Benefits of Psychological Services for Addiction Treatment

It’s fairly common for those struggling with an addiction to opioids or other substances to suffer from a mental illness as well. This can make it even more difficult for them to recover and avoid relapse. That’s why the right treatment approach is essential. With our psychological services, our psychologist can perform an evaluation to determine if there are any triggers, such as mental health disorders or trauma, that could be contributing to the addiction. We can then make the proper recommendations that can improve your addiction treatment, such as individual or group therapy.

Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of incorporating psychological services with addiction treatment.

Get Peer Support Through Group Therapy

Emotional support from peers goes a long way toward helping those who have an addiction. A recent review found that group therapy is more effective at lowering opioid use than medication alone. Group therapy also helps people understand that they’re not alone–they can receive support from others who share similar struggles with addiction.

Identify Triggers of Substance Cravings

Understanding what triggers cravings for a substance can help lower the risk of relapse. This information also helps you understand addiction better while working to overcome it. Some possible triggers that psychology services can assist with include:

• Stress
• Difficult emotions, like anxiety or grief
• Certain places, people, or situations that you associate with substance use
• Physical reminders of substance use, like prescription or alcohol bottles

Receive Direct Support for Dual Diagnosis

When a person is struggling with both a mental health disorder and substance use disorder, this is known as a dual diagnosis. One study found that co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders are common for those struggling with opioid usage.

Psychological services offer an effective way to approach this form of dual diagnosis. They provide help for recovering from addiction while also helping you manage a co-occurring mental health disorder.

Learn Healthy Coping Strategies

There are various forms of therapy approaches used for addiction. A few examples of coping strategies you might learn through counseling or therapy include:

• Recognizing and changing negative thoughts
• Practicing mindfulness
• Increasing your motivation to recover

Find Help for Addiction with Resilience Health

Are you exploring addiction treatment options for yourself or a loved one? At Resilience Health, we offer psychological services in Herber City, UT, as part of our approach to opioid addiction. Contact us at 435-261-7878 to set up a consultation today.