Types of Therapy for Addiction: Evidence-Based Practices

Therapy for Addiction and Mental Health

While being clean from drugs and alcohol is a great start, it takes more than just willpower and good intentions to recover from addiction. Structured, evidence-based therapy helps to heal the psychological, behavioral, and emotional effects that drug and alcohol addiction has on a person, as well as their co-occurring mental health disorders.[1] Therapies allow clients to develop a better understanding of what causes them to use drugs and alcohol, develop new coping skills that will allow them to stay clean, rebuild their lives and their relationships, and begin restoring their self-esteem.

All In Solutions provides our clinical team with access to multiple therapy types, all of which are evidence-based and selected based on the client’s needs, treatment goals, and level of care. Whether they are processing trauma, learning to regulate their emotions, or identifying the thoughts and feelings that lead them to use drugs and alcohol, there is a type of therapy appropriate for where they are in their recovery.

Therapies for substance use and mental health recovery

All In Solutions provides our clinical team with access to multiple therapy types, all of which are evidence-based and selected based on the client’s needs, treatment goals, and level of care.

Individual Therapy

Individual therapy provides you with the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a licensed clinician and to explore how addiction has affected you personally. The therapist’s role is to help you create or modify your personalized treatment plan, assist you in working through the anxiety and pain that you carry from your past, and support you to become more self-aware so you can engage on a long-term basis in your recovery journey.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is one of the most powerful and effective therapy interventions employed in addiction recovery. Clients process common clinical material with other clients, build accountability with one another, reduce feelings of isolation, build social skills, and create lasting human connections to sustain their sobriety once treatment ends.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most widely used and researched evidence-based therapies for addiction and mental health.[2] CBT helps you to identify and change your negative thoughts and false beliefs and how they impact your addiction, and enables you to replace negative thought patterns with positive, accurate thinking about yourself that supports your abstinence and long-term recovery.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy was developed to treat borderline personality disorder; however, it has become an integral part of substance use disorder treatment and treatment of co-occurring mental health disorders. DBT teaches four skill areas that will help you manage your recovery journey: mindfulness, managing distress or crisis situations, developing emotional regulation skills, and developing effective interpersonal skills.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy (DBT)

EMDR is an effective evidence-based therapy developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help your brain process traumatic experiences, reduce emotional distress, and allow you to integrate your traumatic experiences with your current mental health without being led to a state of paralysis. EMDR therapy works well for clients whose addiction is rooted in unresolved trauma.[3]

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, client-centered, evidence-based approach to helping clients explore their intrinsic motivations for change. MI focuses on helping clients commit to treatment without using external pressure to motivate them and is particularly effective when clients are in the early stages of recovery.

12-Step Focused

12-step integration is a key component of structured addiction treatment at facilities like All In Solutions. Clients are introduced to core 12-step principles, attend meetings, and begin building a sober support network. This approach encourages accountability, personal growth, and ongoing peer connection, helping individuals maintain long-term recovery beyond formal treatment.

Integrated Family Therapy

Family therapy integrates therapy and addiction treatment in a safe and strategic way to strengthen recovery by including the entire family in the process. When families participate in structured therapy sessions together, they are able to improve communication, mend relationships, and acquire the skills needed to support recovery in positive ways without supporting ongoing substance use.

Holistic Therapies

12-step integration is a key component of structured addiction treatment at facilities like All In Solutions. Clients are introduced to core 12-step principles, attend meetings, and begin building a soHolistic therapies are used as part of an overall clinical approach with the goal of treating the whole person, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as addressing the clinical issues associated with addiction. Holistic modalities can be integrated into a treatment plan to address the specific needs of each client and can be delivered alongside evidence-based therapies to provide the best opportunities for success.ber support network. This approach encourages accountability, personal growth, and ongoing peer connection, helping individuals maintain long-term recovery beyond formal treatment.

Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy uses breath, movement, and mindful practice to help clients regulate their emotions, manage stress, and improve their physical health in recovery. Research shows that yoga can serve as an effective complementary therapy for individuals with anxiety disorders, PTSD, and substance use disorders, allowing them to create a better relationship with both their bodies and their emotions.[4]

Art Therapy

Art therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses creative expression as an outlet for emotions and experiences that might be difficult to articulate in traditional talk therapies. This modality is particularly beneficial for individuals who have experienced trauma, allowing them to process their internal experience and communicate about it in a contained and supported therapeutic environment.

Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy allows the client to examine the story they tell themselves about themselves and their life. By separating the individual from the problem and exploring the larger context of their experiences, narrative therapy allows the client to develop a new identity based on recovery rather than addiction or mental illness.

Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Addiction and Mental Health

What are the most effective evidence-based therapies for addiction?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are among the most thoroughly studied and utilized therapies for addiction. All of these therapies are supported by the federal government and the American Psychological Association as evidence-based practices, with substantial evidence for use with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders.

What is the difference between evidence-based and holistic therapies?

Evidence-based therapies have been validated by controlled, scientific studies and are widely accepted by professional organizations and governmental bodies as effective means to treat the behavioral and psychological aspects of addiction. Holistic therapies focus on the complete person — including the mind, body, and spirit — and include complementary approaches such as yoga therapy, art therapy, and mindfulness. All In Solutions incorporates both evidence-based and holistic approaches as a unified treatment approach rather than separate options.

What are the goals of therapy in addiction treatment?

Therapy goals vary based on individual needs but may include obtaining insight into the underlying causes of substance use, building coping skills for managing impulsivity and triggers, improving emotional regulation, building healthy relationships, managing co-occurring mental health challenges, and developing a relapse prevention plan. Therapy goals are re-evaluated and updated consistently throughout treatment in collaboration with both the client and the clinical team.

Who needs therapy as part of addiction treatment?

The vast majority of individuals receiving addiction treatment require access to structured therapy. Substance use disorders are complex conditions with psychological, behavioral, emotional, and traumatic components that require the support of a qualified clinical professional to be managed. The intensity of therapy required will vary depending upon the client’s specific needs, their treatment plan, and level of care, but all clients will require therapy as part of their recovery.

How are therapy goals set at All In Solutions?

Therapy goals are established collaboratively between the client and their primary therapist when developing an individualized treatment plan at the beginning of treatment. They consist of objectives that are clear, clinically relevant, and re-evaluated throughout the treatment process. As the client progresses through their treatment program, their treatment plan and therapy goals are updated to reflect their changing needs and accomplishments.

Take the First Step Toward a Better Life

Ready to Find the Right Therapies for You?

Each person’s recovery journey is unique, and an appropriate combination of therapy approaches can make a significant difference. If you have any questions about recovery or would like to know more about our services, please reach out to our admissions team.

Sources

[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Substance use disorder treatment for people with co-occurring disorders. https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep20-06-04-006.pdf

[2] McHugh, R. K., Hearon, B. A., & Otto, M. W. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 33(3), 511–525. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897895/

[3] Cornelius-White, J., Kanamori, Y., Keser, Z., et al. (2024). The effectiveness of EMDR with individuals experiencing substance use disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. https://doi.org/10.1891/EMDR-2022-0046

[4] Cramer, H., Anheyer, D., Saha, F. J., & Dobos, G. (2018). Yoga for posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and Anxiety, 35(9), 830–843. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22762

Addiction & Mental Health Therapies at All In Solutions