Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: An Alternative Approach to Addictions

This book presents an innovative model for the treatment of clients with alcohol and substance abuse problems. For the first time, the goals and methods of harm reduction are incorporated into a multidimensional psychotherapeutic approach.

Demonstrating that traditional approaches to addictions fall short for many substance abusers with psychological problems, this book shows how effective therapeutic work can be conducted with clients still using alcohol or other drugs. For the first time, the goals and methods of harm reduction are incorporated into a comprehensive psychotherapeutic approach - one that can be initiated without waiting for, or insisting on, abstinence. Clinicians learn concrete strategies for assessing the client's personality, behaviors, and resources, enhancing motivation for change, making collaborative treatment decisions, and implementing a range of different interventions.

Part I: Overview of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. What Is Harm Reduction? The Development of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. Part II: Harm Reduction Psychotherapy in Action. The Treatment Program: Assessment as Treatment. Treatment Design: How to Think about a Case. Clinical Cases Using Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. Dual- and Multidiagnosis Patients. Part III: Integrating the New with the Old. Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: Applications and Adjustments. Appendices: Overview of Psychoactive Drugs. References for Specific Drug Effects. History of Drugs and Attitudes toward Them. Self-Help Reading List. Alternative Self-Help and Professional Resources. Specific Treatment Modalities/ Techniques.