Treating Chemical Dependencies

When you think about a person in treatment for chemical dependency and their willingness to change, no one individual really wants to be told what to do. The more a person is told what they should be doing the more they are going to resist making a change. The more a counselor confronts a chemical dependant client the more they will be less likely to change. The client may even be pushed in the opposite direction so that they will resist change and/or change far less quickly had they not been confronted. Counselors do have an important role in treating chemical dependant clients, with the tone they use, the words they choose, and they style in which they talk to their client, can be affective tools to helping the client resolve their own ambivalence and really decide what they want to do to make a change in their life. An addictive behavior can change, however it is not as easy as brushing your teeth, change comes in stages. As a counselor, it is important to recognize these stages of change in order to assist clients in recognizing and accepting their chemical dependency as well as, helping them make the changes necessary for recovery. “Just as there is no one ‘alcoholic’ or ‘drug addict,’ there is no one ‘tried-and-true’ treatment approach for all clients” (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008, p. 149). This paper will focus on Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Counseling, and Harm Reduction Psychotherapeutic Approaches.

“A counselor must truly understand both the underlying principles and the techniques of change for motivational interviewing to truly be effective” (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008, p. 132). Change is not something that just happens Change is a more detailed process. The stages of change model were developed by James ...

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...ing three purposes: staying alive, maintaining health, and/or getting better” (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008, p. 165).

In my opinion, all of these approaches are relative to each other and may play hand in hand with each other upon treating a chemical dependent client. However I believe if I had to choose one, the most effective approach for treating chemical dependency would be the motivational interviewing approach. An approach in which a counselor can help a client be able to explore and resolve his or her own ambivalence and help move the client towards making a behavioral change seems to be the most affective approach. I like this approach because it is client centered but also some what directive. Motivational interviewing also follows more into a guiding philosophy and moves away from the typical provider health care approach of being directive or authoritative.