You may be wondering what the difference is between individual therapy and group therapy. While individual therapy provides individual results for those who seek treatment, either form of treatment can be an effective approach for relapse prevention and maintaining the recovery process in people with substance abuse disorders. When it comes to therapy for substance abuse disorders, it’s best to cover your bases and try as many different approaches as possible to see what will work for your specific situation.
How Therapy Helps Addiction Recovery
Talk therapy, group therapy, or any of the other treatment modalities are ultimately about getting an individual to change either their perspective or their expectations. Addiction treatment, especially for substance abuse disorders, is about fixing the underlying mindsets, motivations, or traumas that cause the maladaptive coping mechanisms in the first place. There’s a popular saying at treatment centers that one’s drug/alcohol use is only 20% of the problem. Therapy helps dig into that other 80%.
Individual Therapy for Addiction
People with substance abuse disorders will be exposed to many different kinds of therapy in their search for preventing relapse. Cognitive behavioral therapy is very popular in treatment programs today. This type of therapy provides individual actionable solutions to maladaptive behaviors and measures actual outcomes to see what is and isn’t working. One-on-one therapy sessions (including cognitive behavioral therapy) are a form of treatment that make it easier for an individual to open up about what they’re really thinking or feeling. Another benefit of this individual treatment is that the therapist can also steer the conversation in a direction they feel is most helpful. In other words, individual treatment is more controllable by the therapist, whereas group settings are often more fluid.
Group Therapy for Addiction
Group therapy is a remarkably effective form of therapy provided at drug treatment centers or any other treatment provider. A recovery center may have people with substance abuse disorders gather in a circle and share about their thoughts and feelings. The keystone moment of a drug abuse treatment program is to have a patient share authentically in a group setting and be accepted by their peers for their authenticity. In this way, there’s a very large difference between individual and group behavioral therapy.
A large benefit of group therapy is that it comes with a heavy helping of social acceptance, which is, in effect, priceless in preventing relapse. Much of the benefit of 12-step programs is due to this group therapy and social acceptance approach. Whether used in intensive outpatient treatment or at inpatient rehab centers, group therapy is one of the more effective treatment modalities.
Choosing The Right Therapy for Addiction Recovery
Rehab centers will have both individual and group therapy sessions as part of their alcohol treatment or other addiction treatment programs. While there’s a big difference between the two methods, both are effective therapy for substance abuse and mental health disorders. Each recovery center has its own approach, which may include behavioral therapy, family therapy, and other forms of therapy for substance abuse that fit into that particular drug treatment center’s approach to the recovery process. However, it’s up to the discretion of the substance abuse treatment program to determine the right therapy or mix of treatment modalities.
Attending Addiction Therapy for Drugs and Alcohol at TruPath
Both individual and group therapy methods are very helpful. If you would like to seek treatment, please give us a call at TruPath to see what our recovery center has to offer. We can discuss what types of drug treatment therapies we’d recommend for your particular situation and answer any questions you may have. Give us a call at (888) 292-1933 today!
