At Grand Falls Recovery, we offer a full spectrum of dual diagnosis and trauma-focused therapy services to our clients, based on their individual needs. Each client is carefully evaluated at admission, and our clinicians formulate a treatment plan, based on the needs, strengths, preferences, and experiences of the client. This treatment plan, which will be evaluated throughout the program, can be targeted to address particular issues that might play a part in the client’s behaviors, such as traumatic experiences.

What Is Trauma-Focused Therapy and Treatment?

It is common for many individuals with issues with substance abuse, whether with alcohol, drugs, or food, to cover up the pain of traumatic events from the past or PTSD. Because of this, one part of our Grand Falls Recovery diagnosis is the use of trauma-focused treatment. 

Exposure to traumatic experiences, especially during childhood, has frequently been linked to substance use disorders, including abuse and dependence. Substance use disorders are highly connected to PTSD and other mood-related conditions. The link between being exposed to trauma and substance abuse has been shown by lots of research over the years. 

According to many studies, a traumatic life experience, such as physical or sexual abuse and neglect, occurs at a much higher rate than many people would think, and could now be considered a major public health issue in the United States. Being exposed to trauma like this at an early age is known to significantly increase the risk of a number of psychiatric disorders in adulthood, although many who have been exposed in childhood are able to remain resilient. A lot of evidence has shown that childhood trauma compromises neural structure and function, which can make a person more susceptible to cognitive deficits and psychiatric illnesses later on, including schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and substance abuse. 

A good example of this was revealed in the National Survey of Adolescents, which revealed that teenagers who had a history of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual assault were three times more likely to report past or current substance abuse than those without a history of trauma. In surveys of adolescents who were receiving treatment for substance abuse, more than 70% of those patients had a history of being exposed to trauma.

Trauma-Focused Therapy At Grand Falls Recovery

As research has consistently shown that individuals who suffer from trauma are more likely to have problems with dependence on substances, we think it is important for clients to process this trauma as part of their treatment. In order to address the effects of trauma, our program focuses on engaging our clients in self-exploration groups that will help clients to move past the experiences of trauma without relying on self-medicating with substances. 

To help our clients who have PTSD or have suffered traumatic life events, our groups, which include Seeking Safety interventions, can help clients to recognize:

  • Emotional experience defines events as traumatic
  • It is possible to experience trauma by watching or hearing other’s traumatic events
  • It is possible to heal and move forward
  • Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD
  • Even when coping with symptoms and feelings, it is normal for emotions to be triggered by events
  • With the right treatment, self-help strategies, and support it is possible to recover from trauma

Seeking Safety Model

Seeking Safety is a therapy that helps clients to feel safe after trauma, including PTSD, and substance abuse by working on coping skills, grounding techniques, and education. This therapy is highly based on research and is very effective. It has several main objectives, including:

  • Helping clients attain safety in thinking, emotions, behaviors, and relationships
  • Providing clients integrated treatment of substance abuse and trauma conditions
  • Counteracting loss of ideals experienced from substance abuse and trauma

Unlike psychological disorders, the core issue in trauma is reality.

Therapy Types at Grand Falls Recovery

Grand Falls Recovery may recommend that trauma-focused treatment be used as the main approach for treating addiction, or alongside other therapies, such as individual therapy or group therapy, depending on the treatment plan of the client. When we talk about providing trauma-focused treatment sessions for our clients, our clinicians do so as part of their overall recovery program. 

Our trauma therapy services include therapeutic techniques using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By changing the harmful thought processes of our clients, their likelihood of long-term recovery increases. As well as CBT, trauma therapy practices such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Seeking Safety sessions and more can be used.

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