Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques were developed with the belief that human behavior is learned, and therefore can be “unlearned” or retrained.
When you are dealing with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, oftentimes the only way to make a change in your life is to make a change in your behavior patterns as a whole.
As a solution-based type of therapy, CBT helps our patients in Arizona stay focused on the changes they can make in their life today that will help them right away.
CBT therapy focuses on developing personal coping strategies that align with solving current problems and changing unhealthy behaviors or patterns. Recent studies published with the US Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health showed that it can be highly effective in treating many addiction related concerns as well as mental illnesses.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
Put simply, it is a proven method for addressing addiction issues in your life and starting to make changes for the better.
The process involves training your brain to deal with certain thoughts or behaviors in a different way. Oftentimes with addiction or other mental illnesses, we get stuck in a pattern of repeating the same bad behavior over and over again. This can lead us to a life that is full of repeated misery and often has us confused as to how we got to this point. CBT is a type of psychotherapy that directly addresses problems and seeks to find new ways of dealing with them, thereby increasing the patient’s happiness. This is accomplished by addressing problematic emotions, thoughts and actions.
Rather than some therapy models that attempt to go all the way back to a patient’s childhood to discover the root of destructive behaviors or problems, this therapy keeps its focus on the here and now. When you are addicted to drugs or alcohol, your life can become full of the same routines every day. Anytime you are feeling any type of emotion, whether it is happy, sad, angry or scared, you may turn to your substance of choice by mental habit or routine. It can become an automatic decision for you, without even realizing you are making it. This type of therapy aims to break cycles of the same old routines and introduce new solutions to solving life’s problems.
How does cognitive behavioral therapy work?
Like with many issues, the first step is often realizing that you have a problem. This is also true with cognitive behavioral therapy. The first thing you must do is identify what areas of your life are causing you to display the patterns of negative behavior. Once identified, your counselor can guide you through the process of replacing those thoughts or behaviors with more positive ones. The change in just your thoughts and attitude alone, will ultimately result in changes to your behavior as well.
The techniques used in this therapy can work just as well or better than medication to treat patients with depression. When a therapist is able to sit with you and help you identify negative behavior patterns, you can start to slowly replace those thoughts or habits with healthier, more realistic ones.
CBT is just one tool we have available for you at our facility. When you meet with your counselor, you will discuss which options are best for your personal treatment plan. You may end up with multiple therapy types to make sure you are taking the right steps towards your life being free from drugs and alcohol.
What’s it like to be treated at a center for cognitive behavioral therapy?
There are several different options for treatment processes available to you. Our team will help customize your plan to fit your specific needs. While you are receiving treatment from us, you may be part of our inpatient rehab program. With inpatient, or inpatient rehab, you will live on campus throughout the duration of your treatment. You will have 24-7 access to licensed, professional counselors who are here to help you with any of the challenges you may have. This is a very important aspect of a high-quality treatment center, since you will experience many different feelings and emotions throughout the treatment process, not just while attending class or meeting with your therapist. To have the benefit of a licensed clinical staff that is there for you throughout the first and most critical part of your new life has proven to be very important for many of our clients.
After you have completed the first portion of your rehab in inpatient treatment, you may step down to our outpatient program. This may be a good first option for some clients as well, rather than starting in the inpatient program. With our outpatient program, you will live off-campus, but attend regular meetings, therapy sessions, and classes during the day.
Just because our facility is recognized as a center for cognitive and behavioral therapy, doesn’t mean that there aren’t other types of therapy that are used as well. In fact, the most effective rehab centers will use a mix of therapy types to effectively treat their patients. Pinnacle Peak Recovery incorporates several techniques to help our clients find the right path to a healthy life. Some of the types of treatment that may accompany your therapy are:
- Cognitive behavioral group therapy
- Individual counseling
- Cognitive behavioral family therapy
- EMDR treatment
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Holistic therapy
Upon completion of your rehab process, you will go back into the world with the new tools you have learned while in treatment. Realistically, addiction is a lifelong struggle for many people. That is why the treatment should not stop once you leave the facility. One of the added benefits we offer our clients is a strong aftercare services program. As Alumni of our program, you can maintain the connections you made with other people who are experiencing the same issues as you and keep the new tools you learned while in the program fresh in your mind.
