The treatment industry has grown exponentially in recent years, and as a result the recovery lexicon has grown along with it. Here’s our cheat sheet to the whole scope of the terminology:
12-step/AA/NA: The most traditional and widespread approach to treating alcoholism and addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are a spiritual though not religious programs which emphasize relying on a self-defined Higher Power to help break the cycle of addiction. (There are over 30 different 12-step programs but AA/NA are the ones typically introduced in treatment.) The 12 steps involve admitting powerlessness over addiction, identifying a Higher Power, examining the past with the help of a sponsor, making amends, leading a new life with better behaviors and finally helping others through the same cycle.
Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT): Acceptance-Commitment Therapy teaches clients how to accept unpleasant feelings and not act on them in a negative way.
Adlerian Therapy: Traced originally to Alfred Adler, a 19th century Austrian psychiatrist, Adlerian Therapy is holistic in nature, focusing on the overall goals and purposes of human behavior. The social and societal motivations for behavior as well as the concept of working toward the same goal through a multitude of experiences are acknowledged. Adlerian psychology upholds, people who feel appreciated and able, will act in a way that’s community-oriented and cooperative.
Adventure Therapy: A relatively new form of psychotherapy that can incorporate games and trust building activities as well as rock climbing, rappelling, ropes courses, backpacking, canoeing, sailing and wilderness expeditions into talk therapy.
Aftercare: The most hands-off form of treatment, aftercare primarily consists of meeting for occasional group therapy with the goal of staying in touch with fellow alumni and former counselors after inpatient or outpatient. The scope of it varies depending on the rehab and can also include check-ins with alumni for months or years after treatment.
Alanon: A fellowship for friends and family members of alcoholics with its own group meetings, founded six years after AA under the same philosophical rubric. The purpose of these groups is both to provide a supportive outlet for those suffering as a result of an alcoholic loved one’s behavior, and to teach and equip them to be helpful and understanding along the way.
Amino Acid Therapy: The use of supplemental amino acids in an attempt to balance brain chemistry. Most commonly, a urinalysis test is the common indicator for neurostransmitter excretory value levels and individualized plans are developed based on those results.
ARISE: A family-oriented, gradual process model of intervention comprised of three levels of increasing intensity, with each level implemented only as needed. A holistic, non-shaming approach, Arise interventions are intended to be executed from a place of love and respect and do not involve any elements of surprise, coercion shame or secrets.
Art Therapy: One of the newer experiential therapies, art therapy teaches clients to express the issues they’re dealing with symbolically by having them draw, paint, make collages or do other art projects.
Ayurveda: A system of natural healing that is believed to have originated in India 5,000 years ago. Ayurbeda maintains that the three energies of movement, transformation and structure, also known as Vata (Wind), Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Earth), are responsible for our mind and spirit. The practice aims to establish an individual’s ideal state of balance, determine if he or she is off balance, and offer treatment via nutrition, herbs, aromatherapy, massages, music and meditation.
Behavior Modification: Therapy technique that reinforces “adaptive” behavior and punishes “maladaptive” behavior.
Big Book: The nickname for the main text for Alcoholics Anonymous.
Biofeedback: A process designed to pick up electrical signals in the muscles, biofeedback is often used to help anxious clients improve health and psychological issues by changing thoughts, emotions and behavior. Biofeedback uses real-time data from a person’s body in an effort to connect how it’s linked to what’s going on in the mind.
Bio-Psycho-Social Screen/Assessment: A series of questions and tests in which the biological, psychological and social elements of an individual are evaluated in order to formulate the most effective plan for treatment. It is often considered a holistic methodology so social workers, psychiatrists and therapists may analyze how these factors interact and then affect the person’s mental health or addiction issue. Not all medical professionals agree as to whether these elements are correlated.
CADC/CDAC/CATC/CAC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor/Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor/Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor/Certified Addiction Counselor): Credentials more and more rehabs are requiring staff members to have. Qualifications come in two levels; those with enough experience can test to move onto the next level.
CARF: Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. An international accreditation program built to verify a number of health and human service entities including child and youth services, aging services, opioid treatment programs and medical rehabilitation.
CASAC (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor): A credential similar to CADC granted in New York State.
