The Role of Therapy and Support in Addiction Recovery

When you arrive at Carrara treatment centers, the first stage of your recovery plan is a medical detox. When your mind is finally free of the urge to use drugs or alcohol, or both, you’ll be thinking clearly, and you’re ready for the next phase of your treatment: Therapy.

Recovery from addiction involves more than just restoring your physiology back to health. The biggest battleground in your struggle against addiction lies in your mind. It’s the mind that perpetuates the addiction cycle, and if you don’t take a step back to examine your thought processes and what drives you to use, you’ll never truly escape your addiction, even if your body is fully detoxed from substances.

Addiction therapy forms the crux of your ongoing journey to stay clean. You’ll go through an intensive therapy program during Carrara inpatient treatment and receive ongoing support in our outpatient program after you leave our facility. Let’s dive deeper into the role of therapy and support in addiction recovery and show you how our inpatient and outpatient programs keep you on track to maintaining a sober lifestyle.

Understanding the Foundations of Addiction Recovery

At Carrara, we believe in offering our clients comprehensive, holistic addiction recovery programs. As mentioned, the healing starts with your medical detox and progresses to individual and group therapy sessions under the guidance of a licensed, certified therapist specializing in therapy for addiction.

A therapy and recovery program at Carrara could last anywhere from 30 to 90 days, depending on the extent of your addiction and any co-occurring mental health issues you have (which we’ll discuss in a minute). Your dedicated case manager works with the therapy team, monitoring your progress every step of the way.

When you’re ready to leave Carrara and return to your everyday life, you’ll get access to substance abuse support groups to help you stay on the sober path in life. Our programs feature a comprehensive aftercare plan giving you coping strategies to help you handle compulsions to relapse, and there’s always someone to call when you’re feeling weak and vulnerable.

Each phase of the Carrara recovery program is meticulously curated around your personal needs. We don’t use cookie-cutter programs and tailor every aspect of the process to your situation. From the detox process to your therapy sessions, everything revolves around one goal – getting you clean.

Other rehabilitation programs offer limited individual therapy sessions, and your group therapy sessions at 12-step programs might involve your sharing your problems with a few dozen other people. At Carrara, we believe in small treatment groups to make the therapy environment more intimate and focused on every individual in the group.

Your individual therapy sessions happen three times a week, and more often if required, giving you a chance to dive deep into the trauma that captures your mind and thought process that drives you to use.

Carrara’s intensive individual and group therapy programs work, we’ve helped thousands of addicts commit to sobriety. We want you to be our next success story, all you have to do is reach out for help.

Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders in Therapy for Addiction

If you’re deeply addicted to substances like drugs and alcohol, you probably have an underlying, undiagnosed mental health disorder. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that around 37% of people with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), and 53% of people with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), have a co-occurring mental health disorder.

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health issues facing addicts, and many suffer from severe mental health problems like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, or psychotic spectrum disorders. Mental health therapy at Carrara involves diagnosing any co-occurring mental health disorders during the medical evaluation stage of your treatment.

By understanding your underlying mental health issues, doctors and therapists can tailor your detox and therapy to give you the best result from your time in treatment. Simply giving you a medical detox isn’t enough to get you sober. If you don’t sort out the underlying mental health issues, they’ll continue to perpetuate the addiction cycle.

At Carrara, we aim to diagnose you properly, both physically and psychologically. We’ll treat the root cause of your need to use substances and help you identify the patterns of behavior that keep you in the addiction cycle. When you have a clear understanding of how your mind works and your subconscious and conscious thought processes, you have more control over how you act on those thoughts and emotions.

The Role of Evidence-Based Therapy in Breaking Addiction Cycles

Carrara addiction recovery programs involve professional counseling services with therapists using “evidence-based” therapy strategies. Your therapist approaches treating your addiction and mental health issues from different angles with your therapy, giving you a holistic healing effect that lasts.

So, what is evidence-based therapy? Here’s a breakdown of the primary types of therapies we use at Carrara and how they benefit your recovery.

Somatic Trauma Therapy (STT): Release Stored Trauma

What happened in your past can define your future. Every person on the planet encounters a traumatic experience at some time in their life. But some people have deeper trauma than others. An addict might have witnessed a terrifying or deeply scarring life event, like losing a loved one to disease or an act of violence.

Some people’s trauma may be more subtle, such as a partner leaving them, breaking their heart. The event isn’t as devastating as a loved one losing their life, but it can leave the fingerprints of trauma nonetheless, and the end-effect of it is still the same, sparking the need to cope with substances and an eventually slide into dependency and addiction.

