Behavioral therapy involves a broad range of therapeutic techniques used to change maladaptive behaviors and promote growth. Behavioral therapy encourages the client to develop healthier, more effective patterns of behavior. The goal of behavior therapy is to help a person align their behavior with their goals and eliminate unwanted behaviors.
Behavioral therapy is rooted in principles of behaviorism. This school of thought focused on the idea that people learn from their environment.
Unlike psychoanalysis and humanistic therapies, which are often rooted in insight, behavior therapy is action-based. A behavior therapist works with clients in rehab to eliminate or minimize particular behavior problems. If you are interested in participating in behavior therapy, contact Crestview Recovery by calling 866.262.0531.
A Good Therapist Makes All the Difference
Therapists use behavioral therapy to tackle a wide range of conditions such as depression and addiction. In some cases, they use it to treat people with attention deficit disorder. Other common uses for this type of therapy include treatment for phobic behavior, chronic fatigue, and insomnia. People often prefer this type of therapy over cognitive-behavioral therapy because it takes fewer sessions to see results.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Rehab
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of behavior therapy that helps align people’s thoughts and actions. Attending a quality drug rehab program is the safest way to overcome a substance use concern. If you or a loved one struggles with addiction, treatment involving cognitive-behavioral therapy could be the best solution. Before you commit to treatment, you need to assess your substance abuse and options with the proper recovery staff.
What Are the Goals of Behavioral Therapy for Treating Addiction?
Most therapists set goals for patients who struggle with substance abuse. These often include:
- Modifying their behavior in relation to their addiction
- Getting them to stay in rehab longer
- Changing their behaviors to live a healthy lifestyle
- Modifying their overall attitude toward drug and alcohol use
The course of action that a therapist takes depends on the patient. It also depends on if the sessions are individual counseling sessions or in groups.
Techniques That Therapists Use
Behavior therapy is so effective because there are a number of techniques that therapists use. Each technique works for different people. One technique is known as role-playing. This allows patients to practice what they would say in social situations. For example, alcoholics can use role-playing to improve how they refuse drinks. The type of rewards that they receive depends on the addiction therapy services and programs that their therapists offer. Therapists can also use this technique in reverse, taking away privileges for bad behavior.
Steps of Behavior Therapy
After starting behavior therapy, the treatment typically follows certain steps. While these steps vary for each patient, they often follow the same process. These steps usually include:
- Identifying problems in the client’s life
- Making the patient aware of their own emotions, beliefs, and thoughts
- Helping the patient identify negative thinking
- Reshaping negative thinking to better suit a positive lifestyle
Reshaping patients’ negative ways of thinking is one of the hardest steps in the entire process. During this step, therapists typically ask patients to view their current situations based on facts. This step is difficult because most people already have an image of their lives. If this image is destructive, it’s up to the therapists to change their perspective.
Crestview Recovery Can Help
Crestview Recovery sets itself apart from other addiction centers by providing an intimate interaction between clients and staff members. We offer a low client-to-staff member ratio, which provides a more personalized experience. Our center also offers a 90-day extended care treatment program.
Holistic Addiction Treatment Supplements Behavior Therapy
The disease of addiction takes its toll on the individual’s mind, spirit, relationships, self-esteem, and body. The journey to recovery is a journey towards good health and emotional stability. The effects of nutrition and a healthy diet on the body and mind are well-known. What may not always be considered is that proper nutrition is an important part of the healing process of addiction treatment.
Addiction Recovery Improves Overall Health
Eating a healthy, nutrient-dense diet helps people transform their outlook and be mentally present in a way that promotes healing in behavior therapy and any other type of therapy. Consider the following facts about nutrition and addiction:
- Addicts often neglect important facets of life, including proper nutrition.
- Some mind-altering chemicals block the absorption of nutrients even when nutritious foods are eaten.
- Malnutrition causes the addict to have low mental, physical, and emotional energy levels.
- Addiction weakens the immune system, leaving the addict at risk of frequent illnesses.
- High alcohol consumption damages the liver, the skin, and other organs.
- A poor diet can leave the individual over or underweight, both of which can harm self-esteem.
If you are considering checking into a Portland rehab, we would like to welcome you to Crestview Recovery.
Don’t let addiction control your life or the life of a loved one in need. You can overcome addiction with the help of a specialized team that comes up with an addiction treatment plan for you. Do you have questions about behavioral therapy or addiction treatment? Contact Crestview Recovery at 866.262.0531 for more information about how we can help.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