Upon completion of your rehab process, you will go back into the world with the new tools you have learned while in treatment. Realistically, addiction is a lifelong struggle for many people. That is why the treatment should not stop once you leave the facility. One of the added benefits we offer our clients is a strong aftercare services program. As Alumni of our program, you can maintain the connections you made with other people who are experiencing the same issues as you and keep the new tools you learned while in the program fresh in your mind.
What is the difference between CBT and substance use therapy?
Since cognitive behavioral therapy exercises address the poor habits in your life and teaches you to create newer, healthier ones, it is often used as part of an effective treatment for drug addiction. The main difference is the fact that drug addiction therapy is used to specifically treat the addiction, whereas CBT can be used to treat any condition that involves bad habits and poor choices.
This therapy model has been found to be effective in treating many disorders along with addiction. Some of these conditions include:
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – when a person is consumed or obsessed with certain thoughts and often acts compulsively.
Panic Disorder – a type of anxiety where a person suffers regular attacks of panic or fear.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – a type of anxiety that is caused by experiencing a traumatic, stressful or extremely frightening event.
Phobias – an overwhelming and often paralyzing fear of a certain thing (person, situation, animal, place, etc).
Eating Disorders – when someone suffers from an unhealthy manner of consuming their food, either by overeating and then throwing up (binging and purging) or by starving themselves (anorexia).
Insomnia – a sleeping disorder where the person cannot fall or stay asleep.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – a long term illness that usually causes the person to always feel exhausted.
Depression – an overall sense of feeling sad or inability to enjoy things in life.
With cognitive behavioral therapy, the focus is more on fixing the immediate problem, rather than finding and addressing the root cause of the issue. For example, let’s say you have a problem with driving through a particular neighborhood at night. Using CBT, you would be helped with directly identifying the issue that’s affecting you today and trying to find an alternate solution to help ease the struggle with it right away. Whereas other therapy types would often be used for seeking to identify why you do not like driving in that area and trying to figure out where this fear came from.
How long does cognitive behavioral therapy last?
Therapy can take as little as a couple of days or as long as a year or more to help you begin to start seeing regular, everyday problems in a new way. The length of time required in a program truly depends both on the clients willingness and ability to be an active participant in the therapy, as well as the severity of their condition.
Speaking with a counselor or licensed therapist and putting in the work are the only ways you can really know how long you will need to attend a program. Every person is different, and therefore each person responds to different treatment plans in their own unique way. Regardless of how long you spend in a program, it is important to remember that recovery from any kind of addiction is a lifelong process. And it all starts with that first step.
Is there cognitive behavioral therapy near me in Arizona?
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Pinnacle Peak Recovery’s facilities are here to help you address your individual therapy needs. We are conveniently located within short driving distance from Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler and more. We also frequently admit patients from out of state who are looking for a change of scenery. Our gorgeous facilities in Arizona have been enjoyed by patients from all over the country.
If you are suffering from drug addiction or alcoholism, it may seem as though you are stuck in a constant struggle and unable to break the cycle. Our staff understands that there are many options for people struggling with negative behaviors, thoughts and emotions. That’s why we offer cognitive behavioral therapy near you along with many other treatment options that together can help ease your road to recovery.
When you first arrive at our facility, we will begin working with you on a treatment plan that is custom tailored to meet your individual needs and address your personal issues.
Call our 24/7 drug addiction hotline today
Pinnacle Peak Recovery is here to help you tackle whatever issue is weighing on your life. Whether it is addiction to drugs or alcohol, our facility has an incredible team of licensed professionals ready to help you start your recovery.
Our facility specializes in incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy, a proven psychotherapeutic method, into our client’s personalized treatment plans. During your sessions, you will be guided through the proper steps for replacing your old bad habits with new healthy ones.
Here at our Arizona facility, we have seen the long-term results that CBT can provide our clients. There are so many ways that this type of therapy can have a lasting and positive impact on a client’s life, allowing them to finally experience a life free from the restrictions of addiction.
Nobody can be expected to go through this journey alone, which is why we wil be here for you every step of the way. Call our support hotline today at 866-377-4761 to learn more about the different programs we offer to help with your recovery. With the right plan and the right people, you too can begin your journey towards a happier, healthier, drug free life.