IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING PSYCHOLOGY AS ADDICTION PROFESSIONALS

The discipline of psychology holds a crucial position in the field of addiction

counseling. Its primary objective is to facilitate individuals in their journey towards
overcoming addiction by delving into the fundamental causes that underlie their
behavior. By means of therapeutic intervention, individuals are provided with an
opportunity to delve deeper into their cognitive and affective processes relating to
addiction.

They work with patients to identify patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute
to addiction and help them develop new skills and coping mechanisms to manage
cravings and triggers. They often work with other healthcare professionals, such as
psychiatrists and addiction counsellors, to provide comprehensive care to individuals
struggling with drug addiction.

One key principle of psychology in addiction counseling is the use of cognitive-

behavioral therapy. This approach helps individuals identify and change negative
patterns of thinking that sustain addictive behavior. Through this therapy, individuals
learn to recognize triggers that lead to substance abuse and develop coping strategies
to deal with them.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common and best studied
forms of psychotherapy. It is a combination of two therapeutic approaches, known as
cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. We apply the methods of
treatment depending on the illness or problem to be treated. The basic principle
behind therapy is, however, always the same: what we think, how we feel and how we
behave are all closely connected–and these factors have a decisive influence on our
well-being.

The term cognitive comes from the Latin "cognoscere", meaning "to recognize." The
point of cognitive therapy is to form a clear idea of your own thoughts, attitudes, and
expectations. The goal is to reveal and change false and distressing beliefs, because it
is often not only the things and situations themselves that cause problems, but the
importance that we attach to them, too.
For example, a dangerous thought pattern might be when somebody immediately
draws negative conclusions from an occurrence, generalizes them, and applies them to
similar situations. In psychology, this generalized way of thinking is called “over-
generalizing.” Another distressing error in reasoning is “catastrophizing”: If
something disturbing happens, people immediately draw exaggerated conclusions
about the supposed disaster ahead.

Such thought patterns can sometimes develop into self-fulfilling prophecies and make
life difficult for the people affected. Cognitive therapy helps people learn to replace
these thought patterns with more realistic and less harmful thoughts. It also helps
people to think more clearly and to control their own thoughts better.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has a high level of empirical support to treat substance

use disorders, helping people with these disorders improve self-control, avoid
triggers, and develop coping mechanisms for daily stressors.
This is one reason studying psychology as an addiction counsellor is very important.

Another reason for studying psychology as an addiction professional is the use of

motivational interviewing (MI). This approach helps individuals clarify their own
reasons for wanting to change their addictive behavior. It helps individuals to identify
their personal goals and values, and to move towards them.

Motivational interviewing is a psycho-therapeutic approach to health care that

attempts to move an individual away from a state of indecision or uncertainty and
towards finding motivation to making positive decisions and accomplishing
established goals. It is a non-confrontational, collaborative effort between therapist
and patient to spark motivation and change.
The therapist becomes a person of support, engaging with the patient to explore his or
her feelings, including ambivalence about changing, and helps the patient find their
own motivations. The aim of MI is to advance disease knowledge, promote problem
solving and facilitate healthy behaviour change.

There are four distinct principles that guide the practice of MI. The therapist
employing MI will hold true to these principles throughout treatment.

The first principle is to express empathy. Empathy involves seeing the world through
the client's eyes, thinking about things as the client thinks about them, feeling things
as the client feels them, sharing in the client's experiences. This approach provides the
basis for clients to be heard and understood, and clients are more likely to share their
experiences in depth. The process of expressing empathy relies on the client’s
experiencing the counselor as able to see the world as they (the client) see it.

The second principle is to support self-efficacy. MI is a strengths-based approach

that believes that clients have within themselves the capabilities to change
successfully. A client's belief that change is possible (self-efficacy) instills hope of
making those difficult changes. Clients often have previously tried and been unable to
achieve or maintain the desired change, creating doubt about their ability to succeed.
In Motivational Interviewing, counselors support self-efficacy by focusing on
previous successes and highlighting skills and strengths that the client already has.

The third principle is to roll with resistance. This occurs when the client experiences
a conflict between their view of the “problem” or the “solution” and that of the
clinician, or when the client experiences their freedom or autonomy being impinged
upon. These experiences are often based on the client’s ambivalence about change.
In MI, counselors avoid eliciting resistance by not confronting the client and when
resistance occurs, they work to de-escalate and avoid a negative interaction, instead
"rolling with it." Actions and statements that show resistance remain unchallenged,
especially early in the counseling relationship.

