Brief Therapy
Finding out about the different therapeutic methods employed in alcohol rehab programs can help you make a decision regarding the best treatment option for you or your loved one. Alcohol rehab centres can employ different models to help people overcome addiction, but not all models are suitable for all individuals. Brief therapy uses “successful” solutions which come from the client to tackle a specific issue. One of the most common types of brief therapy is called solution focused brief therapy. This is one potential option for people struggling with alcohol addiction, and is employed in some alcohol rehab programs.
The “brief” aspect of brief therapy is not related to its duration. It’s brief because it doesn’t delve into the individual’s past in the hopes of turning up a solution to the current issue. Instead, it focuses on the present and successful techniques which are being used in other areas of the person’s life at the time. It tries to establish a person’s goals for the future and the different aspects of their life which would need to be changed in order to achieve it.
Most solution focused brief therapy starts with a simple question. This is designed to determine what the person’s life would be like if the issue was magically restored. The person is asked how they would know that the problem had been solved if they woke up one day and it wasn’t there anymore. When brief therapy is used for alcohol addiction, the question would relate to which aspects of a person’s life would have changed that let them know that they are no longer addicted to alcohols.
After the person has identified some factors which would let them know that they were no longer suffering from alcohol addiction, the therapist then focuses on a scale. This runs from 0 to 10, with 0 representing the worst they’ve ever been and 10 representing the ideal day they envisioned. They are asked to rate their current level of addiction on this scale. Afterwards, the therapist asks what would make them move one point higher or lower on the scale.
The questions employed by brief therapy are designed to identify a person’s goals and the steps they can take to recovery. Alcohol addiction often clouds the person’s view of the future and disintegrates their life goals. By re-establishing them and identifying small incremental steps that can be used to move towards them, the therapy helps people change their life for the better. They can focus on making small improvements, and moving up the scale point by point towards their ideal day.
Brief therapy is conversational, and the therapist will often ask unrelated questions to indentify successful strategies they apply in other areas of their life. For example, people who like exercise often strive to push themselves further and further, breaking down mental barriers that prevent them from giving their all. This mental sturdiness in the face of pain and adversity is a successful strategy which could help them with an addiction.
If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, we can help you choose a alcohol rehab program well-suited to your needs. We have a detailed knowledge of the different facilities available, and the different therapeutic models they employ. We give free advice to help you chose the right alcohol rehab program for your needs, and can also explain the different approaches to therapy. Brief therapy is a great option for many users, but the lack of focus on the individual’s deeper issues means it might not be suitable for everybody. If you’re struggling to make a decision, pick up the phone for some free help.