CBT: Short for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT is a six-phase “problem-focused” therapy that helps clients identify goals and obstacles and then receive problem-solving skills to work toward or through. This can be done through discussion, imagery work or biofeedback, among other methods, in either one-on-one or group settings.
Celebrate Recovery: Born out of the Saddleback Church, Celebrate Recovery is a Christian-based program that believes that Jesus Christ is the only Higher Power. They hold gender-specific group meetings based on the words of Jesus in the Bible instead of taking any distinct psychological approach.
Co-occurring disorders: See Dual Diagnosis.
CPT: Short for Cognitive Processing Therapy, a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy specializing in the exploration of past trauma. Clinicians help individuals identify symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, develop awareness of thoughts and feelings surrounding the traumatic experience, learn skills to regularly combat these symptoms and change their belief system.
Craniosacral Therapy: A form of bodywork generally designed to stimulate cerebrospinal fluid to relieve headaches and other physical stresses. In most cases, it’s an intensive massage combined with talk therapy that’s meant to provide relief for either physical or mental challenges. The intensity of the massage and level of talk therapy depends on the individual therapist.
CSAC (Certified Substance Abuse Counselor): Specialist who oversees a person’s overall recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. Duties vary depending on circumstances but can include assessment, case management, setting treatment goals, developing healthy coping mechanisms, introducing the 12-step system, planning aftercare, communication with medical professionals, courts and families as well as leading group therapy.
CSW/LCSW/LSW/LISW/LISCW/MSW (Clinical Social Worker/Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Licensed Social Worker/Licensed Independent Social Worker/Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker/Master of Social Work): A healthcare professional with developed expertise of biological, psychological and social development as they pertain to an individual’s interpersonal relationships, environment and circumstances including trauma, mental illness or substance abuse issues. LCSWs are designated licensed because they have two years of supervised experience and passed a licensing exam in their state. Social workers often facilitate clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment execution and aftercare. The designation of “independent” or “clinical” varies depending on the state.
CTRS (Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist): A credential granted by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, a CTRS is educated and trained to execute recreational therapy, a form of treatment in which stress-reducing, confidence-building, creative and/or relaxing activities are implemented in order to improve the client’s overall health and mind set.
DBT: Short for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, this is a form of psychotherapy that’s essentially CBT’s first cousin. It’s designed to help identify and change ineffective behavior patterns by learning what triggers the behavior. Think of “dialectical” as a logical, cause-and-effect relationship between what happens to us and how we behave. Key principles include mindfulness, radical acceptance, self-soothing, emotional regulation and interpersonal skills.
Detox: A medical procedure for those who would suffer physical harm if they stopped cold turkey. In a medically assisted detox, medication—generally Suboxone, Subutex, Buprenorphine or methadone—is used to ease the harsher withdrawal symptoms. In a medically supervised detox, a medical team is on-site to monitor the health of those who are detoxing but this term is not interchangeable with a medically assisted detox. Considered far more necessary for opiates and benzodiazepines than it is for drugs like cocaine and meth, detox is not a substitute for treatment.
Dual-Diagnosis Enhanced (DDE): The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines Dual-Diagnosis Enhanced (DDE) as more symptomatc and/or functionally impaired as a result of their co-occuring mental disorder than the average Dual Diagnosis patient.
Dual diagnosis/dual diagnosis support: Dual diagnosis (also known as a co-occurring disorder) refers to someone who is afflicted with both a mental disorder and a substance abuse problem. It’s a term that can be used to describe anything from a combination of depression and addiction to psychosis or schizophrenia and addiction. Rehabs which offer dual diagnosis support are equipped to diagnose and treat both issues separately.
Ecotherapy: A nature-based approach to mental and physical healing. Also referred to as “green therapy,” “earth-centered therapy” and “nature therapy,” ecotherapy seeks to restore the inherent human connection to the earth with the intention of lifting the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
EMDR: Short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, this is a form of hypnosis designed to treat trauma. The idea is that if eye movement is put under voluntary control, the strength of traumatic memories can be weakened; it’s accomplished when EMDR practitioners work clients through traumatic memories while simultaneously having them focus on visual, auditory or tactile stimuli.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT): A form of alternative therapy where a person thinks of a specific issue while lightly tapping (or being tapped) on the end points of the body’s meridians, which are the same as acupuncture pressure points. The process is designed to desensitize emotional traumas, though some psychologists have criticized the approach as pseudoscientific.
