Treatment Methods
RESOLUTIONS truly uses an integrative approach that is consistent with their philosophy that each individual is different and has a unique set of strengths, needs, and challenges. There are a number of treatment methods that might be very effective with some people and ineffective for others. Some of the approaches might be more western while others might be more eastern. Our holistic approach generally integrates both. A thorough assessment in the beginning allows the evaluating psychologist or psychiatrist to put together an individualized treatment plan that will be relevant for that individual and believed to be most effective and evidence-based to ensure a successful treatment outcome. Some of the many therapies and services include:
Psychological Assessment and Testing
A comprehensive psychological assessment will allow the RESOLUTIONS clinical team to better tailor the treatment, based on someone’s diagnosis, personality traits, psychological and social functioning. Cognitive testing further allows the team to assess for any limitations that might be contributing to the presenting problems, help to explain previous failed treatment episodes, and guide recommendations when people want to go back to school and/or take courses. Vocational testing is beneficial to identify people’s strengths and weaknesses so that the therapists and coaches can help to facilitate clients to proper work and career paths.
Psychiatric Evaluation
Every client who comes in to RESOLUTIONS will be evaluated by a psychiatrist, even if they do not need or wish to take any psychotropic medications or work with that psychiatrist following IOP. In some cases, clients have their own outside psychiatrists and would like to continue working with them. Clients have the option to do that or get a second opinion. A psychiatric assessment is carried out for clinical and therapeutic purposes to establish a diagnosis and formulation of the individual’s problems, and to plan the individual’s care and treatment. The assessment includes social and biographical information, medical history, direct observations, and data from specific psychological tests.
Medication Therapy Management
In cases when clients come in on psych meds or would like a psychiatric consultation, RESOLUTIONS clients receive weekly or biweekly medication management sessions to monitor their responses to the introduction of or changes to psych meds. Medication therapy management is a distinct service that optimizes drug therapy with the intent of improved therapeutic outcomes for individual patients. All physicians affiliated with RESOLUTIONS are board certified in addiction medicine.
Relapse Prevention
Relapse Prevention is a cognitive-behavioral approach with the goal of identifying and preventing high-risk situations such as substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and depression. Furthermore, relapse prevention is an important component in the treatment process of alcoholism, or alcohol dependence.
Individual Therapy
All of the clients receive daily psychotherapy at RESOLUTIONS with a licensed therapist. Some of the specific approaches and treatment modalities that RESOLUTIONS therapists are trained in include psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
- Psychodynamic Therapy is a form of depth psychology, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client’s psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension.
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a time-limited psychotherapy that focuses on the interpersonal context and on building interpersonal skills. IPT is based on the belief that interpersonal factors may contribute heavily to psychological disorders
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) refers to a range of techniques which focus on the construction and re-construction of people’s cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. The therapist helps clients assess, recognize and deal with problematic and dysfunctional ways of thinking, emoting and behaving.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) combines standard CBT techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindfulness awareness.
- Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic approach that works on facilitating and engaging intrinsic motivation within the client in order to change behavior. MI is a goal-oriented, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. All RESOLUTIONS staff have training and experience in the use of MI and routinely incorporate MI in their interviewing style.
Family Therapy
A branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. At RESOLUTIONS, our family therapists are also licensed and doctoral-level. They view change in terms of systems of interaction between family members. They emphasize family relationships as an important factor in psychological health.
Group Psychotherapy
A type of psychotherapy that involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time. The principles of group therapy include the instillation of hope, universality, imparting information, altruism, corrective recapitulation of the primary family group, development of socialization techniques, imitative behavior, interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness, catharsis, and existential factors. All RESOLUTIONS groups are kept small (i.e., maximum of six people) so that everyone gets adequate time. Groups are optional since we believe that forcing people to do groups is ineffective, as well as unfair for the other more motivated group members.
