Treatment for Substance Abusers in the Therapeutic Community

1

• Treatment for Substance Abusers in the
  Therapeutic Community

2
Therapeutic Communities

• Highly structured, comprehensive
• Designed for addicts with psycho-social deficits,
  antisocial patterns, criminal behavior
• Inpatient or outpatient 6 months or longer
• Problem is multifaceted.
• Drug dependence is a symptom, not the essence of
  the disorder.

3
TC Programs

• Focus on
• socialization
• positive value formation
• education
• Appropriate for hard core users involved in anti
  social activities.
• Not specific to particular class of drugs.

4
TC Goals

• Rehabilitation of the total individual
• Changing behaviour and attitudes
• Development of drug-free lifestyle
• Strengthen Family Millue Concept
• Reduction of Criminal Activities
• Strengthen family value system

5
Primary Goals of Treatment in Therapeutic
Community

• Reduction of substance abuse and related criminal
  activity.
• Reduction of relapse and recidivism.
• Promotion of pro-social behaviour.
• Reintegration into society

6
TC Elements

• Self-contained residential programs
• Drug-free supervised abstinence
• Trained staff, former addicts, peers who
  role-model successful personal change
• Emphasize peer self-help
• Accountability and confrontation
• Feedback and confrontation of behaviour and
  attitudes self-disclosure
• Highly structured progressively demands more
  responsibility/provides more freedom

7
More TC Elements

• Group encounter sessions
• Social and vocational skills
• Practice in real life situations
• Attention to attitudes and behavior
• Individual and group therapy
• Recreation
• Drug education
• Family, legal, medical, and social services

8
T.C. Internal Core Elements

• Change or modify behavior
• Teach pro-social values and skills
• Encourage on-going exploration and growth in
  inter/intra-personal relationships
• Encourage development of active, inquiring
  attitude toward learning

9
Therapeutic Communitylooks like

• Behavior Management
• Emotional / Psychological
• Intellectual / Spiritual
• Vocational / Survival Skills

10
T.C. Core Element Emotional Exploration and
Growth

• Group format has highest long-term positive
  outcomes
• Here and now vs. there and then
• One-to-one counseling/therapy
• develop trusting relationship
• work through problems around negotiating
  treatment
• Identify sensitive issues

11
Aftercare and Outpatient Programs

• The primary therapeutic relationship is between
  the person and the group
• Achieve and maintain abstinence while living in
  the community.
• Halfway houses, satellite housing, sober living
  environments.
• Allows for longer-term support.
• Aftercare and Outpatient programs are considered
  to be a low intervention approach, appropriate
  for the low-risk substance abusers.

12
Aftercare and Outpatient Considerations

• Motivation for treatment
• Everyone gives and receives help.
• The individual is responsible for recovery.
• Individual responsibility is reinforced by shared
  decision making.
• Ability to discontinue substance abuse
• Social support system
• Employment situation
• Past treatment history

13
Halfway Houses, Independent Living program,
Sober Living Environments

• A group of people with alcohol and/or drug
  problems living together in a formal, therapeutic
  arrangement and abiding by the rule of
  abstinence.
• Transitional living facilities
• Provides supportive environment
• Rehabilitation services
• Small, homelike, informal,
• Residents encouraged to work

14
Conclusion

• Man Helping man to help himself

Thank you and Welcome to our world