Counseling, basically, is a relationship in which the counselor helps clients mobilizes resources to resolve their problem and modify attitudes and values. Counseling and other behavioral therapies are effective treatments for addictions and have been among the most widely used type of interventions for treatment of addiction.
Counseling can be applied in individual or group modes by a variety of types of therapists. Each case varies according to the personality of the individual. It will be very helpful, perhaps essential, to complement individual counseling sessions with group sessions. Group counseling enables addicts to share their experiences, learn from others with similar problems, and gain support from others in their struggle for freedom from their addiction.
In addition to counseling, a patient at times may require family counseling, medication, other medical services, parenting instruction, vocational rehabilitation, and social and legal services. Family counseling is an important element in treatment because the family has played a major role during the course of the addiction and will be critical to recovery, the counselor must address the many issues conflicts and relationships among family members.
