Therapies & Treatment
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Substance Abuse Treatment
Pursuing sobriety alone can be isolating and potentially dangerous. The most successful journey is one that begins with compassionate support. Our Treatment programs at Agape Village can make your recovery journey more comfortable and achievable.
A substance use disorder or severe dependence is a complex mental health disorder that impacts the brain and behavior. SUD is characterized by substance use that is out of control. If left untreated, this disorder will negatively impact brain chemistry, wiring, and function.
From alcohol and prescription medications to street drugs and party drugs, these substances can derail your life, your relationships, and your goals. A SUD can also lead to numerous health problems that range from moderate and severe to life-threatening.
[our services]
Substance Abuse Treatment
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) officially describes the criteria for substance use disorder as occurring when more than two of the following symptoms are present:[1]
- Hazardous substance use
- Social or interpersonal issues related to substance use
- Neglecting major roles due to substance use
- Legal issues related to substance use
- Experiencing withdrawal
- Developing substance tolerance
- Increasing dosage or frequency
- Repeated attempts to reduce or manage substance use
- Much time spent using substances
- Physical and/or psychological problems due to substance use
- Usual activities neglected to use of substances
- Cravings for the substance
The Treatment Program
From admission to discharge, each patient receives diagnosis-specific treatment from field experts attending to their needs 24/7. This process includes several levels of care, from medical detox, case management, and inpatient rehab to medically managed care and long-term aftercare plans.
During the full spectrum of care, patients will participate in behavioral health services, holistic therapies, group counseling, family therapy, individual counseling, and long-term recovery support services to establish new habits and create a healthy future.
Taking advantage of substance use disorder treatment helps individuals stop using harmful substances and maintain a safe and sober lifestyle. By building new and healthier habits, you can restore productive functioning at work, home, and in society. Our substance use disorder programs include some or all of the following interventions:
Medical Detox
Detoxification can be an uncomfortable but essential process that is the first phase of recovery. However, on its own, it is insufficient to create lasting recovery and long-term sobriety. It’s critical to maintain treatment after attending our program to create a healthier future.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, anxiety, and insomnia are common symptoms that make early recovery uncomfortable without medical intervention. MAT, or Medication-Assisted Treatment, is a medical intervention that helps to alleviate many symptoms of withdrawal.
Medications also help to reduce cravings and create a smoother detox and recovery process. While MAT therapy is not a good fit for everyone, it is part of many SUD treatment programs.
In-Patient Rehab
When you receive inpatient substance abuse treatment, you’re free to focus solely on your recovery efforts. Here, there are no distractions. No daily responsibilities. No negative influences. Nothing to hold you back and everything propelling you forward.
Medically Managed Care
If you’re concerned about other medical conditions keeping you from seeking treatment, medically managed care can alleviate those concerns. With a full medical staff, underlying medical conditions like diabetes, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain can be treated simultaneously.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
While a substance use disorder is also a mental health disorder, it often coexists with other mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD. Each can intensify the symptoms of the other or worsen their course over time. It’s critical to address each one individually to achieve lasting healing.
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Therapies Offered?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a structured talk therapy method proven to be an effective treatment for several mental health issues, including substance use disorders and dual diagnosis. Rather than focusing on how one’s emotions influence their thoughts, CBT aims to discover how one’s thoughts determine their emotions and subsequent actions. Using CBT, a therapist can help reveal mindset barriers such as overgeneralizing or overanalyzing, jumping to worst-case scenarios, dwelling on negative outcomes, or defaulting to an “all or nothing” attitude. This allows one to manage stress, avoid undesirable behaviors, and live a more abundant life.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavioral therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that increases a person’s mindfulness, giving them the necessary tools to handle stressful situations, regulate their emotions, and maintain healthy relationships. Originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT effectively treats individuals suffering from various addictions and mental health disorders. It is particularly beneficial for those with trouble with emotional regulation or prone to self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and other destructive behaviors.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing therapy is a counseling approach that is patient-focused and designed to change behavior. Oftentimes, those struggling with addiction grapple with conflicting desires – between wanting a better life and believing they’re not ready for or worth recovery. Originally developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick to treat alcohol addiction, the purpose of MI therapy is to empower one to take responsibility for their own addiction recovery. In MI therapy, a counselor enhances one’s readiness for change by helping them examine and address their hesitancy toward treatment.
