Addiction is a behavior where a person decides to continually abuse a substance until the point an addiction forms. Of course, the only way to change a behavior is to look at the causes. Once the causes are in focus, the involved parties can look for preventative solutions. In the case of addiction, a therapist can usually find the causes of said addiction somewhere in the client’s psyche. If they can find the specific emotions or mental barriers promoting the addictive behavior, there’s a hope of changing the behavior. That’s the role of a dialectical behavioral therapy program in drug addiction treatment in Texas.
What is a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program?
Evidence-based therapies have provided the addiction treatment community with another viable treatment weapon for a growing arsenal. From the current list of evidenced-based therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has garnered the most press. The ability to look at how a client’s thoughts lead to addictive behaviors is proving to be very effective.
As an offshoot to CBT, the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program (DBT) is also gaining its supporters in the community. While CBT focuses on a client’s thoughts, a DBT Texas program will put more emphasis on the client’s feelings and emotions.
The truth is we are all driven by our emotions and feelings. It’s what causes us to fall in love or run away in fear. Surely, our feelings and emotions would have something to do with why we would choose addictive behavior. The entire purpose of a dialectical behavioral therapy program is to identify the harmful feelings, change them, and then stop the addiction.
How a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Program Works
Remember, the goal of any addiction therapy option is to somehow change or eliminate the addictive behavior. First, you have to figure out what’s driving the behavior, and that’s where standard therapy options fit in. Therapists can deliver a DBT Texas program either through individual or group therapy.
The process starts with the therapist assigning the individual or group with specific tasks. Treatment professionals design these tasks with a particular purpose in mind. The purpose or goal is to dig out the feelings or emotions that could be driving the addiction. When the applicable feelings and emotions come to light, the client and therapist will label them.
Awareness is the key here. The knowledge that a feeling or emotion is controlling someone subconsciously gives them license to change those same feelings and emotions consciously. If the client can convert negative feelings into positive feelings, the desire to self-abuse diminishes.
In our The Right Step facilities, we teach several practical DBT coping skills during our addiction therapy in Texas. Here are four of those skills we feel are worthy of consideration:
Mindfulness – Being less distracted and more aware of surroundings and emotional state offers the opportunity to change reactions to emotions
Distress Tolerance – The ability to manage distress will likely translate into less desire to self-medicate
Interpersonal Effectiveness – The ability to communicate effectively and maintain healthier relationships creates happier individuals who don’t need drugs
Emotion Regulation – Specifically identifying oncoming feelings and emotions creates an opportunity to change them before fruition
The Right Step – Making the Right Choices
The treatment options we employ for each client warrant much consideration. If we only have one chance to help a client, we have to get it right. It’s for that reason that we maintain a diversified roster of treatment options. Each client has specific needs that we need to address as effectively as possible. To that end, we use the following services:
- The aforementioned evidence-based therapies
- Inpatient rehab – primary and extended care
- Alcohol & Drug Detox
- Outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment
- 12 Step program
- Motivational interviewing
When you are ready to seek treatment for your addiction, The Right Step is prepared to offer you that help. From detox to our Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program, we’ll find the most effective way to lead you into recovery. All we need to start is one call to 713.528.3709.