Somatic Trauma Therapy helps you deal with the trauma in your mind. Your therapist helps you unpack how the trauma affects your thought processes and how those thoughts direct your actions. You’ll get a deeper awareness of yourself and how you think and learn coping strategies to help you deal with negative emotions as they arise.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Identify Negative Thought Patterns

Negative thoughts are one of the primary drivers of addictive behavior. Similar to traumatic memories, falling into a pattern of negative thinking can leave you exposed to using drugs and alcohol to cope with feelings of self-worthlessness and low self-esteem.

CBT helps you identify the negative thought patterns and emotions and develop coping strategies to deal with them when they enter your mind. You’ll learn which situations in life present a high risk for relapsing back into your addiction, and you’ll recognize the emotional triggers that drive your compulsion to use or drink.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): Stop Self-Destructive Behavior

DBT revolves around teaching your four skills. You’ll learn how to develop mindfulness, giving you the ability to stop and look at your thought processes from an outside perspective. You’ll have more control over your thought processes when you’re mindful and aware of the impact they’re having on your behavior and actions.

Your therapist teaches you how to build distress tolerance, regulate your emotions, and instill skills that reduce the risk of relapsing into your old behavior. DBT explores your thought patterns and emotions to find balance between your thoughts and new ideas surrounding getting and staying clean.

Exploring the Benefits of Different Types of Therapy Settings

Carrara addiction counseling offers you a combination of individual therapy sessions held in your private suite. You’ll also have access to therapeutic process groups in the luxurious shared spaces around our rehab venues. Each therapy session brings you closer to your goal of better understanding yourself, teaching you how to commit to living a sober lifestyle. Let’s look at each therapy setting to see how it influences your recovery.

Group Therapy: Non-judgmental Sessions for Sharing and Connecting (450)

Carrara group therapy for addiction treatment involves meeting with your therapist and the other people staying at the facility. It’s a close-knit group, with six people attending the session at most, and you’ll get the attention you need from your therapist to make breakthroughs as individuals and as a group.

From Isolation to Inclusion: The Journey to Healing Together

How many times have you thought that no one understands you or empathizes with your position? It’s common for addicts to feel a sense of isolation in their lives as they withdraw from their relationships and fall deeper into the clutches of their disease. Group therapy for addiction at Carrara offers a platform to share your story in a safe space, free from others judging you for your mistakes. The group pulls you away from your isolationist behavior. It helps you understand the value of support in beating your addiction when you’re transitioning to a sober lifestyle.

How Shared Experiences Build Trust and Understanding

Carrara group therapy for addiction teaches you the power of trust in building relationships. As an addict, you’ve probably violated the trust of everyone around you, and that in itself can have a detrimental effect on your thinking and personality. In your group therapy sessions you’ll learn to share honestly and openly, without the fear of others judging you. You can relax and let your thoughts flow during your group therapy sessions, you’ll feel a sense of trust in the group that helps you let go of the trauma that’s usurping your thoughts and actions.

The Positive Psychological Impact of Support Groups

It’s easier to battle your cravings and suppress the little voice in your head telling you to relapse when you have the support of others around you. When you have support all around you it instills the confidence you need to share your story without holding back on the details. Every session builds the bonds between you and the people in your therapy group, giving you a sense of belonging that carries you through the tough times.

The Role of Empathy in Strengthening Recovery

Most addicts are so wrapped up in their addiction that they don’t take a moment to look at how their behavior affects the people around them. Listen to what the others have to say and identify the similarities and differences in your own behavior as their story unfolds. It’s an ebb and flow of understanding that gives you a different perspective on how your behavior impacts those you love. Take these lessons and apply them to your life. You’ll develop more appreciation for your life and the relationships you have with family and friends.

Individual Therapy: Safe Spaces to Release Trauma

Carrara’s individual therapy for addiction treatment is a solo session with just you and your counselor sitting down to talk in your private suite. It’s a time to dig deep into the trauma governing your addictive behavior.

The Importance of a Secure Environment for Healing Trauma

Carrara individual therapy for addiction is an intensive program designed to get you to open up to your therapist. The more honest and open you are, the better your results. You don’t need to hide anything; your therapist has already heard it all. They won’t judge you; their only interest is helping you come to terms with your addiction and your mental health status, giving you insight and guidance to overcome the affliction that’s running your life.

How Individual Therapy Creates Emotional Safety

Individual therapy sessions help you reach into the furthest recesses of your mind to unpack the trauma governing your addictive behavior. Sharing your story with a stranger might seem intimidating at first but there’s no need to hold back on anything you want to say in-session. Your therapist aims to make you feel comfortable with them, making you feel safe enough to unpack your problems and reach out for help.