Trauma Therapy
When there is a history of trauma, each RESOLUTIONS patient is assigned a trauma specialist who they meet with 1-2 times a week for individual therapy separate from the individual work they do with their primary and family therapists. A thorough trauma assessment is done to determine which of the trauma therapists is assigned and what specific treatment modalities will be used. A lot of this will depend on whether the patient has PTSD, acute trauma, complex trauma, or developmental trauma.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR): a form of therapy that emphasizes disturbing memories as the cause of psychopathology and alleviates the symptoms of PTSD and other conditions. EMDR is used for individuals who have experienced severe trauma that remains unresolved.
- Somatic Experiencing (SE): a form of therapy aimed at relieving and resolving symptoms of PTSD and other mental and physical trauma-related health problems by focusing on the client’s’ perceived body sensations (or somatic experiences).
- Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT): a components-based treatment model that incorporates trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral, family, and humanistic principles and techniques. TF-CBT has proven to be effective in addressing PTSD, depression, anxiety, externalizing behaviors, sexualized behaviors, feelings of shame, and mistrust.
- Brainspotting: a focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. It functions as a neurobiological tool to support the clinical healing relationship.
- Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM): a mind-body approach that focuses on the biological basis of trauma and the automatic, defensive ways that the human body responds when faced with perceived threats to self and others, including the responses of “tend and befriend”, fight, flight and freeze.
Acupuncture
A system of complementary medicine used to alleviate pain by producing a calm, yet alert feeling, thereby reducing withdrawal symptoms and decrease future cravings. It is used to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions. It has been clinically proven to reduce stress levels within the body to calm the mind.
Psychoeducation
The education offered to people with a mental health condition. Family members are also included. The goal is for the patient to understand and be better able to deal with the presented illness.
Nutrition Counseling
Medical nutrition therapy for patients with a wide range of health conditions. At RESOLUTIONS, our registered dietician conducts individual sessions that are personalized to address each patient’s specific needs. We have found it is vital for the recovery process that patients are addressing their nutrition and dietary needs.
Life Coaching
Training or development process via which an individual is supported while achieving a specific personal or professional competence result or goal. Some of the functions of the life coaches at RESOLUTIONS are to assist clients with applying to schools, finding a job or volunteer work, coming up with a budget, etc. At RESOLUTIONS clients have the option of working either with a life coach who is also a recovery / sober coach, or a life coach who specializes in life skills and behavioral health.
Mindfulness & Meditation
Maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. It also involves acceptance, meaning that we may pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them – without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment.
Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or as an end in itself. Meditation has been linked to a variety of health benefits. Studies have found that meditation may produce physiological benefits by changing neurological processes.
Neurofeedback (EEG Biofeedback)
A technique you can use to learn to control your body’s functions, such as your heart rate. With biofeedback, you’re connected to electrical sensors that help you receive information (feedback) about your body (bio). This feedback helps you to focus on making subtle changes in your body to achieve the results you want, such as reducing pain. Biofeedback has been found to be very effective for a number of conditions, including headaches and migraines.
Case Management
The coordination of services on behalf of an individual person. At RESOLUTIONS, each client is assigned a case manager who is responsible for authorized communication with outside parties, referral sources, and families.
Monitoring
Drug and alcohol urinalysis for those who are at RESOLUTIONS for a primary substance use disorder. Each client who is in the chemical addiction or dual diagnosis program is tested two times per week for all drugs and alcohol.
Spiritual Counseling
Incorporating practices that focus on tending to our personal spirit (The Who Am I?) in our daily life. Incorporating heart wisdom, intention setting, honoring personal values, reframing of old ideas and perceptions of what spirituality means and how to incorporate it into the “how I am living/being today” mindset. The work incorporates community life, work life, creativity, recovery, relationships, aging, pain, and our capacity to navigate life’s ups and downs as a human being in today’s world.
Art Therapy
A form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The creative process involved in expressing one’s self artistically can help people to resolve issues as well as develop and manage their behaviors and feelings, reduce stress, and improve self-esteem and awareness. You don’t need to be talented or an artist to receive the benefits and there are licensed art therapists that can work with you to dive into the underlying messages communicated through your art, which will aid in the healing process