Individual Therapy Addiction Treatment

Individual therapy is an important part of the recovery process for many different illnesses. Whether you are trying to overcome an addiction to alcohol or drugs or a mental health problem that leaves you crippled with anxiety, you will probably find that Individual therapy forms a part of your treatment programme. But what can you expect from this type of therapy?

What Is Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy can take many different forms, but it takes place on a one-to-one basis between the patient and a counsellor. During these Individual therapy sessions, counsellors work with patients in a supportive and non-confrontational environment to help them work through issues that are having a negative impact on their lives.

Individual therapy may also be referred to as psychotherapy, and there are many methods used within this remit including cognitive behavioural therapy, hypnotherapy, and psychodynamic therapy. The type of therapy used will depend on the condition being treated as well as the needs of the individual being treated.

It is a therapeutic tool that allows you to be open and honest with someone who is impartial and unbiased. This is often a huge relief for those who have been bottling up their emotions and feelings for a long time, or for individuals who feel as if they have no one to talk to at home.

Essentially, you would be attending talking therapy sessions that takes place in a safe environment. It allows you to explore the issues that have been affecting your life. Your counsellor will provide you with a sounding board and is not there to judge you or tell you what you should do. He or she is there to guide you and help you as you try to uncover the underlying issues that are contributing to your current situation.

How Does Individual Therapy Work?

Counselling is a therapy that has been used in the treatment of various health problems for a very long time. It works simply by providing a safe environment in which you can say the things you want to say. Building up a relationship of trust with your counsellor is important. Once you are comfortable with this person, you are more likely to be open and honest.

You may be dealing with negative thought patterns that have been driving your maladaptive behaviours for a long time. Your counsellor will help you to identify these thought processes so that you can learn why they are destructive and why they need to be challenged or simply accepted for what they are.

The idea of counselling is that you will be helped to overcome the issues that have been affecting you; your counsellor will use various methods to help you achieve this. It may be the case that you do not know the reason for your addictive behaviour or the source of your mental health problems. This is often because these issues are buried deep within the unconscious mind. With Individual therapy, you and your counsellor can work on uncovering these issues so that you can deal with them effectively. This is the only way to move on and overcome your illness.

Using Individual therapy means that you can discover, for example, why issues with your family and relationships might have contributed to your behaviour. You can then work on improving how you communicate and interact with other people.

Counsellors do not tell you what you need to do to overcome your issues, but they do offer guidance and help you come to the realisation that you alone can change your way of thinking and behaving. The counsellors can help you to improve your self-awareness and the way that you see others. They can also provide you with the tools you need to gain a greater understanding of the issues that have been affecting your quality of life. Furthermore, they can teach you ways of developing positive behaviours that will enrich your life going forward.

Understanding Individual Therapy

While most people assume that Individual therapy is only for those with mental health issues or addictions to substances such as drugs or alcohol, it is in fact used for a wide variety of purposes. This can include overcoming anger issues, marriage difficulties and helping those struggling with parenting issues.

Individual therapy is essential in terms of helping individuals work through their mental, emotional, and spiritual issues. There may be aspects of their lives that they want to change, or they may be struggling to understand certain feelings they are experiencing. The job of the counsellor is to talk through these issues with the patient and help him or her to heal so that he or she can develop the necessary skills to improve their life.

Individual therapy sessions will vary in duration and frequency depending on your requirements and how you are responding. It may be the case that you will have sessions every week for an hour each time. You may have sessions more or less often and for a different duration; it will all depend on your needs. For many people, short-term counselling is sufficient in terms of helping them to move forward but for others, counselling is something that they will require over a much longer period.

It is easy to assume that once you quit the substance or activity to which you are addicted you are better and free to carry on with everyday life. The truth, however, is that unless you address the issues that initially caused the addiction, there is a high likelihood of it returning in the future.

Individual therapy will help you get to the root cause of your behaviour. It may be the case that a type of counselling known as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) will be used to help you learn how to identify and challenge the negative thoughts that have been contributing to your current behaviour. On the other hand, perhaps acceptance and commitment therapy will be used to help you learn how to accept your negative thoughts without acting on them.

Your counsellor will work closely with you to develop a trusting relationship so that you are comfortable talking about the issues that are bothering you. These one-to-one sessions will take place in an environment where you will feel safe and secure. This gives you the opportunity to talk about issues that you may have been intentionally or unwittingly bottling up for a long time. It is your counsellor’s job to help you uncover the issues that have caused your addictive behaviour.

Basically, Individual therapy offers you the chance to speak privately about the specific issues that are affecting you. Group therapy sessions, on the other hand, tend to deal with more general issues that may be associated with the type of addiction you are struggling with.

With one-to-one sessions, you and your counsellor can delve deeper to uncover the underlying issues affecting your life, with this ultimately allowing for faster progress.

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – CBT is used to help you focus on identifying the negative thoughts and feelings that are driving your maladaptive behaviour. You will learn how to change your thinking and behaviours in response to life situations.
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy – DBT is an enhanced form of CBT that helps you to control your emotions in response to life situations.
• Motivational Interviewing – Motivational interviewing is used to help break down the barriers that are preventing you from overcoming your illness. Denial is a common problem for many people and it can prevent them from getting better. With motivational interviewing, your counsellor will use specific techniques to increase your motivation to change.
• Contingency Management – Contingency management is a technique that uses a system of rewards and consequences to encourage positive change. This is used for those who need extra motivation to overcome their problems. It is more commonly used for the treatment of addiction.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – ACT is a technique that helps you to learn how to accept your negative thoughts and emotions without being overly affected by them. You will learn how to allow these feelings to come and go with the use of mindfulness.
• Hypnotherapy – Hypnotherapy is used to tap into the unconscious mind, where it is believed that the issues causing the illness are buried. By increasing your state of awareness, your therapist can delve deep into your unconscious mind to reveal the issues that are at the heart of your problem.

How Individual Therapy Differs from Other Psychotherapies?

While Individual therapy and group therapy sessions can use similar techniques, such as CBT and ACT, being on your own with a counsellor gives you the chance to deal with issues in private.

Individual therapy is particularly useful for those dealing with more than one type of addiction or who have a dual diagnosis (addiction coupled with a mental health problem). A dual diagnosis is a complex condition that requires a more intensive and concentrated approach.

Individual therapy is also particularly beneficial for those who find it difficult to interact in group settings. If you find it overwhelming to take part in group therapy initially, you may benefit from focusing on individual therapy until you get used to sharing your thoughts. When you are further along in the process, you might be more comfortable in group therapy.