Mariona González: "In addictions, relapse prevention is fundamental"

Addictions are such a complex type of disease that, in order to overcome them, it is necessary to apply forms of ambitious psychological and psychiatric intervention and with the ability to provide constant support throughout the process of treatment.

In this way, day centers that deal with addiction cases are a very important resource for many individuals and families affected by health problems such as alcoholism, cannabis dependence, problem gambling, and more. To find out in more detail how this type of center works, we interviewed Mariona González Puigpinós, a member of ALTER Psicología & Salud.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

Interview with Mariona González Puigpinós: How does a day center work?

Mariona González Puigpinós is a psychologist and head of the ALTER Psychology & Health day center, a team with more than a decade of experience in addiction treatment. In this interview she tells us about the peculiarities of a day center in its functions of caring for people who suffer from addictive disorders and their families.

What are the main objectives of the day centers?

The main objective of centers such as ALTER is to provide complete and comprehensive care during the day, without the need to resort to admission. in a residential facility or as a bridge to transition after a detox admission and begin the rehabilitation and recovery phases. reinsertion.

By doing it this way, without separating the user from the natural environment of it, our team has much better access and possibility of providing a complete treatment to the person's environment, which in our opinion is fundamental.

What kind of professionals work in a center of this type?

At ALTER we give great importance to the most human part, without neglecting the technical part, so we have been setting up a multidisciplinary and highly qualified team, but above all with high sensitivity in aspects that perhaps other centers pay less attention to, such as gender differences, attention to the family, a real help in the total reintegration into society, etc.

When we talk about a multidisciplinary team, it is because several professional fields are involved: doctors psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social integrators, etc. Even within the psychologists we cover several areas of specialization, and we also have an extensive letter of professionals who, although they are not part of our staff, collaborate with us: nutritionists, sports medicine, physiotherapists... some of which also provide their services in the ALTER offices.

We have various spaces that allow us to manage all these activities. We have two large rooms to simultaneously carry out workshops and group therapies, as well as We also have several offices for individual sessions with users or with relatives.

With regard to addictive disorders, which are the most common among those developed by people who go to a day center?

Different profiles arrive at our center, both people with addictions to substances, especially alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, such as behavioral addictions, for example, to pathological gambling, sex or pornography.

Even so, the people who require the day center resource are those who require intensive attention and care, but not so much as to be admitted to a residential center; that is why it is also very useful as a bridge to make the transition after a detox admission and begin the rehabilitation and reintegration phases.

What are usually the first signs that a person could benefit from what an addiction treatment support day center has to offer?

The profiles that fit this service are people who meet objective criteria established clinically by a health professional. These people often feel a loss of control over their own behavior, a psychological as well as physical dependence on their object of consumption, a loss of interest in other rewarding activities and an interference in daily life in different areas of the life of the person.

Taking these factors into account, the day center is an ideal resource for those people who require attention and intensive care, without the need to specify an income or as a transition from a income of detox at the beginning of the rehabilitation and reinsertion phase.

In what ways do these organizations help the relatives of the person who suffers from an addiction?

At ALTER we believe that the addict's family and environment need as much help as the addict himself. The relatives arrive after a long journey of suffering, almost always in silence and misunderstood. We offer them the space so that they can recover their life, illusion and hope. The entire team is available 24 hours a day, attending both by phone and in person.

What are the main preventive activities carried out in a day center for addictions?

Psychological activities and workshops are a fundamental part of many treatments and even more so in the case at hand, which is that of addictions. The fundamental premise of any protocol in addictions is the prevention of relapses and most of the work done in ALTER is intended for this purpose.

We also do group sessions with families and couples to raise awareness of healthy habits and healthy lifestyles.