Tuesday, August 11, 2009

HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT

Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of the Treatment and Recovery Research Division at the national Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism., recently wrote an article for ADDICTION PROFESSIONAL magazine (Sept/Oct 2008` Vol 6 No 5, page 12) suggesting that a fundamental change needed to be done to redefine alcohol treatment. Among the topics of this article were who, and who did not receive specialty addiction treatment and why; continuum of need, and structural barriers. One of his suggestions was for expanding the elements of the continuum of need and care. Dr. Willenbring said “Since no one behavioral approach has better overall outcomes than others, clients should have a choice of available, effective treatment…Because most people in need of specialty treatment have chronic, relapsing dependence as well as co-existing physical mental disorders, specialty addiction treatment should seamlessly integrate addiction, primary medical, and psychiatric treatments” Dr. Willenbring is just one voice of many addiction experts calling for addiction specialists to step out of the traditional box of treatment and come up with new approaches.

I have recently launched the HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM, a comprehensive, multidimensional alternative holistic counseling/coach approach to healing from addiction on an individual basis. This approach addresses the three dimensions necessary for individual healing: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Methods used include, but not limited to, cognitive behavioral modification, rational therapy, family systems, and, rational behavioral emotive therapy, along with an array of alternative approaches. Healthy Healing guides the clients from active chronic addiction/relapse to sobriety, into a maintenance recovery, to ongoing healing. This is an integrated services model that requires the client to make a minimum of one-year commitment to the program. Healthy Healing would be considered an intensive-intensive-outpatient program. This program was developed to address the needs of individuals who meet the ASAM criteria for residential care, but are unwilling, or unable, to commit to a residential program. This concept meets the client at their willingness level.

The HEALTHY HEALING PROGRAM blends elements of the traditional 12-step approach, with approaches specific to individual need. For instance, using cognitive-behavioral therapy counselor and client work together to understand addiction and explore spirituality; steps one and two in the 12-step program. Another example is the phrase often used in 12-step “one day at a time”; the counselor may work with the client using “The Power of Now” to learn to live life in the “now”.

As Dr. Willenbring pointed out at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Since no one behavioral approach has better overall outcomes than others, clients should have a choice of available, effective treatments.”

The HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM offers a viable alternative to traditional addiction treatment. Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and this program at:

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

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