" (Covington 2008). Without empowering substance abusers whose lives have become severely impaired in terms of basic life functioning, treating the abuse or disability as a purely biological function will have little effect, and only address the physical withdrawal symptoms, and surrendering to the addiction may not address the need to seek out new, positive social relationships and to actively construct an environment that does not facilitate the addiction.
Even addicts with jobs who are minimally socially functional may have social structures revolving around their addiction. In the case of many women in particular, the life pattern of being involved with an abusive partner, which may have driven the women to abuse drugs in the first place, becomes a cycle of addiction and dependence upon an abusive person for self-esteem, access to drugs, and economic support. For patients who are substance abusers in economically deprived area where drug addiction is normalized, removing the patient from the subculture and the environment, and supplementing treatment with vocational support may be more important as the personally-focused, small, anonymous setting of AA or NA. The individual may also need more outside assistance than is typically provided by the person-focused AA approach.
Non 12-step advocates believe treatment must be holistic and consistent, and counselors who focus only on the addiction and cannot assume other issues will "resolve themselves" (Covington 2008). The attitude that other problems may 'resolve themselves' is only appropriate if the other problems have their root cause n the addiction. But a woman married to an abuser, for whom enduring abuse is a common life pattern, may need additional social support for education, vocational assistance, and a way to reconfigure her life and self-esteem, even if she is committed to recovery. "Treatment for women's addictions is apt to be ineffective unless it acknowledges the realities of women's lives, which include the high prevalence of violence and other types of abuse. A history of being abused increases the likelihood that a woman will abuse alcohol and other drugs" (Covington 2008). Relapse is likely if a viable alternative life is not supported -- the individual's life must not just be drug-free, but the cultural conditions that facilitate drug use must be altered. This requires empowering the patient, rather than stressing the patient's powerlessness. But it also takes some of the burden off of the patient that relapses are his or her fault, and strives to create a better environment to support his or her needs.
Rather than the searing self-criticism of AA and traditional 12-step programs, reality therapy focuses upon creating a trusting environment for the client: "Since unsatisfactory or non-existent connections with people we need are the source of almost all human problems, the goal of reality therapy is to help people reconnect. This reconnection almost always starts with the counselor/teacher first connecting with the individual, and then using this connection as a model for how the disconnected person can begin to connect with the people he or she needs" (Reality therapy, 2008, International Journal of Reality Therapy). For substance abusers, the disconnection is often profound, and results in the abuser being frozen in a subculture and lifestyle that revolves around drugs. Freeing the addict from this subculture is essential, but little benefit will result from pressuring the individual to 'just quit.' Reality therapy stresses the counselor should "remain non-judgmental and non-coercive, but encourage people to judge all they are doing by the Choice Theory axiom: Is what I am doing getting me closer to the people I need? If the choice of behaviors is not getting people closer, then the counselor works to help them find new behaviors that lead to a better connection" (Reality therapy, 2008, International Journal of Reality Therapy).
This stress upon choice is counter-intuitive to many therapists trained in the 12-step model, which stresses giving over control to a higher power, and the addict's powerlessness over his or her addiction. It also runs counter to some other proposed models such as the "Women's Integrated Treatment (WIT) model. This model is based on three foundational theories: relational-cultural theory, addiction theory, and trauma theory. It also recommends gender-responsive, trauma-informed curricula to use for women's and girls' treatment services" (Covington 2008). Attempts to treat the addict by focusing on the past run counter to reality therapy's core schema of beliefs. Instead the reality therapist keeps the "focus on the present and avoid discussing the past because all human problems are caused by unsatisfying present relationships" (Reality therapy, 2008, International Journal of Reality Therapy).
One patient with positive experiences of reality therapy chronicled her experiences as thus: the victim of sexual abuse as a child, who had repeated this pattern with many of her current relationships, she stated:...
' If a person does not disclose their drinking behavior if they seek outside help, they may be misdiagnosed as having an anxiety disorder. Mixing alcohol and medications for anxiety disorders can have lethal consequences, as well as prolonging a process of addiction." (Losinno, p. 1) This denotes that especially in the face of trauma, those who are predisposed to dissonant responses and unhealthy coping mechanisms will struggle at a higher
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling Personal Vision and Learning Mission Statement Ethical Framework Professional Strengths and Limitations Identification and fulfillment of Professional Potential Professional Diversity Integration of Theory and Practice Ongoing Professional Developments Alcohol (and other drugs) abuse is not just a problem of an individual but that of the whole society. This implies that the whole society has a role to play in the rehabilitation of the people who resort to drug abuse when they find it hard
Similar to Gestalt therapy, I also did not incorporate existentialist thinking into my theory. However, similar to Jungian analytical psychology and Gestalt therapy, I view this type of therapy as very philosophical in its' nature and application. Therapy methods that are very philosophical in their application do not appeal to me because they do not seem to adequately address the "real-life" problems, and instead seek vague answers that can be
" (Teasdale, 1995, pg. 25) These elements are important, because they are showing how this form of treatment can be effective in dealing with patients that are recovering. The problem is, making sure that there is: consistent follow up and dealing with some of the changing the thoughts they will experience over the long-term. (Teasdale, 1995, pp. 25 -- 39) As a result, this approach is effective at dealing with
This is accomplished by using a number of different tactics in conjunction with each other to include: examining their lifestyle, developing client insights, establishing a strong relationship with the patient and creating a change in behavior. When interacting with children, these views are used to comprehend how: their connections with friends and family members are influencing their desire to be accepted. ("Theories of Counseling," 2010) (R, Tice, personal communication,
Counselling Theories Postmodern and Family System Theory Approach There have been significant interest in research on the problems of addiction; hence, the many scientific studies on the issue. Many of the studies in this area end up with the same conclusions; the concept of addiction is complicated. The complexity partly arises from the effect it has on the drug abuser from different perspectives such as psychological, social, biological, and the impacts of
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