Young Adult Individualized Therapy at Bedrock

Millions of young adults are living with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health issues.

While a young adult can benefit from many standard therapies, they often require a more tailored approach to achieve the same success rates as adults over the age of 25.

In the case of young adults, individualized therapy focuses on age-specific challenges and the unique risk factors that may lead to drug addiction or alcohol misuse.

Addiction And Young Adults

Substance abuse remains a common health problem among young adults aged 18 to 25, a group that makes up around 10% of the population in the United States.

Among these young adults, one-third reported binge alcohol use, and one-fifth reported drug use in the last month.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that young adults are the biggest abusers of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulants, anti-anxiety drugs, and opioids.

Drug and alcohol addiction is especially dangerous for young people because their brains are still growing and developing, and they are at a high risk of long-term addiction.

Age-Specific Challenges In Addiction Recovery

One of the biggest challenges that young adults face in addiction recovery is that their brains are not fully developed, as most young adults’ brains are not fully developed until age 25.

The last portion of the brain to develop is the prefrontal cortex, which aids in emotional regulation, judgment, and self-control, all of which are crucial to an individual’s recovery journey.

Young adults are also uniquely vulnerable to social pressure.

This can be a challenge, especially after finishing treatment, as it is crucial to stay away from people who may tempt you to abuse substances. Breaking these ties can be especially difficult for young adults.

The Importance Of Young Adult Individualized Therapy At Bedrock

While Bedrock doesn’t offer group therapy focusing on young adults, we ensure that young patients receive dedicated care in addition to other group therapies.

The benefits provided to younger patients include more one-on-one time with a therapist, more family involvement, and support for ongoing education.

Increased Time With A Therapist

Bedrock Recovery Center offers increased time with a therapist for young people in addiction treatment.

Increased time allows the therapist to focus closely on the patient’s needs and address co-occurring disorders, including mental health disorders and other factors.

Increased Family Involvement

Family members play an essential role in substance use disorder treatment.

Studies show that support from family, as well as strong values, can prevent young adults from developing a drug or alcohol addiction.

Increased family involvement in treatment seeks to provide support to the individual to reduce substance use and address problems within the family to assist in the recovery process.

Skill Development And Coping Strategies

Bedrock uses evidence-based psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and psychoeducation to teach coping strategies and various skills.

CBT teaches individuals how to change unhealthy thinking patterns to improve their overall well-being.

CBT may also be used to treat a variety of dual-diagnosis disorders with substance use, such as depression or anxiety.

DBT seeks to balance acceptance of a situation, the person’s challenges, and the benefits of change. DBT helps an individual learn new skills and improve existing skills, such as emotional regulation.

Psychoeducation teaches people information about a particular subject around substance use, such as mindfulness exercises, relapse prevention strategies, information about detox, aftercare, and levels of care.

Social Skills And Relationship Building

Bedrock provides both group therapy sessions and 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), which teach social skills and help people build relationships.

These group therapy sessions provide the ability to create bonds with like-minded people with
similar experiences while increasing communication skills, the ability to interpret emotions, and problem-solving skills.

Goals Setting

Goal setting is used at Bedrock as a collaborative process between clinicians and patients.

Clinicians and patients work together to outline specific goals the individual would like to achieve while at the treatment center and actionable steps that the patient can take to meet those goals.

Goal setting also facilitates a treatment plan between the therapist and patient while the person is in outpatient or residential treatment.

Goal setting in treatment may enhance the quality of treatment and aid in treatment retention.

Continuous Evaluation

During recovery, continuous evaluation is often necessary to see how far a person has come and what goals they have achieved.

At Bedrock, continuous evaluation is used during detoxification and other treatment phases to monitor for post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), symptoms that arise that may require medication, and transitioning between levels of care.

Continuous evaluation with a clinician may also hold the individual accountable and prevent relapse.

Ask About Addiction Recovery Programs For Young Adults At Bedrock

If you or a loved one are looking for inpatient, residential, or outpatient addiction treatment programs in Massachusetts, we can help.

Contact Bedrock Recovery Center to learn how we can help you with addiction recovery.