Solutions Group Therapy Descriptions
The Solutions Method is a treatment program designed to address the Whole Person in response to seventeen core themes. During different life stages, all individuals will experience these themes in varying degrees of challenge and fulfillment. By considering one’s past, and accepting professional guidance, clients begin to understand the impact of those experiences on their present and current coping mechanisms. This allows the healing old wounds and emotional traumas. The Solutions program is designed to foster client reflection and insight on a deep level, and teaches clients how to make healthy decisions, thus providing Solutions for the future, in order to improve the quality of all aspects of their lives. Drug, alcohol and other addiction education topics are integrated into the weekly programming seamlessly and consistently.
Psycho education and Introduction to Weekly Theme – The first group each week starts with an introduction to the weekly theme, which is carried through all aspects of the program on a weekly basis. This group incorporates aspects of Cognitive Behavioral and Psycho-education therapies. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of treatment that focuses on examining the relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. By exploring patterns of thinking that lead to self-destructive actions and the beliefs that direct these thoughts, people with mental illness and/or addictions can modify their patterns of thinking to improve coping skills. This is an educational group, the purpose of which is to review what to expect for the week, with the therapist working to help clients understand how the theme may impact their mental health and addictive issues.
Expressive & Creative Arts Focus – Includes Art Therapy, Journaling, Poetry, Movement/Dance, Psychodrama, Music. Using expressive and experiential therapies helps clients identify on an intuitive and deep level how their behaviors, thoughts and choices impact their recovery. As it is harder to censor and evade the core issues during this type of work, our clients tend to get out of their heads and are able to drop down into a more meaningful and emotional sense of their issues. These types of therapeutic interventions often lead clients to those “Aha” moments.
Life Skills Group Guest Speaker Presentations Once per month – Life skills groups happen weekly, however once per month we introduce a guest presenter. These groups can include any number of necessary life skills from focus and self-control, making connections, critical thinking, taking on challenges, self-direction, engaged learning, problem solving, work, money, cooking cleaning, establishing better communication skills and personal boundaries, nutrition or learning better life habits. It is critical for long term treatment that clients have the opportunity not just to gain new insights, but to learn “how to do it differently.”
Process Groups – Process groups occur several times per week, allowing clients to “process” the emotional struggles they are experiencing and providing an opportunity to gain insight into their behaviors and feelings. Areas that may be processed are: family relationships; traumatic incidents; grief issues; relapse triggers and stressful situations, among others.
Body-Centered Psychotherapy – Clients learn how they hold stress and emotions in their physical body. Science has proven how our mental health and medical problems are strongly correlated. Stress leads to overeating, high blood pressure and weight gain. Anxiety can lead to lack of sleep, heart palpitations and inability to function at normal activities, and depression can lead to poor nutrition, headaches and inability to work and take care of ADL’s. Of course, addiction to alcohol and drugs can lead to a myriad of medical issues that can lead to profound illness and even death. Solutions Treatment Center works to help clients gain better awareness of the physical symptoms they are experiencing and how they impact each client’s health on many different levels, offering practical ways to take better care of themselves physically. Additionally these groups help to reduce the stigma that surrounds individuals with body focus concerns, increase self esteem, decrease comparisons between themselves and others, while improving their nutrition, exercise and coping strategies.
Family Program – Family Therapy sessions are designed to assist family members and clients in reorienting and restructuring relationship systems. This component involves the family members, the client and the family therapists working together on family education programming, as well as family therapy needs. The goal of the Family Program is to provide the client with a better understanding of family patterns, family of origin issues, while providing the family with opportunities to increase understanding and knowledge regarding chemical dependency and mental health issues. Another treatment goal of Family Program is to assist in the enhancement of client and family stress management, communication, boundaries and leisure time skills. The Family Program involves actions, movements, and activities rather than the more traditional “talk therapy.” Some examples are psycho-education, role playing, art therapy, journaling, poetry, movement/dance, psychodrama, and music.
Relapse Prevention of Self-Destructive Behaviors – This component of the Solutions treatment program provides a solution- and strengths-focused approach to internalizing new information by reviewing and reinforcing what has worked previously to prevent relapse. This group helps the client identify their triggers and to develop different ways they can deal with difficult emotions and situations. Our groups can be used to focus on relapse prevention and safety for each client’s weekend plan. These can include handouts, lectures, didactic activities, homework, and experiential exercises. Additionally, clients are asked to participate in 12-step or Smart Recovery meetings in the community.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills Group – Includes communication education while providing the exact skills for the clients to practice and put into place. Learning to listen, clarify and reflect are some of the skills assignments, and can include handouts, lectures, role plays, empty chair work, didactic activities and experiential exercises as related to weekend plans.
