The LGBTQ+ community faces many unique challenges regarding addiction and mental health treatment. It is important to seek help from a treatment center that understands this and knows how to treat and validate the community effectively. Pride Institute offers LGBTQ+ addiction therapy programs in Minneapolis designed to help members of our community struggling with addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders get the most out of their treatment in a judgment-free environment. Call us at 952.934.7554 or fill out our online form for more information.
How Can Addiction Therapy Help?
There is a lot of unnecessary shame and stigma around getting treatment or going to rehab and many myths about addiction, but it often only serves to prevent people from getting help when they need it. Members of the LGBTQ+ community may already have had negative experiences with therapy in the past. They may not feel entirely comfortable with the idea of going back, presenting an additional challenge when it comes to seeking help. However, there are treatment and therapy programs specifically designed for the LGBTQ+ community and capable of addressing these unique and nuanced needs.
Individuals who complete a professional addiction treatment program, including therapy and aftercare, tend to have higher rates of success when it comes to achieving recovery and maintaining long-term sobriety. This is largely due to the fact that in therapy, the root causes of their addiction are finally addressed and managed in a way that can lead to real healing. Trauma, undiagnosed or untreated mental health concerns, and family history can all be root causes of addiction issues. Once an individual knows what the true underlying problem is, they can begin to work on it, a process that can lead to permanent change and lasting recovery.
Receiving treatment and therapy in a facility that focuses on LGBTQ+ care can be especially beneficial, as your experiences and identity will be validated and understood. You will be among treatment specialists and peers who know what you’re going through because they have faced similar obstacles. When individuals feel accepted and validated, they get the most out of their treatment experience.
What Happens in Addiction Therapy?
Addiction therapy not only gets to the root cause of the addiction but teaches an individual how to navigate and manage their mental health and the negative feelings or past events that trigger them to want to use or drink. The behavioral aspect of addiction therapy focuses on negative behaviors—like harmful coping mechanisms—and why they occur. With help and guidance, clients can modify these behaviors to create new, healthier coping mechanisms and responses to triggers, allowing the person to be able to choose to abstain from drugs or alcohol instead of remaining stuck in the cycle of addiction.
Clients speak with their counselor multiple times a week about topics as wide-ranging as spirituality, coping mechanisms, anger or emotion management, LGBTQ+ issues, trauma, grief, body image, gender identity, and chronic illness. Your counselor will be there to guide you to healthier ways of viewing yourself, managing your mental health and emotions, and navigating addiction triggers with relapse prevention therapy.
Some common types of addiction therapy include:
- Psychotherapy or “talk therapy”
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
Addiction treatment can also include mental health therapy when a co-occurring disorder is present. These co-occurring disorders might include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
In addition to more traditional therapies, holistic treatment approaches may be included in a treatment plan. The term “holistic” refers to the treatment of the whole person, not just the addiction. Examples of holistic therapies include art therapy, music therapy, and yoga therapy. These treatment approaches can be highly beneficial to the recovery process and achieving long-term sobriety.
Benefits of Therapy for Addiction Recovery
Some of the most significant benefits of addiction therapy for the recovery process include:
- It can improve communication skills with yourself and others
- It can build self-esteem and confidence
- It provides access to educational and support resources
- It helps clients learn to manage mental health issues in a more productive way
- It helps individuals develop new and healthy coping mechanisms
- It allows for a better understanding of one’s behaviors, which in turn allows for change
- It can help prevent relapse
Help is available for members of the LGBTQ+ community struggling with addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. Reach out to Pride Institute today to learn more.
Discover Effective LGBTQ+ Addiction Therapy in Minneapolis at Pride Institute
Contact Pride Institute today at 952.934.7554 or via our online form for more information about the LGBTQ+ addiction therapy and treatment options available. We are here to help you break the cycle of addiction once and for all.