Steps to Recovery – Lehigh Valley

Alcohol
Using alcohol as a coping mechanism, or drinking excessively throughout the week, signals an alcohol use disorder.

Co-Occurring Disorders
A person with multiple mental health diagnoses, such as addiction and depression, has co-occurring disorders also called dual diagnosis.

Depression
Symptoms of depression may include fatigue, a sense of numbness, and loss of interest in activities. This condition can range from mild to severe.

Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is the excessive and repetitive use of substances, despite harmful consequences to a person’s life, health, and relationships.

1-on-1 Counseling
Patient and therapist meet 1-on-1 to work through difficult emotions and behavioral challenges in a personal, private setting.

Trauma-Specific Therapy
This form of talk therapy addresses any childhood trauma at the root of a patient’s current diagnosis.

Art Therapy
Visual art invites patients to examine the emotions within their work, focusing on the process of creativity and its gentle therapeutic power.

Experiential Therapy
With this approach, patients heal by doing. Therapists help patients process difficult emotions to speak, using guided activities like art or dance.

Expressive Arts
Creative processes like art, writing, or dance use inner creative desires to help boost confidence, emotional growth, and initiate change.

Family Therapy
Family therapy addresses group dynamics within a family system, with a focus on improving communication and interrupting unhealthy relationship patterns.

Life Skills
Teaching life skills like cooking, cleaning, clear communication, and even basic math provides a strong foundation for continued recovery.

Medication-Assisted Treatment
Combined with behavioral therapy, prescribed medications can enhance treatment by relieving withdrawal symptoms and focus patients on their recovery.

Motivational Interviewing
Based on the idea that motivation to change comes from within, providers use a conversational framework to discover personalized methods for change.

Psychodrama Therapy
Patients act out real or imagined scenarios under a therapist’s guidance. These exercises foster creative thought, sponteneity, and problem-solving skills.

Relapse Prevention Counseling
Relapse prevention counselors teach patients to recognize the signs of relapse and reduce their risk.

Stress Management
Patients learn specific stress management techniques, like breathing exercises and how to safely anticipate triggers.

Twelve Step Facilitation
12-Step groups offer a framework for addiction recovery. Members commit to a higher power, recognize their issues, and support each other in the healing process.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
This cognitive behavioral therapy teaches patients to accept challenging feelings and make the appropriate changes to reach personal goals.

Grief and Loss
Grief is a natural reaction to loss, but severe grief can interfere with your ability to function. You can get treatment for this condition.

ADHD, ADD
ADHD is a common mental health condition caused by dopamine imbalance. Common symptoms include inattention, hyperactivitiy, and impulsivity.

Alcohol
Using alcohol as a coping mechanism, or drinking excessively throughout the week, signals an alcohol use disorder.

Anger
Although anger itself isn’t a disorder, it can get out of hand. If this feeling interferes with your relationships and daily functioning, treatment can help.

Anxiety
Anxiety is a common mental health condition that can include excessive worry, panic attacks, physical tension, and increased blood pressure.

Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep issues. They are highly habit forming, and their abuse can cause mood changes and poor judgement.

Bipolar
This mental health condition is characterized by extreme mood swings between depression, mania, and remission.

Burnout
Burnout entails mental and physical exhaustion, and leads to a severe lack of fulfillment. This condition is often caused by overwork.

Chronic Relapse
Consistent relapse occurs repeatedly, after partial recovery from addiction. This condition requires long-term treatment.

Co-Occurring Disorders
A person with multiple mental health diagnoses, such as addiction and depression, has co-occurring disorders also called dual diagnosis.

Cocaine
Cocaine is a stimulant with euphoric effects. Agitation, muscle ticks, psychosis, and heart issues are common symptoms of cocaine abuse.

Codependency
Codependency is a pattern of emotional dependence and controlling behavior. It’s most common among people with addicted loved ones.

Depression
Symptoms of depression may include fatigue, a sense of numbness, and loss of interest in activities. This condition can range from mild to severe.

Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is the excessive and repetitive use of substances, despite harmful consequences to a person’s life, health, and relationships.

Ecstasy
Ecstasy is a stimulant that causes intense euphoria and heightened awareness. Abuse of this drug can trigger depression, insomnia, and memory problems.

Heroin
Heroin is a highly addictive and illegal opioid. It can cause insomnia, collapsed veins, heart issues, and additional mental health issues.

Internet Addiction
Internet addiction is common among children teens. This compulsive disorder can damage relationships, school performance, sleep habits, and physical health.

Psychedelics
Hallucinogenic drugs—like LSD—cause euphoria and increased sensory experiences. When abused, they can lead to depression and psychosis.

Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine, or meth, increases energy, agitation, and paranoia. Long-term use can result in severe physical and mental health issues.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCD is characterized by intrusive and distressing thoughts that drive repetitive behaviors. This pattern disrupts daily life and relationships.

Opioids
Opioids produce pain-relief and euphoria, which can lead to addiction. This class of drugs includes prescribed medication and the illegal drug heroin.

Prescription Drugs
It’s possible to abuse any drug, even prescribed ones. If you crave a medication, or regularly take it more than directed, you may have an addiction.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is a long-term mental health issue caused by a disturbing event or events. Symptoms include anxiety, dissociation, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts.

Self-Harm
The act of intentionally harming oneself, also called self-injury, is associated with mental health issues like depression.

Stress
Stress is a natural reaction to challenges, and it can even help you adapt. However, chronic stress can cause physical and mental health issues.

Suicidality
With suicidality, a person fantasizes about suicide, or makes a plan to carry it out. This is a serious mental health symptom.

Synthetic Drugs
Synthetic drugs are made in a lab, unlike plant-based drugs like mushrooms. Most synthetic drugs are either stimulants or synthetic cannabinoids.

Trauma
Some traumatic events are so disturbing that they cause long-term mental health problems. Those ongoing issues can also be referred to as ‘trauma.’