Equine Therapy: A therapy that mines the emotionally symbiotic relationship between people and animals—in this case, horses. The idea is that the horse can help the newly sober person physically and emotionally as they learn about trust, boundaries and communication.
Evidence-Based Treatment/Practice: An increasingly popular form of treating addiction based on clearly specified psychological treatment where decisions are based on research studies; CBT and DBT are examples of evidence-based treatment and practice.
Existential Therapy: A form of psychotherapy focusing on the concept of the human condition as a whole. Existential therapists implement a positive approach to both human capabilities and limitations. They acknowledge the inherent internal conflicts and fears faced by all humans in particular meaninglessness, death, isolation and freedom and associated responsibility.
Experiential Therapy: Therapy that can involve such techniques as props and role playing as well as equine therapy, art therapy, music therapy, wilderness therapy and adventure therapy.
Expressive Therapy: Often facilitated by specialized Expressive Therapists, Expressive Therapy, is a form of psychotherapy in which action, usually through creative activities such as art, dance, music or writing, is implemented as a therapeutic technique beyond traditional talk therapy. Expressive therapy allows for clients to convey emotions, thoughts and feelings in a non-verbal form, thereby sometimes accelerating and layering the healing process.
Extended Care: Can be anything from long-term residential treatment to aftercare and alumni services; what extended care means to a particular facility should be clarified with them.
Family Program: A portion of a facility’s care program where an addict’s family members are encouraged (or sometimes mandated) to participate in therapy sessions with them. Though they vary from program to program, family programs often include education about the disease model of addiction, psychotherapy and boundary-setting exercises.
Gorski Relapse Prevention Therapy: A therapy (also known as the CENAPS Model of Relapse Prevention Therapy) developed by therapist and addiction expert Terrence T. Gorski which is made up of specific components meant to identify and prevent relapse.
Group Therapy: The most common form of treatment at most rehabs, group therapy is when a therapist or counselor leads a discussion between all or some of the treatment center’s clients (sometimes focusing on a specific topic); often considered a way to get clients comfortable with the idea of 12-step, where gaining strength through the power of the group is a mainstay.
Harm Reduction Model: A methodology in which attempts are made to decrease the detrimental consequences of drug use, acknowledge and accept some of the realities of drug culture and work with clients whose ultimate goal is abstinence but who might not be at a mental or physical point to fully quit.
Holistic Treatment: Anything from acupuncture and yoga to Tai-Chi, massage, meditation, exercise, spiritual counseling, art therapy, music therapy and more.
Individual Therapy: One-on-one sessions between a doctor, counselor or therapist and a client; not offered at all rehabs, especially the low cost ones where treatment can consist solely of group therapy.
Individualized Treatment: Different from individual therapy, individualized treatment means that a rehab crafts an entire program for each client based on exactly what that person needs—a service typically offered at only the highest-end facilities.
Inpatient: A treatment program (also known as residential treatment) where clients live on-site at a facility for an extended period of time, typically either 30, 60 or 90 days (though there are facilities that offer residential treatment for a year or more).
Integrative Therapy: Also referred to as Integrated Therapy or Integrative Psychotherapy, this type of therapy aims to combine the behavioral, cognitive and physiological elements of a personality in order to foster their operation as a cohesive unit. Belief systems are shifted so the client can approach new situations or unfamiliar circumstances with a fresh perspective.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): See Outpatient.
Intervention: An orchestrated attempt on the part of an addict’s family and friends (sometimes with the help of a professional interventionist) to convince the person to seek treatment for addiction.
Johnson: An intervention model developed by the late Episcopal priest Vernon Johnson that operates under the core belief that people are capable of making the decision to get sober themselves and usually do so as a result of several minor problems as opposed to one “rock bottom.” This model aims to inspire the person suffering to get help so he or she will benefit not only their own life but the lives of their entire family and community. This method is generally comprised of seven components, explained in more detail here.
