OUR THERAPIES

• Topics: Understand the what and the how of mindfulness in regulating emotional control; and explore and develop skills related to the four (4) domains of DBT in order to better manage behaviors, emotions and thoughts: mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

• Outcomes: Evaluate traumatic events and practice strategies for distress management; understand the what and the how of mindfulness in regulating emotional control; identify and label emotions to reduce vulnerability; apply distress tolerance techniques; and increase interpersonal effectiveness in communication and problem-solving.

• Topics: The role of emotion in relapse; the role of physiology in relapse; the role of mental processes in relapse; explore how anxiety, anger, defensiveness, and isolation contribute to relapse; and understand the concept of post-acute withdrawal symptoms.
• Outcomes: Develop coping skills to deal with stressful situations; identify potential personal, emotional, and social triggers; create alternative plans for potential risky situations; learn to create balance in life and understand the importance of balance; and create and understand boundaries with emotional, physical, and relational factors that played a role in using.

Behavioral Couples Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (BCT) is a substance abuse

treatment approach based on the assumptions that (1) intimate partners can reward abstinence and (2) reducing relationship distress lessens risk for relapse. In BCT, the therapist works with both the person who is abusing substances and his or her partner to build a relationship that supports abstinence. Program components include a recovery or sobriety contract between the partners and therapist; activities and assignments designed to increase positive feelings, shared activities, and constructive communication; and relapse prevention planning.

SBIRT is a comprehensive, integrated, public health approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for persons with substance use disorders, as well as those who are at risk of developing these disorders. Primary care centers, hospital emergency rooms, trauma centers, and other community settings provide opportunities for early intervention with at-risk substance users before more severe consequences occur. Added to pre-assessment.

• Topics: Learn that there are multiple ways to change the way one thinks, and these include mindful behavior, attention to personal values, and commitment to action; explore how mindfulness skills can achieve consistency between behavior and personal values; and recognize ways in which attempts to suppress, manage, and control emotional experiences create challenges.
• Outcomes: Use mindfulness skills to help live and behave in ways consistent with personal values while developing psychological flexibility; and learn how to make room for values-based actions that support well-being.

• Topics: Develop a foundational understanding of pain neurophysiology and neuroanatomy; develop understanding that pain is an experience that is modulated by biopsychosocial factors. learn about different methods, coping strategies, and treatment options for optimal pain recovery.
• Outcomes: Identify biological, psychological, and sociological factors that may be contributing to their pain experience; reconceptualize the definition of pain. reduce pain catastrophizing behaviors and fear avoidance; recognize the need for treatment that addresses all factors of their pain experience; and engage in active recovery and participate in movement-based activities.

• Topics: Understand that addiction is a cycle of emotional and physical triggers; understand that all human behavior has a positive intent, but that coping may be positive or negative; understand the role of compulsion in the addiction cycle; develop knowledge of typical post-acute withdrawal syndrome situations and effects; and understand the evolution from substance use to abuse and addiction.
• Outcomes: Practice proactive and positive coping skills; predict common triggers for substance abuse and emotional pain; utilize a variety of coping mechanisms before relapse; develop an understanding of individual triggers, create varying coping skills for each trigger; and develop relapse prevention plan and safety plan

• Topics: Utilizes treatment strategies based on the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change; and determines readiness to change and use of effective strategies based on the stage of readiness.
• Outcomes: Facilitates completion of critical tasks needed to progress on to the next stage of change; identify current stage of change: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance; sessions designed to facilitate movement through the stages of change and toward changing substance use; and work towards sustaining long-term change and recovery.

• Topics: Explore mindfulness techniques as a primary device for stabilization; and explore how mindfulness can integrate fragmented parts of psyche.

• Outcomes: Use of mindfulness techniques as a primary device for stabilization; use of mindfulness to integrate fragmented parts of the psyche; installation of mindfulness and the ability to use it when difficult situations arise, providing a sense of self-esteem; develop mindfulness as a “go-to” coping skill and provide a sense of empowerment; utilize mindfulness as a sustainable recovery tool; gain awareness and understanding of one’s own thought process, which enables their ability to work through negative emotions; and improve the ability to self-regulate while dealing with stressors.

• Topics: Understanding the developmental, psychological, and neurological theory underlying the use of the expressive arts in personal recovery; gaining an understanding of and experience with multiple expressive media; how does the creative process unlock hidden problems; and explore how experiential groups allow for different learning styles to take part in recovery-related activities.

• Outcomes: Developing a repertoire of approaches for the application of expressive arts in dealing with subconscious emotions, anxiety, and depression; ability to identify how the creative process can unlock hidden problems and inform relapse prevention techniques; gain insight into underlying emotional and addictive challenges; and develop tools to deal with the self-transformation process through the creative process.

• Topics: Explore beliefs and ideas regarding staying sober after the death of a loved one and practical solutions to staying clean after the death of our addiction; identify steps to recovery and steps to relapse; explore the idea of spirituality as direct contact with truth; and explore and understand the meaning of the serenity prayer.

• Outcomes: Understand the role of spirituality in sobriety; exploration and identification of higher power; identify and cultivate routines as spiritual practices and rituals; practicing meditation; and understand the power of gratitude and appreciation as a spiritual practice.

• Topics: Examine emotions and self-esteem; and explore self-expression through music.

