Recovery from substance use is a highly personal journey. Addiction therapies, thus, often work best when they acknowledge patients’ individuality to a high degree. It’s common to feel powerless when contending with addiction. Effective therapies, therefore, also help patients regain self-confidence and agency in their lives. If you or a loved one is coping with alcohol or drug addiction and would like help, consider person-centered therapy. When paired with other evidence-based interventions, this approach can be a game-changer in the journey toward healing, empowerment, and lasting sobriety. Call Calvary Healing Center at 888.492.5113 or reach out online to learn more about services in the Phoenix, Arizona, area.
What to Expect from Person-Centered Therapy
Person-centered therapy was first developed in the 1940s by Carl Rogers. It took the then-revolutionary position that the patient should guide talk therapy sessions more than the therapist. This means that the patient typically speaks more than the therapist, and the therapist strives to adopt the patient’s language whenever possible. Patients’ strengths and goals are likewise front and center.
Person-centered therapists can come from many different training backgrounds. Nonetheless, they will generally highlight the following three qualities in the way they work:
- Understanding – To fully comprehend patients’ contributions to sessions, therapists engage emotionally and intellectually. They strive to get an empathetic sense of what their patients are going through. Additionally, they support clear intellectual understanding through techniques like active listening, where they mirror back what patients have said and allow them to edit or amend. This builds rapport and helps patients feel heard.
- Unconditional positive regard – Therapists work to refrain from judging their patients’ feelings and words and instead consistently convey fundamental respect and acceptance. These are essential components in creating a safe space for transformative self-reflection and empowerment.
- Congruence – The therapist strives to put aside any attitude of authority, genuinely connecting with patients on a human level. Therapists’ transparency and openness, in turn, allow patients to share more fully and take accountability for their perspectives and lives.
It’s important to look for a person-centered therapist with whom you have a good personal connection. From a patient perspective, this means you find the therapist genuinely empathic and feel comfortable discussing personal concerns at length. Since, in this approach, the patient does most of the talking, make sure you’re paired with someone with whom you feel at ease.
How Does Person-Centered Therapy Work in an Addiction Recovery Context?
Lasting sobriety ultimately depends on individuals’ ability to cope with stress and triggers, look to their support system, and practice self-regulation. By building up patients’ senses of accountability and agency right away, person-centered therapy provides a leg up in reaching these goals.
Here are a few concrete ways this approach may be tied into a larger addiction treatment program:
- Patients are presented with an overview of all available treatment options and select the ones they will use for themselves. For example, patients might select a religious or secular track for their recovery program.
- When goals are set during therapy, the patient is the driving force. This means their therapist helps them become well-informed about all the options, but the patient ultimately decides what goals are worth their investment.
- Treatment plans include patients’ language rather than scientific jargon that could otherwise feel alien or even belittling to the patient.
- Treatment plans honor the patient’s unique culture, belief system, and values. For example, one patient’s primary motivator for gaining sobriety might relate to family, while another’s might relate to their career.
Person-centered therapy can work wonders with other key treatments like medically monitored detox and group approaches such as a 12-step program.
Learn More About Person-Centered Therapy at Calvary Healing Center in Phoenix, AZ Today
Why wait another day to take back control of your life and future? If you’re looking for a person-centered therapeutic approach that honors your unique values, goals, and personal power, contact Calvary Healing Center today. Call 888.492.5113 or complete the confidential online form to begin the conversation.