of opposite ideas, which is the premise of this type of therapy. Often in heroin addiction individuals may be using the substances to help avoid or cope with emotional distress in their life. During DBT a person will understand how their thoughts can affect their behaviors and emotions, and overall learn to take more control over these in life.
A therapy commonly seen in heroin addiction treatment is that of Family Therapy. During a person’s time of active addiction often there can be damage done to the family structure. It is during this type of therapy that the person will be able to start rebuilding the relationships with family members. Some of the actions taken during the heroin addiction may have negatively affected these relationships. Also, many family members are not aware truly of what active addiction is like and a therapist can assist with teaching those family members what the individual has gone through. An important part is assisting family members in knowing the grasp addiction has on a person and that some or all the behaviors exhibited during this time is not that person at their true core and was driven due to the heroin addiction.
A new approach which is available for free at Recover Clarity is the use of a Psychoeducational Therapy Platform. As this is not meant to replace traditional therapy, it still is a useful tool which can assist patients. This platform combines many therapy modalities but mainly lies more in the realm of the educational aspects provided during Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. As some people seeking treatment for opioid addiction may not desire therapy or have some aversion to therapy, this is a great tool for them. Through a therapy platform like that here at Recover Clarity a person can learn about the educational aspects that are typically covered in traditional therapy sessions and/or group sessions. Some of this would be learning more about triggers, cravings, relapse prevention strategies, importance of social supports, stages of change, among many other concepts. Also, some holistic practices can be taught in such a learning method with the online therapy platform.