Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

At St. Gregory Recovery Center, we utilize a powerful technique known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in our recovery program.

An individual’s behavior patterns are learned and developed through a cognitive process. It is through this process that we form feelings, beliefs, and perceptions about whom we are, what we are capable of, and what things are important to us.

The conclusions derived from this process shape our behavior patterns as well. People tend to form behaviors around beliefs (good or bad) that are perceived to be rational based on past experiences. Unfortunately, this process is not foolproof. If it were, there would be no irrational thoughts or behaviors such as those we find in the lives of those struggling with an addiction.

Feelings of depression and low self-esteem, for instance, are common, usually the driving forces in the cycle of addiction. These feelings are often the result of irrational, self-defeating beliefs that stem from unhealthy or dysfunctional cognitive abilities. That’s where Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) comes in.

CBT helps a person identify and change dysfunctional thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. This means developing skills for modifying beliefs, identifying distorted thinking, relating to others in different ways, and changing behaviors. Treatment is based on collaboration between the patient and the program, and on challenging unreasonable beliefs. It is essential to learn the skills necessary to modify and retrain the “thought” process before those thoughts continue to produce ever stronger cravings for drugs and/or alcohol.

The St. Gregory Recovery Program is a unique, evidence-based treatment program developed from the work of a number of leading behavioral experts, including Dr. James Prochaska, Dr. Carlo DiClemente, and Dr. Theresa Moyers. The St. Gregory program emphasizes the role of empathy, specific guidance regarding personal choices, the management of resistance, support for change, and a plan for success, all protocols identified as best practices.

The program is delivered in sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and the Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change), a process that enhances an individual’s readiness to act on new healthier behavior and provides strategies or processes of change to guide the individual through the stages of change to action and maintenance.

Why is this important?

At St. Gregory Recovery Center, the evidence-based therapies we use have proven to be the most successful. While other therapies may work for some, our goal is to provide the very best chance at a permanent recovery for as many people as possible.

Our program is based on a very simple philosophy: Your thoughts turn into your beliefs, your beliefs turn into actions, your actions turn into habits, your habits create your character, and your character defines your life. People need to change their thoughts to reach different outcomes, and CBT provides the most successful method of changing habits so people can achieve their life goals.