To successfully recover from addiction, a client must first build trust with their treatment providers. However, this is easier said than done for many people. For some, it can be not easy to extend trust to others. Many reasons for this often stem from trauma and negative past experiences. In other cases, people may fear being judged or ridiculed for struggling with an addiction. All of these fears are valid for those experiencing them and can make it difficult to extend trust to others.
It's important to remember that mental health professionals do not become the experts they are because they want to put down or judge others. They want to help people to feel better and heal from the troubles that continuously hurt them. A true mental health professional would never judge or belittle someone for needing help. This is especially true at places like Pathways Wellness Center, where many staff members are in recovery. They have been in the shoes of many of their clients before and understand the fear and uncertainty that comes from entering addiction treatment.
Addiction treatment is only effective if the client is willing to accept help and cooperate. To do that, the client needs to build trust with their provider. It's okay if someone doesn't trust their provider right away, especially if they have been victims of abuse or trauma. Treatment providers work hard to earn this trust and show their clients that they are safe. Clients have a lot of power when it comes to their treatment, but stigma often makes them feel powerless.
That's why at Pathways Wellness Center, care is taken to help clients and providers build trust between each other. When trust is established, it helps clients get the treatment they need to overcome their addiction and achieve recovery. It's understood that trust is a difficult thing for many people. This is why clients are given reasons to trust their providers, rather than be expected to blindly trust them. Before these reasons can be addressed, people must first understand why this trust is so important to addiction treatment.
The reason why a client and provider must build trust between themselves is because it's vital for healing to happen. Addiction treatment requires a client to be open and honest about themselves and their feelings. If they cannot trust their providers, they may keep this information to themselves. This information is important to a provider because it helps them formulate how to properly treat their client. If they are missing this information, it's difficult to accurately give the client what they need to recover from their addiction.
For example, trauma is a common source of addiction. Many people will engage in substance abuse because it masks or numbs the negative feelings that linger from their trauma. If the client cannot build trust between themselves and their treatment provider, they may never open up that they have been harmed by trauma. The treatment provider then cannot give the client the treatment they need for their underlying trauma. An addiction can only be treated when the underlying causes of the addiction can be addressed. Without this trust, the client may not get this treatment and continue to struggle with their addiction.
This trust is also important because it allows the client to learn that it's okay to trust people. Humans are social creatures and need to feel secure enough to trust others to have healthy relationships. Being unable to trust others leads to a lonely existence, which is unhealthy and damaging to people. Learning to build trust in others again can help the clients become confident in themselves and form healthy relationships.
To build trust in others is to know that they have help whenever they need it. This is how many people stay in recovery post-treatment. They know that if they ever need help, they have people they can trust to help them through their troubles. This is known as a support network and it's important for mental health. Someone cannot have a support network if they cannot trust that their support network can and will help them. Building trust is not just part of treatment, it's part of recovery as well.
As mentioned, there are quite a few reasons why someone may be reluctant to trust their treatment providers. The main culprit, of course, is trauma. Many times lack of trust is the result of abuse. This abuse can come from many sources, but lack of trust often comes from betrayal of some form. For example, people grow up trusting that the people who claim to love them will never hurt them. When they are abused by these people, a person has their trust shattered. They may be reluctant to extend such trust again, afraid that they will be harmed.
Another reason why it can be difficult to build trust between a client and their provider is because of stigma. There is a heavy stigma around mental health disorders and addiction, which makes people reluctant to seek help. Some fear that their treatment provider will judge them or consider them a bad person for struggling with an addiction. Others are afraid that they will be locked away, mistreated, or lose their families if it's revealed that they have an addiction. Feelings of shame and failure also prevent many people from fully trusting their providers.
Sometimes a person may have confided in someone in the past, only to be met with an intense reaction. That's why people need to be mindful of their language and reactions when it comes to addiction. Some struggle with addiction silently, and how people react around them can encourage or discourage them from seeking treatment. Other times, a person may have their troubles dismissed and invalidated by the people around them. After having their feelings disregarded for so long, it's no wonder why some may be reluctant to build trust between themselves and a treatment provider.
At its core, it's fear of being harmed that prevents some clients from fully trusting their providers. Luckily, the staff at Pathways Wellness Center understands this fear. The staff will never invalidate someone's feelings of fear and distress. Instead, Pathways Wellness Center takes an approach of showing compassion through example. This allows clients to understand that they do matter and that their treatment providers are here to help them because they care.
One important aspect required to build trust is mutual understanding. In terms of addiction treatment, this means that a client recognizes that a treatment provider wants to help them. This help is not given because of money or because the provider wants to feel superior. Instead, the provider wants to help because they genuinely care about their client's well-being and happiness. It's not expected that a client will build trust with their provider right away. Instead, steps are taken to naturally build trust in a way that feels safe to the client.
When clients go to Pathways Wellness Center for addiction treatment, they get what is known as a personalized treatment plan. This is when a client sits with a case manager and goes over their goals and needs. Case managers are experienced enough to pair clients with providers that they feel will be the best fit. Often, the first few treatment sessions are spent by the client and provider getting to know each other. Having the time for more relaxed sessions allows the client to feel safe enough to ask questions and get a feel for how treatment will go.
