Pax House

Alcoholism

The goal of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence. Those with poor social support, poor motivation, or psychiatric disorders tend to relapse within a few years of treatment. For these people, success is measured by longer periods of abstinence, reduced use of alcohol, better health, and improved social functioning. Recovery and Maintenance are usually based on 12 step programs and AA meetings.

Drug Addiction

Drug rehab in California teaches participants constructive ways to stay clean and sober. Treatment revolves around helping individuals stop using the substance they are addicted to and learn healthy habits to avoid relapse.

Dual Diagnosis

Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Opioid Addiction

Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.

Substance Abuse

Substance rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from substance abuse, including alcohol and drug addiction (both illegal and prescription drugs). They often include the opportunity to engage in both individual as well as group therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used forms of psychotherapy for addiction treatment, as well as many mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. The focus of CBT is to help a person recognize the maladaptive thought processes, behavior patterns, and emotions that have led to unhealthy or damaging behavior that has taken over their lives. It also provides tools to help counter these patterns and replace them with healthier alternatives. At Pax House, they use CBT as the basis of their individual counseling, as well as in some of their process groups.

Couples Therapy

Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.

Creative Arts Therapy

Art therapy is a method that uses creative and visual arts for facilitating the expression of feelings and emotions. A client does not have to be an artist or have any artistic talent in order to benefit from art therapy. It is about the journey, not the final product. Art therapy can involve any medium of art, including oil painting, watercolors, clay, woodwork, painting prefabricated items, collages, drawing, etc. Art therapy is led by a certified counselor, and it can be done as a guided practice or free expression. During a guided practice, the counselor will guide the clients to create a certain object or express certain emotions. Free expression is when the clients can create whatever they want. Many counselors combine the two by having a theme and providing guidance when needed, but allowing the clients to create the artwork based upon their particular feelings. Art therapy is typically a quiet and relaxing experience. There might be meditative music playing to facilitate the meditative state required for expressing hidden or repressed thoughts and feelings. However, if a client feels the need to share, he or she can, but any disruptive behavior is discouraged. The focus of the session is on accessing and expressing inner thoughts and feelings.

Family Therapy

Family group therapy, or family groups, are specialized group therapy sessions that focus on the family as a whole, rather than just on the condition of the addict. Family groups can focus on educating family members about the addiction and prepare them for dealing with early recovery, or they can focus on providing a space for managing family conflict and issues that have arisen in the treatment process. At Pax House, their family groups provide a mixture of psycho-education about the disease and a safe space for emotional expression and healing.

Group Therapy

Groups play a significant role in the treatment program. At Pax House, there are a few different types of groups, including process, educational, and family groups. Process groups focus on addressing various shared issues, such as self-esteem, anger management, or trauma, in a group setting with others undergoing a similar experience. Clients receive supportive feedback from their peers and have a safe environment in which to share and process certain feelings and emotions. A counselor advises the group. Education groups differ in that the main focus is to teach clients about the alcoholism and addiction. It is done in an interactive setting where clients can ask questions and discuss certain issues. Family groups include the family members of the clients, and issues related to family dynamics are addressed.

Individual Therapy

The Pax House Program is individualized to each client’s needs, but the main treatment components remain the same. The first step in their program, if necessary, is detox. The foundation of the program is the individual counseling sessions. During an initial session with the counselor, the client and counselor will formulate an individualized treatment program that addresses the client’s particular needs. During treatment, the client will meet with their counselor on a weekly basis to discuss issues that have arisen during treatment, as well as to process specific assignments.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.

Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.