Recovery NOW’s Intensive Outpatient Treatment program (IOP) is designed for clients suffering from a variety of substance abuse disorders. Our IOP program utilizes several theoretical approaches that include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing and relapse prevention. The full IOP program consists of 120 group therapy hours (ASAM level 2.1) or 72 hours (ASAM level 1.0).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The CBT approach focuses on teaching clients skills that help them recognize and reduce relapse risks, maintain abstinence, and enhance self-efficacy. Clients learn to identify personal “cues” or “triggers”—the people, situations, or feelings that may lead to drinking or drug use. Such triggers may be internal (such as physiological craving or stress reactions) or external (such as seeing friends with whom the client has used drugs). Clients then are taught new coping and problem-solving skills and strategies for effectively counteracting urges to drink or use drugs.
By analyzing their triggers, deciding on recovery-oriented responses and strategies, and role-playing high-risk situations and responses, clients gain confidence that they can resist triggered urges to use substances. CBT approaches also are applied to other challenges in recovery, such as interpersonal relations, depression, anxiety, and anger management.
Motivational Interviewing
MI techniques were derived from a variety of theoretical approaches to how people recover in progressive stages from addiction and other problem behaviors. MI is a client-centered, empathic, but directive counseling strategy designed to explore and reduce a person’s ambivalence toward treatment. This approach includes other problem solving or solution-focused strategies that build on clients’ past successes. Motivational approaches acknowledge that drugs of abuse have rewarding properties that can disguise, at least temporarily, their hazards and negative long-term effects. Through empathic listening and skillful interviewing, the counselor encourages the client to
- Identify discrepancies between significant life goals and the consequences of substance abuse.
- Believe in his or her capabilities for change.
- Choose from among available strategies and options.
- Take responsibility for initiating and sustaining healthy personal behavior.
MI requires the counselor to relate to clients in a nonjudgmental, collaborative manner. Counselors pose questions to clients in a way that solicits information while strengthening clients’ motivation and commitment to positive change. The counselor acts as a coach or consultant rather than as an authority figure. Counselors using MI follow four basic principles.
Relapse Prevention Group Therapy
There are four main ideas in relapse prevention. First, relapse is a gradual process with distinct stages. The goal of treatment is to help individuals recognize the early stages, in which the chances of success are greatest. Second, recovery is a process of personal growth with developmental milestones. Each stage of recovery has its own risks of relapse. Third, the main tools of relapse prevention are cognitive therapy and mind-body relaxation, which change negative thinking and develop healthy coping skills. Fourth, most relapses can be explained in terms of a few basic rules. Educating clients in these areas helps them focus on what is important during the recovery process.
Relapse Prevention Groups will include discussion on various topics including the 11 stages of relapse (emotional, mental and physical relapse), triggers, self-care, coping mechanisms, learning from setbacks, learning how to become comfortable with uncomfortable feelings and emotions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) will be utilized to help change negative thinking and behavioral patterns.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT focuses on teaching people strategies to help them live their best life. This theoretical approach is used to treat substance abuse, eating disorders, PTSD, depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder. DBT utilizes four core skills, which include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal skills.
Anger Management
Anger and substance use disorders often co-occur, increasing the risk for negative consequences such as physical aggression, self-harm, distressed relationships, loss of a job, or criminal justice involvement. This intervention involves developing individualized anger control plans. For example, some women identified their relationships with their partners or parenting concerns as events that led to their anger, but men rarely identified these issues. Effective individual strategies could be developed to address these issues, provided the women accept the concepts of monitoring anger (using the anger meter and the anger awareness record) and having (and using) an anger control plan. Anger management group therapy is 8, 2-hour group therapy sessions, for a total of 16 group therapy hours. During this group clients will learn about common myths and misconceptions about anger. Clients will also discuss behavioral, physical, emotional and cognitive cues and receive training in relaxation techniques.