As mentioned before, many staff members at Pathways Wellness Center are in recovery. They understand what it's like to be a client and be unsure. By providing compassionate and quality care, they prove that Pathway Wellness Center is a safe place. This can often be life-saving, as clients know they have a safe place to return to should they need help again. Having this safety net often gives clients the confidence they need to engage in society and live the life that makes them happy.
Pathways Wellness Center utilizes scientifically backed holistic treatments as part of our addiction treatment program. Some of these treatments don't fit the idea of what most people think when it comes to addiction treatment. Many people think of being locked up in a dreary building all day and never being allowed to see the sunshine. The actual truth is much different, with clients enjoying exciting treatments such as adventure therapy or learning how to relax with yoga. With such varied treatments, clients can be confident that they can be cared for fully, which will build trust in their providers.
At Pathways Wellness Center, the client is treated like the individual they are. This means that their rights as a person are upheld and will never be infringed. Having these rights explained can bring relief and confidence to those who are afraid of treatment. For some, they fear that entering treatment means relinquishing all control over their lives. The truth is that clients have more control than they may initially realize in the form of client rights.
For example, it's hard for someone to build trust if they feel as though they are trapped. Clients are never trapped when undergoing treatment. They have the right to stop, change a subject, or request a break at any time. It's common for a few clients to test this and then be surprised that their provider adhered to their wishes. Clients can also request to change treatment providers if they feel as though they are not getting what they need from their current providers. A treatment provider will not be offended by such a request, as their goal is to give the client the best treatment possible, even if it's by someone else.
Clients also have the right to privacy. Many times, people fear going to treatment because they are afraid that a treatment provider will tell their families. This is not possible, as treatment providers will never tell anyone what happens in a treatment session without the client's consent. The only times in which this is possible is if the client is in immediate danger of harming themselves or another person, in which specialized treatment providers are called in for assistance. When clients know that they have the privacy and safety needed to open up, it can build trust between them and their provider.
The full extent of client rights is explained to each client during their first day of treatment. Clients can ask questions about their rights, as it's important for them to understand them. Along with clients having the right to have a say in their treatment, clients also have other rights that foster a safe and healthy environment for recovery. Clients at Pathways Wellness Center can always expect to be treated with compassion and respect. It doesn't matter who they are and what they struggle with, they are still a person worthy of quality treatment and understanding.
Pathways Wellness Center has a wide range of programs designed to help clients build the life skills needed to navigate a post-treatment life and recover from addiction. Part of this is learning how to build trust in others, especially if the client has been harmed in the past. Clients may be surprised to find themselves outdoors much of the time, engaging in nature in individual and group activities. For example, there are three programs consistently used in addiction treatment to help build trust between a client and their treatment provider.
Perhaps the most well-known treatment used at Pathways Wellness Center is adventure therapy. This is an outdoor program that takes clients into nature for therapeutic purposes. Many activities involved in this type of therapy include the use of trust-building exercises. It starts with little things, such as learning to trust that their guide will not get them lost in the wilderness. Eventually, it progresses to allowing insecurities to show and accepting reassurances from others. The healing power of nature is well understood, and many clients feel renewed after an adventure therapy session.
Psychotherapy is an umbrella term for many different kinds of talk therapy. It consists of the client and the treatment provider talking to each other, though each type of therapy has different goals and techniques involved. Regardless of what type of psychotherapy it is, the goal of the treatment provider is to listen to the client as they talk and help guide them through their troubles. Clients often are surprised, as for many, this is the first time someone has truly listened to them without just waiting for a turn to talk. It can be understandably overwhelming to some, and the act of listening itself can build trust between the client and provider.
Sound therapy, surprisingly, is another treatment program that can foster trust. Those utilizing sound therapy are encouraged to relax and even close their eyes. This is done to help reduce stress as well as allow some to meditate. Allowing oneself to become so vulnerable is difficult for many people. However, after repeated uses, clients eventually realize that they aren't going to be attacked and can truly relax. This may be a small thing to some, but to many, it's a powerful moment to be able to extend this level of trust to someone else.
It's okay to still have questions about how trust is nurtured and protected between clients and their providers. For those considering addiction treatment, this is a serious concern that is valid to feel. It's especially true for those who have never been to treatment before and wonder what they can expect. That's why Pathways Wellness Center is uniquely able to answer these questions, as many of our staff have been in the same situation before.
For those with questions, they can contact Pathways Wellness Center by phone or via our website. Remember, a mental health care professional will never berate, judge, or belittle someone for asking a question. All questions are valid, and Pathways Wellness Center strives to be a safe place for addiction and mental health education.
Remember, anyone can recover from an addiction, or even learn how to trust others again. All it takes is for someone to reach out for help and reclaim their life.
Extending trust to others can be difficult at the best at times, let alone when someone is struggling with an addiction. Learning how to build trust with the people who want to help you is a vital part of addiction treatment. Without this trust, it's nearly impossible for real healing and progress to happen. However, it's much easier when people give you reasons to trust them. Here at Pathways Wellness Center in Glendora, California, our clients can trust that they will always be treated with compassion, understanding, and respect. With quality treatment and an individualized treatment process, clients know that their voices will be heard. To learn more about our addiction treatment program, call today at (888) 771-0966.
