Patients sometimes express curiosity about their therapists by asking them personal questions. When treating patients who suffer from alcohol and other substance use disorders, it is not uncommon for therapists to be on the receiving end of questions such as, “Are you in recovery too?” or “Have you ever used [insert name of substance]?” or “Haven’t you ever binge-drank?”
Category: Substance Use Disorders
Chronic Pain and Opioid Use: The Important Role of CBT Therapists
CBT can help alleviate suffering for patients who have chronic pain and use opioids with the hope of getting relief. The CBT therapist uses many strategies.
CBT for Substance Use Disorder: Applying Evidence-Based Interventions Within the Context of Different Treatment Philosophies
There are multiple views on not only what constitutes appropriate treatment but also on what constitutes a successful outcome for substance use disorder.
Reconciling 12-Step Tenets with Principles of CBT for Substance Use Disorders
Therapists providing CBT to their patients with substance misuse problems can support the patients’ involvement in 12-steps groups without having to be concerned that the two approaches are incompatible.
Seven Steps for Anger
CBT for Anger By Norman Cotterell, PhD Anger is built on expectations. We expect people to treat us fairly and they don’t. We expect children to respect the wishes of their elders and they don’t. We expect the government to have our needs at heart and it doesn’t. Each time there is a gap between expectation and reality, anger is more than willing to fill in that gap. Each time someone…
Denial in Substance Use
CBT for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders By Cory Newman, PhD, ABPP Therapists who treat patients struggling with alcohol and other substance use problems are familiar with the problems of under-reporting, minimizing, and denial. Under-reporting means that the patient is willing to disclose that he or she partakes of alcohol and/or other substances, but does not report the full amount either because of low self-awareness, self-serving bias, shame, and/or fear of anticipated consequences (e.g., being…