Important
Individual counselling at Abbeycare is subject to individual assessment, availability, and current programme contents.
Please enquire for available treatment plan options specific to your needs.
What Is Individual Counselling?
Individual Therapy/Counselling refers to a form of talk therapy that takes place between a therapist and a client, in a private, confidential manner away from any distractions.
This form of counseling is person centred and can be tailored to meet a specific need or address a certain problematic area.
Abbeycare has a team of specialist Psychotherapists on board to deliver this specialist form of therapeutic counselling. The team will deliver one to one counselling to counteract the negative thinking and behaviour patterns surrounding the use of substances.
Research studies show that there's a lot of stigma surrounding mental health, (1) which should not be the case. Anyone can suffer from mental health issues. Embracing the need to seek therapy should be wildly accepted in order to help a person seeking treatment, without necessarily shaming them.
Everyone should provide support for therapy without bringing up any therapist concerns. Also immediate help should be provided to anyone who needs help.
Therapy can be in two form; Either short term, or long term. Each of these can include single session therapist support. In the end, therapy enables trust to build in the patient, and allows them to feel comfortable with their emotions and feelings.
A counselor session during the talk therapy can explore some common conditions such as anxiety, in order to discuss how psychotherapy can help in healing. Psychotherapy should lead to improved conditions of strong emotions and eliminate feelings of anxiety.
According to research, psychotherapy counselling service helps in getting rid of the harmful side effects of conditions such as depression.
The therapists or a counselor has to talk to their patients with an aim of achieving specific goals of treatment.
The process can waylay any concerns about life the person may have. This is why psychotherapy treatment is recommended by most therapists.
Individual Therapy at Abbeycare – What to Expect
Individual Counseling or psychotherapy is an important and effective means of therapy within Abbeycare's treatment plan,.
Residents should expect to have one on one discussion or some component of individual therapy daily.
Individual therapy sessions can be used to treat substance use disorders. Although not exclusive to substance use disorders therapy sessions can also be undertaken to address the root cause of addiction and mental health issues.
The talk therapy will take place in private (Abbeycare Scotland, Abbeycare Gloucester), without any disruptions so both the client and therapist can chat in confidentiality. These sessions will last from 45 minutes to 60 minutes as sessions of a longer nature may lose focus of the counselling service.
The initial session with therapists usually involves relationship building, discussion of your goals in life and means of implementing these goals.
Abbeycare Psychotherapists utilize a number of tried and tested models of counselling such as:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT),
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) and
- 12 Step Philosophy to achieve abstinence.
Individual therapy may encompass career counseling and planning, grief after a loved one dies or dealing with problems at a job before they become big.
CBT explained
Individual therapy with CBT is broken down into components such as;
C - which stands for Cognitive therapy i.e. thoughts, perceptions, memories, and reasoning. The cognitive component of CBT is concerned with the mind.
B - Which stands for Behaviour therapy i.e. actions, attitude, and conduct. The behavioural component of CBT is concerned with the body.
T - Which stands for Structured individual therapy session, and it deals with the link between cognitions, thoughts and behaviours, actions.
MET explained
This counseling services and therapy is used by the trained addiction recovery therapists to elicit internal changes within the person and promote the desire to stop using substances for the long term, in order to achieve success in life.
Consider a counseling focused therapy where the participant is the educator. According to MET all the answers to addiction can be found within. They are within each and every person. This therapy's essence draws them out.
The counseling service sessions are designed in a way that an internal search is commenced, the search to find answers to life problems. Professional advice and clinical observations help with life's challenges in this case.
Just a few weeks of the counselling service should lead to personal growth, peace with future concerns and an understanding of past experiences.
12 Step explained
The first step of the 12 Steps requires an honest evaluation of the negative effects created by the use of substance/s. The treatment goals in this case are to identify the mistakes made and provide fewer relapses.
Acceptance that life under the influence of alcohol and drugs has become unbearable.
The breaking down of denial – accepting the problem can’t be controlled.
The substances must be permanently removed to prevent physical and mental cravings from re-occurring.
These points can all be considered in counselling when address the use of substances hazardous to your mental health.
At Abbeycare, our extensive database of care helps deal with many factors that could have led to your substance abuse problems. We offer both short term and long term support.
Individual Therapy: A Model of Recovery
All models of counselling implemented within Abbeycare are designed to cease the use of substances for the long-term by changing the client’s relationship with alcohol and drugs. You must also ensure that in the end you are in the right mental health.
Breaking denial and helping participants during the counseling service see ‘the truth’ that substances create negative consequences is one of the main goals.
Also, trying to control their use by various means such as: limiting use, changing types or brands, moving to a new house, changing jobs or blaming others will not suffice, are great options.
During the counselling service, the solution to substance use disorders begins with detox and rehab in a therapeutic environment designed to cease the use of drugs and/or alcohol for the long-term.
The treatment, once abstinent involves Individual Counseling and Group Counselling Therapies. A Holistic Approach such as the use of medical treatments, yoga, light exercise, and healthy eating are also adopted.
Combining all the above with Individual Counseling creates a comprehensive, person-centred approach to the phenomena of substance use disorders and their associated effects.
A component of therapeutic Individual Counseling sessions is a feeling of mutual respect and understanding between therapist and client. Clients are encouraged to set their own goals with support from their therapist.
The goal is to feel like an ‘active participant and not a passive recipient’ of the counselling process.
Group therapy sessions are also a good idea when dealing with people suffering from the same issues, such as moderate depression, negative thoughts, current concerns, etc. the positive effects of good therapy extend well beyond treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if there are areas I don’t want to talk about?
That is okay. The Individual therapy is person-centred and therapeutic, which means that you will never be forced to disclose anything you don’t want to. Short term therapy also works at helping you with underlying causes of substance abuse, and could be what you need to open up.
Who will find out about these sessions?
No one. The Individual therapy sessions such as CBT will be private and confidential. As in line with Abbeycare’s Confidentiality Policy.
Confidentiality will only be broken if you threaten to harm yourself or another person.
Or if you tell us a child’s safety is at risk.
Other than that, all information will be kept in line with our GDPR Policy and confidentially stored.
Can any of my family member access Counselling?
Yes. At Abbeycare we offer a Family Support Programme. Family support is Group Led, however, we do not offer Individual therapy for family members.
However, the team can provide phone numbers for counsellors specializing in family therapy or family support services within your local community.
Call Us
If you wish to learn more about our Individual therapy call our free 24/7 Helpline on 01603 513 091 or fill out the form below to speak to a trained addiction counsellor.
