People struggling with addiction can find hope and healing through rehabilitation programs. For many, considering these options can feel overwhelming. Whether you’re searching for rehabilitation solutions for yourself or helping a family member, Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center is your trusted partner. We offer hope for people seeking recovery from drug, alcohol, or process addiction. As you start this journey to sobriety, consider your options: group rehabilitation and recovery or individual rehabilitation and recovery.
While there are pros and cons to both rehab structures, studies have shown that group and individual rehab programs are equally effective. In fact, group and individual rehab are often two parts of a comprehensive recovery program. Most important to a healthy, sober lifestyle is a person’s readiness and resolve to participate in recovery.
Group Rehab
When a person in recovery participates in group rehab, they gain knowledge and skills to continue a healthy, sober lifestyle while building a system of support through their group members and recovery specialists. By gathering with people who have had similar experiences, people in recovery can learn new coping techniques, practice communication skills, and gain hope and strength from their peers. In group therapy, we introduce the addiction survivor to men and women like themselves who are facing the same struggles with substance use disorders and support the group with mental health professionals to guide healthy discussion and growth.
In a residential recovery program, group sessions are usually held daily. These regular interactions with peers and mental health professionals build the skills and strengths needed for a person in recovery to maintain their sober lifestyles when they return to the community. For group therapy to be successful, the leader requires special training in conducting group therapy sessions and managing group dynamics. For this reason, group therapy is distinct from support groups found in many communities. While these experiences are valuable in creating a support system for people in recovery, group therapy involves intentional modalities and training to realize recovery outcomes. Group therapy is based on the science of recovery and rehabilitation, whereas mutual support groups often provide benefits that aren’t bound by professional therapeutic and scientific standards.
Group therapy often presents a less costly solution than individual therapy. For many people in recovery, these cost savings are crucial to accessing care and experiencing recovery support more long-term. Group rehabilitation also taps into our natural need to relate to others, showing us no one is alone in their journey to rehabilitation and recovery.
Individual Rehab
Individual therapy involves a one-on-one treatment plan with a mental health professional – like a therapist, social worker, allied health professional, psychologist, or psychiatrist. Individual therapy can be highly beneficial in that people in recovery benefit from psychotherapy work that gets to the bottom of their individual struggles with addiction. These private sessions often lead to deeper psychological and psychiatric breakthroughs because the person in recovery builds trust quickly and does not have to worry about group dynamics or the semi-private nature of group therapy.
Individual therapy focuses on the needs of the client and the therapist’s areas of comfort and expertise. The therapist can tailor their client’s experience according to therapy outcomes they have discussed and upon which they have agreed. Through individual therapy, a person in recovery can examine their defense mechanisms, troublesome patterns of behavior, and other areas of concern while building self-awareness, self-efficacy, accountability, and, above all, trusting, healthy, and safe adult relationships.
Individual therapy and treatment can be more expensive than group therapy, creating a barrier to access for some people in recovery. In residential treatment settings, however, individual and group therapy modalities are often blended to create the best outcomes for the person in recovery. Common in these overlapping treatment plans are approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention training.
Making the Right Decisions with Palmetto
So which is right for you or your family member? The answer to that question depends on the personal preference and needs of the person in recovery, the strength of their support system, their need for accountability, desire to improve interpersonal relationships, and what support they have to meet the cost of recovery treatment programs. At Palmetto Recovery Center, we have you and your loved ones’ best interests at heart – contact us today to discuss your options and how we can help!