Contingency Management Therapy
Contingency Management Therapy is a type of behavioral therapy, CM therapy uses positive reinforcement to encourage patients in their recovery efforts. When a patient demonstrates positive behavior, this is reinforced with a reward, usually in the form of prizes or vouchers exchangeable for retail items and services. Contingency Management Therapy is based on the principle that people will try harder to follow their treatment plan if they know there is a tangible reward to mark their success. While providing individuals in recovery material incentives forever is not realistic, CM therapy operates on the idea that after a while, these behavioral modifications will become hard-to-break habits that don’t require rewards, allowing patients to achieve lasting sobriety.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
Motivational Enhancement Therapy is a short-term, patient-centered approach to therapy that focuses on increasing one’s motivation to change. It’s typically delivered in four (up to six) targeted therapy sessions. In MET therapy, a therapist will help an individual resolve their mixed feelings related to change and become more willing and determined to better their life. Originally tried and tested in Project MATCH, a 1993 clinical trial evaluating treatment options for alcohol addiction, MET therapy is rooted in motivational psychology, using many of the same techniques as motivational interviewing. It also follows the transtheoretical model which includes 6 stages of change.
Experiential Therapy
Experiential therapy typically entails the client immersing themselves within a certain experience, placing an emphasis upon actions and personal connection. Unlike other forms of therapy, which classically focus on the conversation, experiential therapy techniques are intended to engage with an activity to assist clients in both revisiting their experience and bringing awareness to the thoughts and emotions which influence their lives. Perception and viewpoint are often cited as primary drivers of our behaviors, and experiential therapy seeks to assist clients to better understand how events in their lives have shaped their outlook and consequent behavioral patterns. Experiential therapy directs clients to relive their experiences in the moment, helping to develop greater openness, understanding, and resilience in the face of future challenges. Many experiential therapies are also not limited to an office setting and are conducted in other environments.
Relapse Prevention
Relapse prevention is a skills-based approach that tasks patients and their clinicians to identify the situations that place the person at greater risk for relapse, both internal experiences (e.g., positive thoughts related to substance use or negative thoughts related to sobriety that arise without effort) and external cues (e.g., people that are associated with problematic usage or behavior). As such, the individual is then able to develop better awareness and coping strategies to address situations and circumstances that may have previously led to usage or the behavior in question. A strategy for reducing the likelihood and severity of relapse following the cessation or reduction of problematic behaviors, relapse prevention typically incorporates elements of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to both prevent an initial relapse and to provide relapse management if a lapse should happen to occur.
12-Step Facilitation
Relapse prevention is a skills-based approach that tasks patients and their clinicians to identify the situations that place the person at greater risk for relapse, both internal experiences (e.g., positive thoughts related to substance use or negative thoughts related to sobriety that arise without effort) and external cues (e.g., people that are associated with problematic usage or behavior). As such, the individual is then able to develop better awareness and coping strategies to address situations and circumstances that may have previously led to usage or the behavior in question. A strategy for reducing the likelihood and severity of relapse following the cessation or reduction of problematic behaviors, relapse prevention typically incorporates elements of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to both prevent an initial relapse and to provide relapse management if a lapse should happen to occur.
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12- Step Facilitation
At its core, 12-step facilitation involves engagement in a program of recovery that endeavors to provide members with a path to lasting sobriety and a substance-free lifestyle. First developed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), 12-step programming has evolved to be applicable to several addictive behaviors, establishing a vital support network for those seeking to enter into the recovery process.
Typically, the core steps in 12-step facilitation revolve around:
- Honesty: Admitting one’s powerlessness over their addiction.
- Faith: Sometimes referred to as the ‘higher power,’ this step entails accepting the ability of something larger than oneself to heal them. It’s important to note that this does not have to be a belief in any religious entity, as several 12-step programs operate under a secular lens.
- Surrender: Recognizing that you alone cannot recover but rather need to engage with others in order to succeed.
- Openness: Identifying one’s problems to get a clearer picture of how their behavior has affected themselves and their loved ones.
- Integrity: Clarifying and admitting one’s wrongdoing
- Acceptance: Accepting one’s inherent limitations and defects in order to make peace and let them go.
- Humility: Asking for help and acknowledging that one is unable to go it alone.
- Willingness: Taking an accounting of those you have harmed before your entry into the recovery process.
- Forgiveness: Making amends with those that were harmed.
- Maintenance: Continued engagement with the principles and activities that benefit ongoing sobriety.
- Discovery: Exploring a larger purpose for one’s life.
- Service: Assisting to carry the message of recovery to others and continuing to practice recovery principles.
12-step programming has been widely studied to be effective in helping people to create and maintain their recovery, along with providing an important sense of community and mutual support.