general treatment goal of CBT is to reduce symptoms by uncoupling the pairing between the stimulus events and their replication and the depressive or anxiety response.
The interventions as listed above will include assisting Mrs. Lopez in identifying those internal and external environmental triggers that lead her to abuse drugs, contemplate suicide, and otherwise engage in risk-taking behaviors.
Group therapy will be employed to assist Mrs. Lopez in creating a support network (Najavits, Weiss, & Liese, 1996). Visual aids, education for the patient role, teaching for generalization, and teaching of functional behavior and self-control skills to manage overwhelming affects will be incorporated into the group and individual CBT.
CBT was selected because it offers a comprehensive strategy for assisting the client in identifying, changing, and stopping negative thoughts. It also, properly used, helps patients to address causal or precipitating events and reframe those experiences in a more positive light (Heifner, 1999). By adding interpersonal CBT sessions to the group format, the precipitating events that initiated a cycle of drug abuse and risky behavior on the part of Mrs. Lopez will be identified and worked through while she simultaneously enhances her ability to cope with new environmental stimuli and triggers.
The plan consists of the following:
1) Continued participation in the facilityÆs 12-step program for substance abusers, a program that is mandatory for inmates admitted with substance abuse issues or alcoholism. Weekly or more frequent meetings are required.
2) Group therapy employing CBT and its techniques, offered to Mrs. Lopez no less than once per week for the duration of her stay in the facility.
3) Individual CBT with a counselor or therapist, offered at least twice weekly for the first three months and then reduced if indicated to a single weekly session. Mrs. Lopez will be aske...