LADC/LDAC (Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor/Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor): A professional trained (credential requirements vary by state) in assisting people heal substance abuse issues whether through private practice or a rehabilitation setting, via group and/or individual therapy.
LifeRing: A secular sober support group which stresses that individuals are the only ones who have power over their addiction. Some differences between this and AA is that there are no steps, no sponsors, no emphasis on a Higher Power and no need to label oneself an alcoholic or addict to attend (though abstinence is a requirement).
LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor): A mental health professional with a Master’s degree who combines traditional therapy with problem-solving techniques so they can treat a wider range of clients who struggle with co-occurring issues.
LPC/LPCC (Licensed Professional Counselor/Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor): A mental health professional with a Master’s degree who excels at working with individuals and families with emotional, behavioral and mental health-related issues. Title designations vary depending on the state.
LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse): A licensed practical nurse is trained to care for sick, injured, convalescent or disabled patients, usually under the supervision of an RN (registered nurse) or physicians.
Malibu Model: An approach to drug and alcohol treatment pioneered by Promises, which diverges from the Minnesota Model in avoiding group treatment in favor of individual, specialized care. The Malibu Model is also often associated with a holistic approach to recovery, with customizable treatment plans.
MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist): Licensed mental health professionals who treat the mental, emotional and and relational issues that arise from interpersonal relationships including couples and families.
Matrix Model: An intensive outpatient treatment that focuses on therapy (both individual and group), Relapse Prevention and CBT, among other treatments, for a 16-week period.
Medicare: A national social insurance program in the United States which works with 30 major insurance companies to provide medical coverage to Americans 65 and older who have paid into the program.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): A form of treatment where patients who are addicted to opiates are given medications like methadone, naltrexone and Suboxone, in some cases staying on these medications after they discharge.
Medication Management: The close medical monitoring of a person’s medication intake, side effects (both physical and mental) and interactions with other forms of treatment, including other types of medications.
Methadone: A form of opiod medication taken by mouth or via injection and often used to treat clients detoxing or trying to remain completely abstinent from stronger type of opiods. It is also sometimes prescribed as a painkiller in itself. Considered a “maintenance medication” for opioid dependency, the use of methadone and similar drugs like Suboxone as a form of medication-assisted treatment is a controversial topic in most treatment discussions.
Minnesota Model: An approach to drug and alcohol treatment pioneered by Hazelden in 1949, which marked a shift in understanding alcoholism as a multi-phasic illness and a disease separate from other mental illnesses, and stressed group treatment with other alcoholics. It follows a non-institutional tradition which treat alcoholics and addicts with dignity, and serves in large part as the jumping off point for many contemporary approaches to recovery.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET): An adaptation of Motivational Interviewing in which clients are inspired and coached toward a more self-motivated, self-driven desire for recovery. The goal with MET is a removal of any ambivalence regarding the severity of addiction and importance of addressing it. Sessions are designed to motivate and facilitate a plan of action.
Motivational Interviewing (MI): A goal-centered, non-judgmental counseling that’s designed to help clients deal with ambivalence and become motivated to change; during Motivational Interviewing, counselors are meant to ask open-ended questions, provide affirmations, listen reflectively and then give summary statements.
Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT): A form of CBT utilizing group and individual counseling alongside exercises designed to garner moral evolution in treatment-resistant clients. It was originally created to treat criminal justice offenders and sets out to change how participants define right and wrong. The aim is for clients to shift from operating at a hedonistic (pleasure vs. pain) state to a state in which they are socially conscious and aware of how their behaviors affect others.
Music Therapy: Similar to art therapy, music therapy is another expressive form of therapy that can involve either listening, singing, dancing or writing lyrics; proven to be helpful in treating mood and neurological disorders.
NAADAC: Abbreviation for The Association for Addiction Professionals, an organization comprised of addiction counselors, educators and other addiction-oriented specialists in the USA, Canada and beyond. Collectively, NAADAC works to improve the quality of care, preventive services and recovery options for individuals, families and communities at large.
Neurofeedback: A form of biofeedback that uses real-time displays of brain activity, generally using EEG (electoencephalography). It involves having electrodes placed on the head to measure brain waves and learning how to alter those waves in real time.
