In drug and alcohol rehab centers it is not possible to be all things to all people.  It seems that some drug and alcohol rehab programs are trying this, but how can this make sense?  What I am talking about are programs that profess to be both 12 step and cognitive based at the same time.  How can this be? 

If you follow the 12 steps you must at some point come to accept that you are powerless over drugs and alcohol.  You then are to turn it over to a higher power, what ever you believe that to be.  This may seem like an over simplification, but these are part of the foundation of 12 step.

Cognitive Based Therapy (CBT) is based on the foundation that distorted patterns of thinking are the basis of behavior that does not support your desired goals and lifestyle.  You control these patterns and have the ability to change them. 

How can you teach both of these methods to clients.  In the morning you tell them they are powerless, and need to seek help outside of you, and the afternoon you tell them they control their destiny and are the source of the change.  I can see from a marketing point of veiw how it might make sense to say you teach both methods, but how can you have credibility with such opposite points of view?  I don't think you can. 

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 at 7:36 am and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.