By rolling with resistance, it disrupts any “struggle” that may occur and the session
does not resemble an argument or the client’s playing "devil's advocate" or “yes, but”
to the counselor's suggestions. The MI value on having the client define the problem
and develop their own solutions leaves little for the client to resist.

A frequently used metaphor is “dancing” rather than “wrestling” with the client. In
exploring client concerns, counselors invite clients to examine new points of view,
and are careful not to impose their own ways of thinking. A key concept is that
counselors avoid the “righting reflex”, a tendency born from concern, to ensure that
the client understands and agrees with the need to change and to solve the problem for
the client.

The last principle is to develop discrepancy. Motivation for change occurs when
people perceive a mismatch between “where they are and where they want to be”, and
a counselor practicing Motivational Interviewing works to develop this by helping
clients examine the discrepancies between their current circumstances/behavior and
their values and future goals.

When clients recognize that their current behaviors place them in conflict with their
values or interfere with the accomplishment of self-identified goals, they are more
likely to experience increased motivation to make important life changes. It is
important that the counselor using MI does not use strategies to develop discrepancy
at the expense of the other principles, yet gradually help clients to realize how current
behaviors may lead them away from, rather than toward, their important goals.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is effective for patients who struggle to regulate
emotions and have thoughts of self-harm or suicide. The therapy emphasizes an
acceptance of uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to allow patients to
overcome them. DBT has been proven to treat several disorders that co-occur with
addiction, including: Mood disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, Self-
destructive behavior.

DBT involves relaxation techniques, such as yoga, that help the patient become more
aware of thoughts and emotions. They learn skills such as controlled breathing and
muscle relaxation to tolerate self-destructive thoughts or urges. The goal is to
decrease the frequency and severity of self-harming behavior and encourage healthy
change.

Wilderness therapy is another form of therapy that supports why psychology is key to
addiction counselling. It combines nature and survival experiences with rehabilitative
therapy techniques that address substance use disorders, mental health problems, and
behavioral issues. The therapy places individuals in an unfamiliar outdoor
environment to focus on self-improvement and overcoming problem behaviors with
coping skills. The overall goal is to foster personal and social responsibility while
encouraging emotional growth.

Most wilderness therapy programs assess the client’s specific needs and develop an
appropriate treatment plan to address any behavioral health issues. Clients live in the
wilderness and develop life skills by overcoming activities that are physically and
mentally demanding.

Wilderness therapy programs are for individuals and families who are experiencing a
crisis related to substance abuse, mental health disorders, or both. The average client
is 12 to 17 years old, but many young adults benefit from these programs as well.
According to an article by researchers with the University of Idaho and the Outdoor
Behavior Healthcare Research Cooperative, good candidates for wilderness therapy
include those with substance use disorders, attention-deficit disorder, depression or
behavioral problems.

In conclusion, the rationale behind psychology in addiction counselling is to help

individuals overcome their addiction by understanding the underlying reasons behind
their behavior, and to develop coping strategies to prevent relapse. Psychology plays
an important role in addiction counselling and can be a crucial aspect of an
individual's recovery.
REFERENCES

Rollnick, S., Butler, C. C., Kinnersley, P., Gregory, J., & Mash, R. (2010).
Motivational interviewing. BMJ, 340 (apr27 2),
c1900. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c1900

Bischof, G., Bischof, A., & Rumpf, H. (2021). Motivational Interviewing: An

Evidence-Based Approach for Medical practice. Deutsches Arzteblatt
International. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0014

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Enhancing Motivation for Change in

Substance Abuse Treatment. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (US); 1999. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series,
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from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64964/

What are the most common types of therapy used during alcohol or drug rehab?
(n.d.). [Video]. Drug Rehab. https://www.drugrehab.com/treatment/types-of-therapy/

Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved

fromhttps://obhcouncil.com/about/

Russell, K. (2001). What is Wilderness Therapy? Retrieved

fromhttp://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/wrc/Pdf/jeev24-2.pdf
Russell, K., Hendee, J. & Phillips-Miller, D. (1999, November 29). How Wilderness
Therapy Works: An Examination of the Wilderness Therapy Process to Treat
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