• Outcomes: Empower themselves through success; improve self-awareness; increase attention and concentration; build coping and problem-solving strategies; enhance mindfulness and relaxation techniques; improve interpersonal skills; increase levels of oxytocin and dopamine in the brain; learn that sobriety and recovery can be fun; build community; learn adaptive strategies to mitigate stressors and symptoms of anxiety, depression and trauma; increase social resilience; and increase social connectivity.

• Topics: Share personal successes and challenges during recovery; give feedback and support to others; utilize active listening strategies to be present; and further develop “listening” skills.

• Outcomes: Learn how to interact with others in a positive way; experience different perspectives, opinions, and experiences to grow personal understanding; and learn to accept and interpret feedback from group members to add to personal recovery toolset.

• Topics: Develop a comprehensive understanding of the grief process; identify positive and negative outcomes in dealing with grief and loss; explore coping strategies to deal with depression and anger, and learn about the stages of grief.

• Outcomes: Develop a comprehensive understanding of the grief process; describe and utilize perspective on the stages of grief; develop tools to deal with depression and anger; develop coping strategies to deal with change and power; utilize family and community to build support networks; and identify positive and negative outcomes in dealing with grief and loss.

• Topics: Explore ways to challenge preconceived or ingrained notions of one’s self and others; explore ways in which one’s story limits one’s potential and actual experience of the present, and explore how the stories we tell about ourselves and others influence our perception.

• Outcomes: Understanding of Life Story as a means of meaning-making in therapy; discover life meaning as given by the experiencer; utilize strategies to change meanings of traumatic life events; understand the role of hope in creating lasting positive change; empower individuals to create meaningful addendums to their life experiences which foster positive behaviors; practice externalizing conversations; developing skills to re-author life experiences; understand and learn how to communicate needs and wants assertively without distortions; create meaningful connections and cultivate relationships; understand forgiveness of self and others; decrease feelings of isolation and disconnection; increase personal insight; increase empathy and understanding of one’s self and others; experience a greater appreciation for one’s potential; and identify false beliefs and knee-jerk reactions.

• Topics: Analyze and reflect on common negative and positive behavior patterns in relationships; discuss positive aspects of gender, and explore what it looks like to cultivate healthy relationships and boundaries.

• Outcomes: Develop an understanding of healthy relationships; develop an understanding of the role of attachment in relationships; develop skills to analyze one’s own relationship patterns; discover alternate methods of interacting in relationships; create positive relationships that support recovery; strengthen resiliency; build emotional intelligence; improve prosocial skills and social competence; increase problem-solving ability; feel a sense of personal power and belonging; celebrate positive aspects of gender; develop respect and tolerance for differences; use critical thinking to make healthy lifestyle choices, and have stronger self-awareness and self-esteem (internalized locus of control).

• Topics: Explore how different breathing techniques can shift conscious thoughts and understand the connection of emotions to the body.

• Outcomes: Learn techniques in therapeutic breathing to aid in recovery; experience relaxation techniques to diffuse stressful situations through breath and meditation; develop techniques to shift conscious thoughts and understand the connection of emotions to the body; become present in the body and increase awareness and mindfulness, and increase dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain.

• Topics: Describe and explain the nature of stress, the stress response, causes of stress, the relationship between stress and disease, and a holistic approach to stress management; explore the impact of stress on one’s own body, mind, spirit, and emotions; and explore research-based coping strategies and relaxation techniques that contribute to managing life’s stresses. 

• Outcomes: Assess and describe the impact of stress on one’s own body, mind, spirit, and emotions; identify, describe and practice research-based coping strategies and relaxation techniques that contribute to managing life’s stress; and develop a personal lifestyle plan incorporating coping strategies and relaxation techniques to decrease the impact of stress on one’s body, mind, spirit, and emotions.

• Topics: Explore the underlying emotions and memories that produce anger; explore anger’s function as a natural emotion; and explore the concepts of passive and aggressive behaviors.

• Outcomes: Reduce feelings of anger, and process them productively; understand and connect with the underlying emotions and memories that produce anger; process anxiety, frustration, and anger with multiple techniques; identify personal triggers in social, professional, and family settings; and learn to identify one’s own passive and active aggressive behaviors.

• Topics: Develop an understanding of trauma, Big T, little t, DSM-5 PTSD; Develop an understanding of the impact of trauma on the brain; Develop an understanding of the impact of trauma on the body, and understand EMDR therapy.

• Outcomes: Identify and become aware of the impact of trauma on one’s body; identify triggers, and develop coping skills in grounding and mindfulness.

• Topics: Educational groups that focus on medication management through addressing signs, symptoms, interactions, side effects, and necessity of compliance.

• Outcomes: Understanding the need for medication and having a place to ask questions regarding medication; participants learn about potential interactions with and adverse reactions to other substances, including those reactions that might result from interactions and adverse reactions to alcohol, other prescribed or over-the-counter pharmacological agents, other medical procedures, and or food; participants also learn about medication-assisted treatment, benefits, and education on their rights to receive MAT Treatment.

• Topics: Explore and Identify commonalities between multiple families that suffer from addiction; Create support mechanisms between families and addicts who have similar experiences; and psychoeducation on “enable-ism,” addiction, and how addiction affects the family.

• Outcomes: Decrease the stigma and the obstacles to open family dialogue about addiction; learn about continuing community support resources for ongoing treatment and therapy, and discover strengths and resources within the family group.