Healing the Core of Addiction Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Psychotherapy is a cornerstone of addiction recovery and mental health treatment. Many people benefit from participating in group and one-on-one sessions using various therapeutic methods, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Studies have shown CBT “is one of the most common and best studied forms of psychotherapy.” Psychotherapy provides clients with the tools and skills they need to cope with symptoms and manage their condition. Exclusive Hawaii Rehab uses CBT to treat substance use disorder (SUD) and other mental health issues.

What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

CBT combines cognitive and behavioral therapy into a single approach to treatment. The therapy focuses on educating people about the connections between thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Clients are shown how to identify and replace negative thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors using CBT techniques.

Exclusive Hawaii Rehab uses CBT to do the following:

• Provide clients with additional context for their diagnosis and symptoms
• Teach clients to control their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Decrease adverse side effects of internal or external stressors

Studies have shown that “CBT is based on a straightforward, common-sense model of the relationships among cognition, emotion, and behavior,” emphasizing the following:

• Automatic thoughts
• Cognitive distortions
• Underlying beliefs

CBT is a valuable therapeutic tool for individual and group therapy sessions. Clinicians use CBT to provide clients with a framework for long-term sobriety and positive mental health.

Personalized Therapy at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

Exclusive Hawaii Rehab offers personalized therapy. CBT is one of the central therapeutic approaches used to help clients address the root cause of substance abuse or mental health disorders. Clients use what they learn in therapy to identify and change their thoughts about treatment and recovery.

Personalized treatment plans utilizing CBT ensure the following:

• Clients have an opportunity to discuss issues in therapy directly related to their daily lives
• Clinicians have a clearer understanding of underlying problems affecting client recovery
• Clients and their loved ones have access to essential tailored services and resources

Personalized care ensures every client receives the best support for their unique condition. Often, that involves a combination of treatment modalities, including CBT and other psychotherapies. Clinicians collaborate with clients and their families to determine which form of therapy meets their needs.

What Conditions Are Treated Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

Psychotherapy is primarily used to treat symptoms and side effects related to unhealthy or unwanted thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Many people are unaware of how their thoughts directly affect their physical reactions and behaviors. Psychotherapy helps clients understand these connections, examine them, and make positive changes to improve overall health. CBT is one of the most commonly used therapeutic modalities.

CBT is used to treat a wide range of conditions including:

• Intermittent explosive disorder (IED)
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and other anxiety disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders
• Panic disorder
• Major depressive disorder (MDD) and other depressive disorders
• Substance abuse
• Eating disorders (EDs)

CBT is also used to address issues related to family dynamics. Family therapy with CBT helps clients manage unhealthy relationships impacting client recovery. Everyone in a family is affected when a loved one struggles with substance abuse. CBT is an excellent tool for identifying, analyzing, and addressing relationship issues between family members.

What Are the Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

CBT therapy offers many potential benefits for individuals experiencing SUD or mental health disorders, including:

• Reduced stress
• Decreased negative thoughts and beliefs
• Increased self-awareness
• Improved self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy
• Greater emotional stability
• Improved coping skills

CBT significantly reduces the risk of relapse for clients in early recovery. According to BMJ Open, CBT “is a promising treatment that may build resilience and reduce relapse among people with SUD.” Exclusive Hawaii Rehab uses CBT to help clients stay on track and progress in their recovery journey.

What to Expect During Therapy Sessions

CBT therapy sessions differ depending on the unique needs of the client and the preferences of the therapist. Group and individual therapy generally share many similarities. However, group therapy may focus on more general aspects of mental health and recovery.

Clients typically do the following during one-on-one CBT sessions:

• Analyze thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Develop healthy coping skills
• Discuss everyday personal or recovery-related challenges
• Work to change unhelpful or maladaptive beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors
• Process past experiences
• Create realistic recovery goals
• Discuss relapse prevention strategies and how to avoid falling back into old behaviors or thought patterns

Clients and therapists use honest communication during treatment sessions to discuss complex issues and find healthy solutions to chronic or everyday problems. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “The goal of therapy is to gain relief from symptoms, maintain or improve daily functioning, and improve quality of life.” CBT is a powerful tool for change and healing.

Therapy at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

The care team at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab tailors therapy sessions to the specific preferences and needs of clients to ensure they feel comfortable and experience better outcomes. Clients attend individual and group therapy sessions each week.

Clinicians use therapy to help clients do the following:

• Accept their diagnosis
• Manage symptoms
• Prepare for long-term recovery

The care team understands some people respond better to certain types of treatment. Initial intake assessments help clinicians determine if clients may benefit from CBT or other forms of psychotherapy. Exclusive Hawaii Rehab also offers alternative holistic therapies alongside evidence-based therapy.