Neuropsychological Counseling: Therapy that focuses on brain functioning as it relates to specific psychological processes and behavior; Neuropsychologists test memory and thinking skills to evaluate the brain.
NLP: Short for Neuro-linguistic Programming, NLP is somewhat similar to hypnosis although all the “commands” are subtextual and buried in language. Though many have been influenced by it and maintain that it works (Tony Robbins, for example), others consider it a pseudoscientific approach.
Nurturing Parenting: Nurturing Programs are copyrighted and proprietary family-centered programs to treat and prevent the recurrence of child abuse and neglect. Evidence-based, they are recognized by the National Registry of Evidenced-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency (OJJDP), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Child Welfare League of America (CWLA).
Orthomolecular Therapy: A form of alternative medicine or naturopathy that focuses on vitamins and homeopathic methods to heal deeper problems—generally mental issues. Though a relatively new field, the idea is that each person has a unique genetic build which necessitates a unique vitamin and nutrient load, all with very different proportions. The maxim of this method is: “The right molecules in the right amounts.”
Outpatient: An option for those who need or desire treatment but can’t make the commitment to stay away from home and work full-time on recovery, outpatient programs offer clients many of the same options as inpatient ones, including group therapy and one-on-one counseling; outpatient clients are also generally regularly drug tested. There’s also Intensive Outpatient (IOP) , which requires a greater time commitment than regular outpatient.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): Similar to Intensive Outpatient (IOP) but an even greater time commitment and a substantial medical component as well.
Perinatal: A term referring to the time period, necessary care and health precautions preceding childbirth, especially five months prior and often extending up to one month after birth.
Person-Centered Care/Therapy/Treatment: An approach to health care that places an added emphasis on clients being “treated as persons,” in other words, recognizing that every client is a human being with different and specific physical, emotional and mental needs and strives to take all these factors into account when treating them.
Play Therapy: Generally utilized when treating children aged three to 11 but also applicable to adults, play therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which playing is used as a way to diagnose, prevent and resolve psychological issues. A play therapist observes the client playing, often with toys, in order to help create strategies to ease social anxiety, build trust, evaluate growth and resolve trauma.
Primary Care: The first phase of recovery from addiction (potentially followed by transitional and aftercare phases). It’s the basic 30-90 day program, with plenty of therapy and recovery work every day.
Psychodrama: An active method of psychotherapy where clients use role play to mimic or recreate stressful real-life situations as a way to get distance from them and see them more accurately.
Psychodynamic Processing: Therapy that studies the conscious and unconscious feelings underneath feelings and behavior.
Psychoeducation: Education and educational activities as a form of therapy and empowerment. Clients are provided insight and information about the symptoms, treatments and resources available to individuals and the families of individuals suffering from a form of mental illness. A better understanding of the mental health condition forms a better foundation for coping skills and healing strategies.
Psychologist: A Master’s-level mental health professional, generally certified either to do therapy or psychological research. Psychologists are different from psychiatrists in that they are not MD’s and thus cannot prescribe medicine. Psychotherapists and psychologists can overlap but don’t have to—others qualified to perform psychotherapy include social workers and licensed counselors.
Psychosocial: A medical term referring to a person’s psychological development as it pertains to one’s social environment. A psychosocial assessment accounts for both psychological and social factors in relation to a person’s mental health.
Qi Gong: Chinese for “life energy cultivation,” Qi Gong is a form of alternative and preventative medicine that involves meditation, rhythmic breathing and slow flowing movements to manipulate the “Qi,” or life energy. (Qi Gong is part of a wider category of Chinese martial arts, Tai Chi, which is another high-end rehab offering.)
Rapid Opiate Detox: A method of detox developed in the 1980s where an addict is sedated with anesthesia and withdrawal is induced in an effort to help addicts avoid the withdrawal symptoms. Some have criticized this method of detox as outdated and ineffective.
Rapid Resolution Therapy: Also known as RRT, Rapid Resolution Therapy is a form of hypnosis which teaches clients how their unconscious mind controls their emotions, desires and memories, specifically as it relates to healing trauma. The RRT philosophy is that access to the unconscious is necessary for lasting positive changes.
