6 domains that an addiction therapist should have

One of the characteristics of mental health problems is that under this broad concept there are a whole diversity of psychological and neurological disorders that have their own ways of function. That is why each type of psychopathology or neuropsychological disorder requires different therapeutic strategies, and consequently, also therapists with slightly different skills.

In this article we are going to focus on addictive disorders and we will see what they are the main domains that a therapist specialized in addictions should have. To do this, we will start from the idea that the appropriate way to offer professional help to this class of patients is not having generic training in mental health, but having gone through a specialization.

What are the domains that a specialized addiction therapist should possess?

Addictive disorders present some peculiarities that make them one of the most complicated neuropsychological pathologies to treat, due to its ability to globally affect both the patient's nervous system and their personal relationships, habits and patterns of behavior in general. Therefore, when seeking professional help to treat and overcome an addiction, it is necessary to choose a team of therapists specialized in the addictions and with experience in this field, to avoid the risk that they do not have the domains and aptitudes that we will see below. continuation.

1. Ability to learn from mistakes

Part of the success of addiction treatment goes through be able to review the hypotheses that, as a therapist, you have been working on. Sometimes it happens that throughout the therapy new data arise that make it necessary to review everything that was thought to be known about the patient, something very common when intervening in addictions since, due to the ambivalence of many patients in their attitude towards therapy, there are not rare occasions in which they hide information from the principle.

Similarly, a good addiction therapist knows that it is only by monitoring the progress of the therapy that it is possible to know if they are offering effective solutions for each patient, since there are no infallible solutions that simply have to be applied as indicated in the manuals clinical.

• Related article: "How does a detox center help with withdrawal symptoms?"

2. Active listening

It is of little use to have the knowledge to help a patient who suffers from an addiction if he does not feel heard and supported. For this reason, it is very important that therapists develop the ability to active listening, to clearly express that they pay attention and care to understand the particular case of the problem that each patient suffers.

3. Assertiveness

People who have developed an addiction tend to externalize the causes of their problems; For example, it is often difficult for them to recognize that their mood swings are not always the fault of others, partly due to irritability and the ease with which they become frustrated due to the discomfort of the abstinence. For this reason, therapists specialized in the treatment of addictions develop the ability to give constructive criticism to those patients, so that an avoidable conflict or anger that could give rise to relapse into addiction does not appear.

• You may be interested in: "Assertiveness: 5 basic habits to improve communication"

4. Communicative clarity

Although expert addiction therapists have highly skilled training in a field filled with jargon and jargon, much of their work it consists of helping people understand what mental health problem they or their loved ones (in the case of relatives of patients) have developed. Having the ability to explain in a simple and educational way what an addiction is, what its implications are in the life of the person and the people around him, and what to do about it, is necessary to create a social circle of support for the person addicted; family and loved ones who understand what an addictive disorder is, do not stigmatize the patient and help them to the best of your ability.

5. Analytical capacity

Despite the fact that addiction is described as a disease in diagnostic manuals, it must not be forgotten that each person experiences it in their own way, and nothing must be taken for granted. Besides, the person suffering from the addictive disorder does not have to be perfectly aware of what is happening to them, precisely because this pathology biases their perception of their behavior and their habits; therefore, one cannot totally depend on the way in which the patient describes her addiction.

For this reason, in the therapeutic intervention offered to patients with addictions, it is necessary to know how to identify relevant aspects both in what they say as in what they do so that, from those small details, it is possible to delineate the characteristics of their way of experiencing the disorder addictive.

6. Self control and empathy

People who suffer from addictions often experience moments when your loved ones react with anger and feelings of frustration to your relapses in drugs, gambling, etc. These types of actions generate extra stress that predisposes the person to continue delving into the addiction to try to deal with this discomfort. Therapists cannot behave in this way or fall into the trap of thinking that the person with an addiction is one by their own decision or by little "willpower"; You must adopt a mindset based on self-control and empathy to prevent the person who needs help from distancing himself from the professional who offers treatment.

Looking for addiction treatment?

If you want to start a process of addiction treatment, we invite you to contact us.

In Liberadict we specialize in therapeutic care for people suffering from addictive disorders with or without drug use; Our professionals have the skills, knowledge and experience to intervene both from medicine and from psychotherapy and assistance to families. You will find us in Seville.