Psychotherapy is the part of treatment that addresses why a dependence or a mental health difficulty developed and what has kept it in place. Medication and detoxification change the body's state; therapy changes the patterns that produced it.
Individual therapy
Individual sessions work on the specific history of the person in the room — the circumstances in which use began, the function it served, the beliefs that sustain it and the situations that now trigger it.
Practical relapse prevention is built from this: identifying the person's own high-risk situations and rehearsing specific responses to them, rather than relying on general resolve.
Group therapy
Group sessions bring together patients at similar stages. Their particular value is the removal of isolation — hearing the same experience described by someone else is often the point at which a patient stops believing their situation is uniquely shameful.
Groups also provide accountability and honest challenge from peers, which is frequently harder to dismiss than the same observation from staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
- A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose and prescribe medication. A psychologist provides psychological assessment and therapy without prescribing. Many patients benefit from both, working together.
- How long does therapy continue?
- Therapy runs throughout the residential programme and can continue on an outpatient basis afterwards. The duration depends on the condition and on progress rather than on a fixed number of sessions.