Author: In Balance Counseling

Do you have a loved one struggling with substance abuse or addiction? Any addiction presents a complicated problem that requires professional treatment. Those experiencing it tend to have little understanding of how it works and how hard getting sober is, which makes misconceptions about addiction commonplace. Is that why so many people create a general stigma surrounding addicts? 

Perhaps learning the truth behind these myths can improve the perception of dependence or even enhance general treatment approaches. In Balance Counseling services in Tucson focus on helping people conquer addiction and address underlying issues. Below, the team discusses four myths about addiction and how to break the cycle.

Myth #1: Someone Can Quit Their Addiction At Any Time

One of the most common misconceptions about addiction is that anyone can stop their addiction at any time. Even the strongest willpower cannot overcome addiction, particularly after the addiction has caused physical and psychological damage. Quitting on your own is almost impossible.

Instead, individualized attention from a substance abuse professional can prove invaluable in quitting an addiction. Counseling helps people address the underlying factors and gain the tools they need to get clean after extensive clinical treatments and integrative therapeutic approaches.

Myth #2: You Can’t Help People With Addictions

Many people believe that anyone addicted to drugs must be beyond help. However, all people with substance abuse disorders can get better, whether that’s through professional help and appropriate support from family members or other things that make a positive impact on someone with an addiction. 

Encouraging self-care is a great practice to promote increased self-worth in someone with low self-esteem, depression, or other underlying factors contributing to an addiction. Professional drug counselors also provide resources for coping with addiction, supporting loved ones with addiction, and navigating rehabilitation.

Myth #3: Happy People Aren’t Addicts

Another common misconception about addiction is that upbeat, happy people can’t be addicts. While death, job loss, illness, and divorce are all risk factors for addiction, they’re only some of the factors behind substance abuse issues. 

Even a person who leads a fulfilled life can develop an addiction! For example, a team like In Balance Counseling sees seemingly functional people struggle with factors such as:

• Past trauma
• Genetic predispositions
• Mental health concerns

Don’t let the smile fool you; people with successful careers and loving families can still be susceptible to addiction. 

Myth #4: All Addiction Treatments Take the Same Tack

There’s a mindset that all addiction treatment involves the same thing. In reality, addiction is a nuanced condition, and so is the treatment each person needs.

Treating substance use disorders requires a thorough understanding of the mechanisms behind the particular addiction. For example, someone with an addiction stemming from childhood trauma would require quite specific therapeutic approaches and counseling to move beyond it.

The Truth About Addiction: Help Is Possible, and You Can Move Forward

Are you or someone you love struggling with addiction? In Balance Counseling provides addiction treatment in Tucson, AZ, including exercise to support addiction recovery. We’re striving to dispel misconceptions about addiction and help people lead their best lives, so contact 520-722-9631 to learn more!

Are you concerned about a loved one’s mental health? You might wonder how to get someone to go to therapy if they don’t want help.

In Balance Counseling provides counseling services in Tucson, AZ. Keep reading to discover how we suggest you approach this difficult conversation. For help, or to learn more, contact us at 520-722-9631.

Prepare for the Discussion

To prepare for the conversation, consider your own boundaries. How much are you willing to share about your own experiences, and how much time and energy can you dedicate toward helping the person?

Find a comfortable and private space to have the conversation, turn off your phones to avoid interruptions, and make sure you schedule plenty of time so you won’t feel rushed.

Whether you’re approaching someone about couples therapy or finding help with an addiction, researching therapists beforehand can help you suggest tangible options.

Use “I” Statements

To help maintain a non-judgemental approach, focus on how you want to help and why you’re worried about the person. Instead of using statements like “you make me feel angry,” use I-focused statements, such as “I feel worried when I see you can’t stop drinking.” 

These statements help a person feel more cared for than attacked, and they’re more likely to listen rather than become defensive.

Choose Good Timing

Choose a time free of distractions such as hunger, their to-do list, or children. After dinner when the children are in bed, but before they get too tired, is an excellent time to schedule this difficult conversation.