Stress Tolerance/Stress Management – Stress is a leading cause for clients to relapse and remain stuck in self destructive patterns. Clients are encouraged to identify major and minor causes of stress and to develop strategies to manage stress so that is does not become overwhelming or debilitating. Some common stress management techniques our clients engage in are walks, yoga, Tai Chi, massage and bodywork, identifying and expressing feelings appropriately, communication skills, establishing interpersonal boundaries, exercise, meditation, guided imagery, breathing techniques and good nutrition.
Behavioral Awareness –This group is based on mindfulness, psycho-education, Dialectical and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. It helps clients identify process additions and other maladaptive behaviors that may be more subtle but still have negative consequences in regard to their mental health and well being. Clients are encouraged to find alternative healthy behaviors and begin implementing them in their daily lives.
Integration and Self-Intervention – This group occurs at the end of the week and allows clients time to reflect on the work and insights they gained during the week, at it relates to the weekly themes. This is the time to integrate their head knowledge with a deeper understanding and internalization. This is where we help clients take it from their minds to their hearts. We also guide clients in the preparation of a weekend plan for safety, sobriety and support when they are out of the program.
Recovery and Psychotherapy Group for Professionals
The Professional’s Group addresses core issues involved in substance, mental, or behavioral disorders, as well as other process addictions. It is designed for those whose professional responsibilities affect the well being or livelihood of others, and those who work in safety-sensitive or high profile positions, such as: Healthcare or legal professionals; airline pilots; business owners and executives; clergy members; professional athletes; members of the entertainment industry; state and local government officials, as well as others in a more “high profile” line of business. We address the specialized needs of Professional Clients such as high stress, burn-out, legal and licensing issues, stigma, and relinquishing the caregiver role while in treatment.
All daily sessions end with a relaxation technique or a meditation. These are focused on body, mind and spirit with breathing and body focus. Exploring the intimate connection between body, mind and spirit through yoga, meditation, spiritual, wellness, and personal growth is weaved throughout Solutions programming during the 25+ psychotherapy groups per week lasting for 17 weeks.
Many research studies have shown that the number one indicator of long term success and sobriety is directly related to the amount of time in treatment. To that end we have designed a program that is 17 weeks long, exploring every aspect of a person’s life that influences their ability to stabilize mental health issues, and maintain sobriety and abstinence from self-destructive behaviors, that will ultimately relate to their obtaining a better quality of life. By treating the whole person and helping them develop an awareness of other mental health and/or addictive and process-related behaviors, while addressing the core underlying issues, our goal is not only to help the client achieve long term mental health stability and sobriety, but also preventing them from developing other negative behaviors that can result in another equal or worse addiction.
Individual Therapy and Clinical Case Management Sessions are scheduled separately.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Have you ever been in a bad mood and then thought of something funny or happy and suddenly you were smiling? This common experience, and others like it, has prompted psychologists to develop therapies that improve our emotional life by improving our thinking patterns: These therapies are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and, its off-shoot, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Using the above as an example, we would say that the thing bothering you was a thought about something in your life. This thought carried with it a negative feeling; however, when another thought came into your mind—a happy one—it carried with it a positive feeling and immediately changed your mood. Sometimes we may feel more than one emotion about the same thought. For example, One might reflect on a past relationship and think, “I failed and it hurt. Relationships are so hard!” Later, one might think, “That was a great time, and it really helped me grow! If I hadn’t had that experience, I would never have been in the right frame of mind when I met my spouse!” The second of these thought patterns feels happy and the other feels sad.
The idea behind Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is that we can deliberately choose the happy thought pattern and subsequently elevate our mood at any time. It is not easy at first, but there is a very useful framework that can be learned to re-evaluate our thoughts and change our feelings about the things we experience.
These ideas have been part of psychology for some time. A more contemporary modification is known as Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This model puts forth activities that can help us change our feelings in times of distress or deal with situations with a calmer state of mind.
“…Dr. Marsha Linehan… found that traditional Cognitive Behavior Therapy alone was not as helpful… because of its strong focus on change… For this reason, she designed Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to include some elements that, in the past, were not traditionally part… for example, [she included] a strong emphasis on mindfulness and acceptance (both by the patient and the therapist).”
At Solutions Treatment Center, we use a variety of techniques to empower clients to find new ways to better deal with distress, negative thoughts and depressed or anxious feelings. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits and techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, call our helpful admissions department today!
Solutions – we can help you find your way again. Call one of our intake specialists for a free consultation – 877-499-1354 or 505-424-3170.
Sources:Hayes, SC. “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Relational Frame Theory, and the Third Wave of Behavior Therapy.” Behavior Therapy, 35:639-665, 2004.///Linehan, MM. Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford, 1993.///Segal, SV, Williams, JMG, & Teasdale, JD. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse. New York: Guilford, 2001.