This webinar presents a psychological and psychotherapeutic approach to understanding and treating addiction, informed by the presenter’s five decades of experience working with diverse patient populations across a wide range of substance use disorders (SUDs) involving alcohol, opioids, cocaine, and other psychoactive drugs. His work spans multiple settings, from inpatient and outpatient programs to private office-based and internet-based practice. He will share insights into effective treatment strategies, focusing on how mental health professionals, regardless of theoretical background, can build on their existing skills to address both the behavioral and psychological dimensions of addiction.

For psychotherapists and others in the mental health field, it is well-recognized that behavior change alone often falls short in overcoming addiction. When complex psychological issues remain unrecognized and unaddressed, substance use frequently serves as a coping mechanism for managing overwhelming emotions and psychological distress, making relapse likely or even inevitable. This webinar explores how sustained abstinence, while beneficial, does not fully resolve underlying emotional difficulties. These unresolved issues, unless adequately identified and addressed, may continue to drive cravings and self-medication urges long after substance use has ceased.

This webinar will describe key principles and practices of treatment that blend together psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, client-centered, and pharmacological interventions. And, how key elements of seemingly disparate approaches can be blended together to provide effective individualized care. The integrated psychotherapeutic approach described in this webinar is transtheoretical in the sense that it does not view one conceptual framework or theoretical orientation as superior to all others. Rather, it appreciates that each has something to offer to greater or lesser degrees depending on the particulars of a given case. A flexible nondogmatic stance that gives priority to establishing and maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship with each patient is seen as the primary vehicle for delivering truly individualized care. Participants will learn how they can build upon the clinical skills they already have to engage and treat patients with SUDs more effectively in psychotherapy practice and/or other clinical settings.

Instructor: Arnold Washton, PhD

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