Share Personal Experience

If you’re wondering how to get someone to go to therapy, try sharing your own experience. Don’t violate your boundaries, but sharing how therapy can help you is a great tactic for convincing someone else to go. Frame the story in the following way:

• Any doubts you had before going to therapy
• What you struggled with, and how it negatively impacted your life
• What you experienced during the process
• How has your life better since the treatment

Offer Logistical Help

Sometimes, the biggest thing keeping someone from seeking therapy is all the logistical challenges. If you can offer to help with some of the following, they might be more likely to seek therapy:

• Researching therapists
• Transportation
• Insurance and payment

Don’t Go Too Far

Seeking mental health treatment is a personal decision, and many people bring a complicated combination of skepticism, motivation, financial issues, and other factors to the conversation. While it’s important the person knows you care about them and believe therapy will make their life better, know when to stop the conversation.

Maybe all you can do is plant the seed, or maybe you can fully convince them. But if they start feeling agitated or angry, end the discussion.

Let In Balance Counseling 

Are you still wondering how to get someone to go to therapy? It’s a difficult conversation, but In Balance Counseling can help.

If you or a loved one are seeking therapy, In Balance Counseling offers compassionate and knowledgeable mental health treatment. To book an appointment, call 520-722-9631 today.

Loss or anticipating future loss is extremely difficult for people of all ages to endure. Whether it is losing a job, pet, or loved one, grief is a natural response that kids, teens, and adults may face. A common recommendation for those struggling with such loss is grief counseling, but many wonder, “What is grief counseling?”

Learn more about some key grief counseling techniques, the benefits of seeking the services, and who grief counseling can help. After reading, reach out to In Balance Counseling, a compassionate counseling center in Tucson, AZ. We offer intensive outpatient and individual counseling services.

What Is Grief Counseling?

Professional counselors can help people understand grief, process a traumatic event or situation, and share their thoughts and feelings. They can experience life after loss in a healthy way and accept the situation while making space for emotions and changes. 

You might consider seeking help for your mental health if you’re in the grieving process and experiencing major depression. Grief counseling is a safe and healthy outlet for people of all ages to manage and work through their grief symptoms. It’s especially vital if someone doesn’t have social support while grieving a loss, as counseling can offer compassion and a listening ear.

Common Techniques in Grief Counseling

Grief counselors may take different approaches based on their patients and the type of loss they’ve experienced. During grief counseling, a counselor might encourage talk therapy (discussing the loss) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to change unhealthy or negative thought patterns into positive ones. Some other techniques are acceptance and commitment therapy and complicated grief treatment.

Counselors could also use mindfulness, ritual-focused counseling, or narrative therapy to help their patients grieve a loss.

How Grief Counseling Helps People

Everyone can take something different away from their grief counseling sessions. Grief counseling often helps people to:

• Live their lives with meaning
• Honor the memories of their loved ones
• Deal with reminders of their loss
• Talk about how they feel
• Understand death and loss
• Maintain and improve their current relationships
• Decrease feelings of pain, anxiety, sadness, and more
• Navigate fears and anxieties from their grief
• Work through painful feelings

Who Can Benefit From Grief Counseling?

Grief affects people in different ways, but families and individuals can benefit from grief counseling.

• Children. Kids process grief differently and may have a harder time processing a major loss. Grief counseling gives them an outlet and place to understand loss and move forward.
• Teenagers. Many teenagers struggle to cope in a healthy way while grieving, but counseling can help.
• Adults. Some adults may have a difficult time accepting life after loss and processing emotions in a healthy manner.
• Families. Family members can disconnect after a loss or gravitate toward one another — grief counseling can address challenges.

Schedule Individual Counseling Services with Tucson’s Caring Counseling Group

Now that we’ve covered “What is grief counseling?” you might be considering seeking therapy or counseling services. You can contact In Balance Counseling in Tucson, AZ, to learn more about our individual counseling services and IOPs for substance abuse. Call us at (520) 722-9631.