Building Trust in One-on-One Sessions

You’ll attend three individual therapy sessions every week, and those hours with your therapist stack up, forming a bond between you. It’s key to trust your therapist because holding back on sharing parts of your story will hinder your progress and may sabotage your goal of getting clean. Every session will make you feel more comfortable with your therapist and the bond between you grows with every moment of your life you share with them. Trusting your therapist is the only way your mind will feel comfortable enough to open up about your deepest trauma and the thoughts that you’re afraid to share with others.

The Role of Confidentiality in Trauma Recovery

Every therapist at Carrara abides to the rules of HIPAA legislation and doctor-patient confidentiality laws. You can trust your therapist not to reveal anything discussed in your sessions. When you have confidence in your therapist and the privacy of your surroundings, it’s easier to open up and share the problems plaguing the darkest corners of your mind. You can rely on them to listen and guide you through every session until you experience the breakthroughs you need to move on with your new sober lifestyle.

Family Therapy: Healing Relationships

Carrara family therapy for addiction heals the family dynamic after addiction tears it apart. Addicts don’t intentionally hurt their family members emotionally. They just become so wrapped up in their addiction that they can’t help themselves. When a family member goes off the rials and gets lost in addiction, treating the family in closed therapy sessions helps everyone come to terms with the nature of the addict’s problems and brings everyone together to help the addict and the family heal.

Understanding the Impact of Family Therapy on Relationship Healing

Our family counseling services help the addict understand what they’re doing to their family and how their behavior impacts the family dynamic. It stops family members playing the blame game and prevents addicts from taking a position as the victim in the situation. When they can see and understand how their addiction is hurting their family it can create a powerful driving force to get clean.

Creating Stronger Support Systems Through Collaborative Therapy

Carrara programs for family support for addiction build strong support systems for the addict. Therapy is the key to getting everyone in the family on level ground, to a point where they can see the world through your eyes and empathize with your situation. When you have your family to fall back on when things get rough, you have the support you need to avoid relapse and continue your journey to achieving a sober lifestyle.

Addressing Family Conflict to Build a Healthier Future

Addiction breeds conflict and resentment in families. In many cases, family’s give up on the addicted family member because they feel they’re a lost cause, and they don’t know how to help them. Family therapy sessions unpack pragmatic strategies the family can use to mitigate distress in the family unit caused by the addict’s behavior. Therapy resolves the resentment and conflict in the family unit, giving everyone a second chance at helping their family member get sober.

How Therapy Mitigates Relapse Risk in Outpatient Recovery Programs

The final phase in the Carrara treatment program is aftercare planning and outpatient treatment. After leaving our facility, you’ll feel confident to get back to life as a sober individual ready to face the challenges you’ll inevitably face every day. Aftercare is a huge part of your recovery plan, and we give you ongoing counseling and support sessions to keep you on track to reaching your destination of a sober lifestyle.

Bespoke Aftercare Planning

Your case manager works with you and your therapist to design an aftercare plan tailored to your specific needs. You’ll attend support groups a few times a week and meet for ongoing therapy sessions with your counselor to discuss anything that might have the potential to derail your progress. You’ll learn coping strategies to help you deal with emotional triggers as they show up in your thoughts, helping you avoid relapse. We’ll give you ongoing support throughout your transition back to your life, and we’ll help you get back to the office or re-integrate into the family structure with minimal emotional distress.

Personalized Case Management

We promise we won’t treat you like a faceless number. We understand that AUD and SUD affect everyone a little differently. Your case manager personalizes your aftercare plan, ensuring you get all the support you need to move on with your life and commit to sober habits.

Leaning on Support Groups in Addiction Recovery

With Carrara addiction recovery support groups you have the tools and strategies to overcome your addiction. The emotional support you receive from our team and your Alumni group gives you strength to hold on when things get challenging and you feel your addiction tugging at your mind.

It’s easier to stay on the sober path in life when you have someone to confide in and turn to when temptation becomes overwhelming and you’re thinking about relapsing. Your support group is there for you when you need them, and you’ll be there for the other members of the group when they need you. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that’s highly effective at keeping you on track to living a sober lifestyle.

Stay in Touch with Alumni Programs

The team at Carrara give you the resources you need to get clean and stay sober for life. Join our Alumni program and attend our events to celebrate the small wins you get along your journey to lasting sobriety. Stay in touch with the community and engage with your newfound friends as you all progress with your lives, free from the grip of addiction on your mind and body.