The
ACCEPT©
Model
Assessment
Compassion
Confrontation
Education
Psychotherapy
addressing the body-mind-spirit continuum
Twelve
Step Referrals
Acceptance
is a key in the treatment of substance abuse. As the addict must accept
that he or she has a problem, the therapist must accept the client as
they are without judgement or enabling behavior and acknowlege that
the client is an addict. The
model we feel is most successful for the treatment of substance abusers
and their families involves the following features:
Assessment
The
first step in the treatment of substance abuse and codependency is to
assess the degree of addiction. Relatively few clients come into therapy
with substance abuse as a presenting problem, and the main defense mechanism
of the illness is denial. Techniques to elicit the depths of the problem
are essential skills for ALL therapists.
Compassion
Compassion
is
vital in all healing work. It is the ability to be totally present for
the client in the moment, in the pain. It is not sympathy nor pity,
but rather a 'feeling with' the person. This allows the therapist to
not judge or fix, but rather to hear the tears and hold the vision that
we are all on this little planet struggling for wholeness. True compassion
is what protects us from codependence.
Confrontation
The
ability to confront (gently!!) is necessary to break through the entrenched
system of denial. Using a neutral tone citing examples from the client's
own story is the most effective means. Most addicts have been screamed
at, bargained with, threatened, and given ultimatums.
Neutrality
can be difficult for therapists. We want our clients to get better and
may experience negative countertransference when they don't. The key
here is to be non-judgmental and detached as to the outcome. This breaks
the cycle in which the therapist becomes the enabler.
The
therapeutic task is assess the client, confront the denial, then help
them treat the substance abuse. It is rarely productive to figure out
why someone uses drugs or alcohol, only that they do to excess, with
a negative impact on themselves and their families.
Education
Education
is crucial for the client and for the therapist. As clinicians, we need
to be informed about substance abuse, its pervasiveness in society,
how it impacts families for generations, and its treatment. For the
addict, education is a tremendous weapon against both denial and relapse.
It is also one of the hallmarks of treatment of the codependent and
the adult child of an alcoholic. Knowing one's own history helps to
break multi-generational patterns of addiction, so
when we speak of education we mean both factual information on the process
of addiction and the courage to research ancestral patterns.
Psychotherapy
addressing the body-mind-spirit continuum
in
the addict and the family
Successful
treatment for the addict and the enabler must address the three realms
of the body, the mind and the spirit. Cravings are
physical as well as psychological, and detoxification may need medical
support. Addiction often combines obsessive-compulsive features with
denial, so the thinking of the addict is often distorted. As many addicts
start using drugs to fill "the empty hole", a spiritual solution
is sometimes part of the healing journey.
Twelve
Step Referrals
We
have found the most success in integrating Twelve step programs such
as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Codependents Anonymous,
etc. with psychotherapy to treat addiction. The Twelve steps address
the powerlessness of the individual over the problem, the acceptance
of responsibility for the consequences of the addiction and the willingness
to ask for help from a spiritual source.
The
group setting assists in countering the isolation and loneliness that
many addicts feel.
Sponsors,
addicts who have been in recovery, are available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
All
of these concepts are elaborated on in more detail as you continue with
the course. |
American Psychological Association to sponsor
continuing education for psychologists - www.psychceu.com maintains
responsibility for this program and its content.
