Not everyone is acquainted with the element of neurodiversity known as “sensory-processing sensitivity.” Popularized by Ph.D. psychologist, researcher and author, Dr. Elaine Aron, and measured by various versions of her High Sensitivity scale [1], this dimension of functioning and personality represents the way in which any individual experiences & processes sensory data. Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) are described as having …
What is meant by the term “harm reduction” as a part of addiction treatment? Most agree that harm-reduction strategies are intentional interventions to reduce or minimize the harms of continued addictive use for those not committed to abstinence-based recovery. Harm-reduction methods are based on the understanding that habits exist on a continuum ranging from damaging use to abstinence, and that …
Transferring addictions (a.k.a. “replacement addiction”) is a phenomenon recognized for decades, typically defined as the functional replacement of a discontinued addiction. In treatment and recovery circles, transferring addictions has long been viewed as a significant threat to healthy, sustainable sobriety & the pursuit of a life worth living in recovery. In spite of its recognition, however, transferring addictions has not …
For the majority of time that addiction treatment has been available in the United States, the focus has been on the destructive misuse of alcohol &/or other chemical substances. However such “behavioral addictions” as gambling, compulsive sexual behavior, and an increasing variety of internet-related pursuits have gained increasing amounts of attention, as unchecked involvement has led to negative outcomes that …
Effective treatment presumes accurate understanding of any targeted condition, and the whole-person nature of behavioral health disorders therefore argues strongly in favor of integrated, whole-person approaches to improving quality-of-life and level-of-functioning for those we serve. Strides have been made, and will continue to be advanced, in the area of integrated primary care services for improved physical health. The model of …
Research consistently substantiates the high co-prevalence of posttraumatic stress with behavioral health conditions, including addictive and serious/persistent mental health disorders. The findings of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study1 have expanded our understandings of what types of lived circumstances of abuse or neglect can damage health and impair future functioning. Traumatic histories need to be recognized as an expectation rather than …
Although it is widely held that paying attention to characteristics of diversity within service populations has important impact on outcomes, the inclusion of tangible applications in practice are often lacking. Even as behavioral health systems-of-care have made progress in identifying and addressing ethnic and other cultural health disparities, other areas of diversity have gone largely under-identified and under-addressed. One area …
Accurate identification of the stage of change &/or stage of treatment that any client occupies is foundational to all that happens next! The great tragedy of behavioral healthcare in the United States is the disconnect between a multitude of treatment interventions designed for the action-stage client, and the client who is not yet action-stage ready to change. Although Motivational Interviewing1 …
As advancements continue to be made with evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence, the shape of cutting-edge behavioral health care has become increasingly clear. The following includes (but is not limited to) a list of important elements & features of effective 21st-century behavioral health service delivery, that will be featured in this blog series over the next few weeks.
Conversations about “medication-assisted treatment” or MAT as it has come to be known, can foster much debate, and in the minds of many, continues to be a controversial topic. Opinions vary. There is the stereotypical old-school position that “a drug is a drug is a drug,” which considers the inclusion of any pharmacological agent in an individual’s addictions treatment/recovery efforts as something …