Recent research suggests that we must take into account several findings when we design treatments for emothinal disorders.

Here are a handful of the many evidence-based findings which help us design therapy.

  1. Psychotherapy really does help.

On average, 8–16 session will significantly help the 80% of clients with acute problems.


For chronic problems, 50–100 hours of therapy will significantly help another 10%.


Only about 10% of patients need long-term help beyond 2 years, but when they receive it, they cope and function more effectively. Those would be, for example, clients with psychiatric disabilities, couples with marital linked to addiction problems, clients with an accumulation of early life trauma and damaged early attachments, to name a few.

  2. Recent research suggest that in 90% of cases, therapy does not ned to be a lengthy process, but it may need to be rapidy accessed, intensive at the beginning, flexible, and specifacally designed to be brief.

By offering these methods, we have selected approaches which are designed to produce a rapid response...

psychotherapy, AODA counseling, family therapy, in-home treatment, specialized chemical dependency and substance abuse assessment and counseling, marriage counseling, recovery counseling, Cognitive Behavioural Counseling, Solution Focused Counseling, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

  3. For PTSD, traumatic and painful experiences, phobias and panic attacks, talking it through is important for improving behavior, but desensitization is the method for eliminating the emotional pain.

  4. For depressions and several other disorders, cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy prove to have the largest impact upon recovery, more so than any other treatment.

  5. For depressions, the client is at risk for relapse after recovery and may need a year or two of intermittent contact to ensure recovery.

  6. Medications can often assist by speeding recovery or supporting long-term success. This is a list of some of the most used medication which help with psychiatric problems.

Suboxone has proven to be a boon to trastment of heroin dependency; ReVia (naltrexone) and Campral (acamprosate) have been helping reduce relapses and cravings in those who have stopped smoking.


The newer anti-depressants—Prozac (fluxetine), Paxil (parexetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Effexor (venlafaxine), Remaron (mirtazaoine), Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Welbutrin (buproprion)—have been helping with depression and associated anxiety.


Prozac, fluvoamine, and an older anti-depressant, Anafranil (clomipramine), are helpful for OCD.


For ADHD, amphetamines auch as dextroamphetamine and Adderall, and derivative of methylphenidate such as Ritalan, Concerta, Focain, Methylin, and Metadate, and a new class of medications including Strattera (atomoxetine) often produce dramatic improvements.


Atypical anti-psychotics—Clozaril (clozapine), Risperdal (risperidone), Seroquel (queetiapine), Zyperxa (olanzapine), Abilify (aripiprazole), Geodon (zprasidone)—have made an enormous difference in the managemetn of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, borderline states.


Some of the anti-psychotics have helped bipolar disorder patients, but the drugs most often used for bipolar (manic, depression) are lithium, Bepakote (divalproex), Lamictal (lamotrigine), Neurontin (gabapentin), Tegretol (carbamazepine).


Older medications such as Tricyclic Antidepressants and a range fo anti-psychotics are still widely used.

Newer sleep medications are now available—Ambien (zolpidem), Lunesta (eszopiclone), Sonata (zaleplon), in addition to some of the older sleep medications, anti-anxiety medications (such as Restoril (temazepam), and anti-depressants which aid sleep (such as trazadone).

A few very important points about medications:

Expect results, but for some medications the results are immediate and some are designed to take 3-6 weeks to be fully effective. Check with your doctor.


More than one prescription may be needed in order to help with all the problems you've trying to change.


Use medicaitons only as prescribed.


Make sure the doctor knows your whole medical history and all your symptoms. Some medications should not be given to those with a history of heart or liver problems, allergies to medication, tics, etc. The doctor needs to know the history in order to make the best choices.


Ask your doctor when you should discontinue a medication.


Remember that some medications need to be taken only as needed, some for weeks, some for months, ans some indefinitely. Some will work if taken ony as needed, but many will only work if taken very regularly. Your counselor or doctor can explain further.


Do Medications Cure the Problem? Generally medications
help therapy work better
help you start to see results sooner
help you function better despite the problem

  7. For ADHD, the combination of a well-designed medicaiton regime and behavioral family therapy is most often effective.

  8. For addictions, confrontational methods are not as effective as enhancing motivation, challenging thinking patterns, and teaching clients how to refuse drugs (and alcohol) and to cope with their previous patterns of using addictive chemicals. Research shows compulsive behaviors, such as pathological gambling, are almost indistinguishable in the brain to cocaine addiction and other compulsions. So the methods to help are similar.

  9. Also for addictions, long term follow up is essential to recovery.

10. For long-term recovery from addiction, including the family or partner in counseling produces the highest percentage of clients who continue to remain abstinent.

11. For clients with both addiction and mental illness, both sets of problems have to be treated simultaneously by therapists equally well-trained in both areas.

12. For PTSD, the International Society for the Study of Stress has approved EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) as the two methods with solid evidence for efficacy in removing traumatic emotional pain. EMDR has proven to be an effective an rapid treatment.

13. Child behavioral problems, such as defiance, are usually best treated with Family Behavior Therapy.

Psychotherapy Works. We use this information to select the best approach to helping clients COMPETE RECOVERY AT SHOREHAVEN.