Rational Emotive Therapy/Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (RET/REBT): A form of CBT that focuses on breaking down not only rigid demands and commands (e.g., thoughts like “I should/must do this”) but also working on the way the mind can globalize negative issues and ignore positive ones.
Recovery Coaching: A therapeutic process during which clients deepen their learning, improve their performance and enhance their quality of life in sobriety. Recovery Coaches are usually trained and accredited through the International Coaching Federation.
Recovery Dynamics: A system developed by the Kelly Foundation and Joe McQuany, based on the teachings of the 12 steps. Known casually as the “Joe and Charlie” tapes, their system mostly consists of a series of video and audio tapes used to more clearly explain AA philosophy.
Reiki: A form of massage where “universal energy” is transferred through the hands.
Relapse Prevention: A CBT approach to focusing on identifying and preventing potential high-risk situations.
Residential Treatment: See Inpatient.
R.O.P.E.S. : Short for Reality Oriented Personal Experiences and not to be confused with standard high and low element ropes courses, R.O.P.E.S. is a workshop that leads participants through a variety exercises, group energizers and icebreakers in order to foster team building, problem-solving skills and trust-building. An elemental, outdoor challenge course can be utilized but is not required to facilitate this program.
Sand Play Therapy: A form of therapy where clients are guided to create out of a sand, water and miniature objects a world that represents their inner state.
Seeking Safety: An evidence-based, conscious treatment method aiming to help clients get reprieve from trauma or addiction without requiring them to describe traumatic memories or relive the traumatic situations or behaviors. This counseling model can be implemented by any clinician with access to the Seeking Safety book and/or Seeking Safety training centers.
SMART Recovery: SMART stands for Self Management and Recovery Training and is a secular response to the 12-step program (which stresses spirituality). SMART Recovery instead focuses on self-empowerment (as opposed to the “surrender to powerlessness” that AA mentions in their first step).
Stages of Change Model: A five-stage psychological model of behavior applied to addiction made up of pre-contemplation (“I don’t have a problem”), contemplation (“I might have a problem”), preparation (“I have a problem, what can I do about it?”), action (“I can and am fixing the problem”) and maintenance (“I’ve more or less fixed the problem, now just keeping an eye on it”). Relapse, of course, can happen along any of these stages, which leads the addict back to the first stage.
Step-Down: Shorthand for transitional care—basically, a recovery program with about half the treatment options or hours of an intensive primary care program.
Sober Living: A transitional care option not completely dissimilar to a halfway house; going to sober living is an intermediate step between living fully alone and being in intensive treatment. These homes vary in terms of strictness—some have drug testing and meeting requirements while others are strictly places to live.
Somatic Experiencing: A form of therapy to treat PTSD which focuses on the body sensations the client is experiencing.
Tai Chi: See Qi Gong.
Telemedicine: The transferring of a client’s medical information and status between facilities (hospitals, private practices, rehabilitation centers and the like ) via electronic communication such as smart phones, video conference, email and other forms of telecommunications technology.
Therapeutic Community: A group-based residential approach to treatment, which focuses on longer-term recovery. In the US, this generally refers to transitional care residences or sober living homes.
Transitional Care: The secondary phase of recovery for those who have successfully finished a primary care program. A little more loosely defined stage than primary care, this is the phase where someone has learned the recovery fundamentals and has more freedom but may still need a few therapy or group sessions a week to really dial it in. Transitional care is far more structured than Sober Living.
Trauma-Informed Care: Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. Often, trauma survivors can be re-traumatized by well-meaning caregivers and community service providers, thus the rise of TIC methodology.
Vivitrol: An extended release, injectable form of the medication Naltrexone, used to prevent opiate relapse after a person has safely detoxed from heroin or other opiates. Often intended for abating opiate cravings, Vivitrol blocks the effects of opioids, including pain relief or euphoric feelings. It is sometimes used to treat alcohol dependence and usually administered after a person has been on a regimen of the oral opiate withdrawal medication, Suboxone.
Wolf Therapy: One of the newest alternative therapies out, this relies on the same principles as equine therapy—basically, it puts people and wolves in the same area and lets buried emotions become revealed as a result. Trust us—you’re considering high, high-end treatment if this one’s relevant.