Traditionally, we have thought of addiction in terms of drugs and alcohol, and perhaps also gambling. But just walk down almost any street today or go into any cafe and you can see how our society has been massively transformed by 24:7 access to the internet.
For many people this has become compulsive, high-jacking hours or days a week in a pursuit that gives us little more than a brief hit. We are also drinking more coffee than ever before, and are busy busy busy, craving a break where we can stop and do nothing, and when we get one, we spend it on our phones. Social media has shifted many people away from quality of relationships onto quantity. Sex apps and pornography are having significant impacts for many people on both the quality of our lives, and the quality of our relationships. This change has also affected the way that some of us manage and avoid uncomfortable feelings. We are turning to each other for support less and less, and turning instead to smart phones, gaming, pornography, dating apps, social media, and buying things we didn’t know we ‘needed’ until the advertisement for them popped up. What’s more, is that we are even turning away from more traditional ways of avoiding drinking with alcohol use decreasing across most parts of society. This is resulting in a new wave of problematic, compulsive and addicted behaviours, never before seen by treating professionals. To make matters worse, there is a whole generation entering adulthood who have grown up using these methods as their primary emotional coping mechanism, because that is how avoidance is modelled to them by the rest of us. Whilst avoidance strategies have short-term benefits, the long-term consequences include include depression, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and addiction, to name just a few. This is because these distractions and compulsive behaviours stop us actually being able to listen to, and meet are real needs. Addiction is now recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the primary health issues facing the world, and the single largest preventable cause of death and reduction in quality of life. Most approaches, even when they call themselves ‘holistic’ are usually based in one or two theories of addiction. The problem with this is that in my 20 years experience, I’ve never met two patients with the same causes and patterns around their compulsive behaviour. To be able to effectively support all clients, you have to draw from all approaches on offer to really customise a recovery program. Most approaches, even when they call themselves ‘holistic’ are usually based in one or two theories of addiction. The problem with this is that in my 20 years experience, I’ve never met two patients with the same causes and patterns around their compulsive behaviour. To be able to effectively support all clients, you have to draw from all approaches on offer to really customise a recovery program. The Integrated Model of Addiction and Treatment is a text book that evolved from 15 years teaching Addiction Counselling at Swinburne University. This comprehensive model draws together the biological, psychological, systems and other models of substance use and addiction into a comprehensive framework that enables counsellors, case managers, support workers and other health professionals to both understand and work effectively with clients presenting with addicted behaviours. This comprehensive textbook is due for publishing mid 2020, however a chapter describing the model can be downloaded by clicking on the icon below. A 2-page summary of the chapter can be downloaded HERE. |
WorkshopsThis one or two-day workshop for counsellors, therapists and psychologists summaries the 13 week training I give to university postgraduates. It begins by exploring what it is that makes us so vulnerable to these behaviours and provides strategies to help people bring them back under control. We look at different types of emotional avoidance as well as the common developmental origins of these types using a trauma/attachment lens. Then we integrate Emotion-Focused therapy and contemporary neuropsychology to both formulating these clients, and to developing a healthy and beneficial way of engaging and processing their emotions.
Key learning outcomes (not all included in the 1-day workshop)
Download a workshop flyer below: |