“Despite being able to remain abstinent from their “drug of choice, and resolving many of the issues caused by addiction, it is very common for people to find that other emotional issues remain unaddressed, or become clearer without their drug to mask them. Therefore, individual therapy can be both a form of self-assessment and a tool for maintaining long-term abstinence.”
Group therapy and 12 step meetings are important aspects of treating addiction, for many people, they don’t always offer the individual attention and deeper clinical work that is crucial to attaining and maintaining recovery. Throughout my career as an addiction counselor in Fayette County, who specializes in treating addiction, it has become evident to me that the missing link in successful addiction treatment is the absence of individual counseling with a licensed professional who understands and is experienced in treating the complexities of addiction.
The role of individual counseling in successful addiction treatment is crucial to an individual’s recovery for several reasons:
• It provides a supportive environment for an individual to examine and understand the role that drugs plays in their life and how they have used drugs to self-medicate painful emotions, block out unwanted or negative thoughts or memories.
• It provides an individual with a safe place to explore and resolve negative emotions and cognitions from painful childhood or life experiences, which have led to addiction and inhibit their recovery.
• It supports an individual in uncovering and coping with the emotional and psychological issues associated with trauma experiences (commonly associated with addiction) in a safe, supportive environment, which are often too sensitive and difficult to discuss or process in groups.
• It provides an individual an opportunity to address deeper motivational issues that can stand between them and sobriety.
• It assists an individual in recognizing and working through complex psychological, chemical, or medical issues intertwined with drug use that may require more collaboration between psychiatrists or other medical professionals.
Despite being able to remain abstinent from their “drug of choice,” and resolving many of the issues caused by addiction, it is very common for people to find that other emotional issues remain unaddressed, or become clearer without their drug to mask them. Therefore, individual therapy can be both a form of self-assessment and a tool for maintaining long-term abstinence, and there is no substitute for the freedom and healing that comes as a result of doing the deeper work in one on one counseling sessions.
Connie Jones, MA, LPC| 770-862-6088