The team at Fifth Avenue Psychiatry aims to help both adults and adolescents with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Treatment Approaches Designed for Women with Addiction and Alcoholism
By Britt Gottlich, Psy.D. Through years of training and practice in the field of substance abuse, I have noticed some interesting gender differences. First, I have found that more men tend to seek substance abuse treatment than women. Second, I have noticed that often the core of what began the substance abuse problem is often different between men and women. Third, it has become evident that men and women do not always gain the same benefits from the same treatment approach. This month, my blog explores these interplaying factors and introduces addiction treatment approaches that may better fit the needs of female clients. Women May Be Less Likely to Seek Substance Abuse Treatment According to research, “Surveys in the early …
Group Therapy for Executives with Addiction
By Dr. Tracey Bassett In deciding what to write about this month, I drew from Dr. Glazer’s most recent post in which he said, “I now understand that my most important role as a physician and therapist for alcoholism and addiction is to help provide a safe space, a trusting, mutually respectful relationship where I can help guide a person through their own recovery process.” I could not agree more. One of the things that I think makes our practice so unique is that when we meet with a client for the first time, we conduct an assessment for what the client really needs. Which therapist will they work best with? Which modality of treatment will they respond the best …
The Lack of Evidence in “Evidence Based Treatment” for Alcoholism and Addiction
By Samuel Glazer, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health Many “for profit” treatment programs, both inpatient and outpatient, tout “Evidence Based Treatment” (EBT) as their approach to treat alcoholism, addition, and other substance use disorders. This label can be misleading, and though EBT sounds effective and backed by research (thus justifying the high cost of their programs), many “evidence based treatments” are actually associated with very poor outcomes. As a skeptical addiction psychiatrist in Manhattan, I have observed and communicated to many of my patients and colleagues that though labeled “evidence based,” and considered the standard of care for addiction, many evidence based treatments have either very little or no evidence or extremely biased research showing efficacy. …
Meditation and Mindfulness for Alcoholism and Addiction
Meditation and Mindfulness for Alcoholism and Addiction Written by Olga Megwinoff, MD There is so much referring to meditation and mindfulness. Every mental health guru speaks of mindfulness and media outlets are saturated with everything meditation. It is definitely trendy and even in my own neighborhood, in the non-trendy suburbs, we started a meditation group. When something is so trendy, it can be easy to dismiss as a valuable and important tool in psychotherapy. Nonetheless, I am ever grateful that I pursued this method of treatment as it changed my views and opened the door to the great teachings and understanding of the mind from the eastern psychology perspective. In this, my first blog, I will try to explain in …
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Addiction
By Britt Gottlich, Psy.D. I often meet with people who say they are unsure of whether they have experienced trauma or not. So, what is trauma? Most people define trauma based on how trauma is portrayed in the media. But, in reality, it is a very subjective experience. Something that may be traumatic for one person may not be traumatic for another. The American Psychological Association defines trauma as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster.” The way I like to understand trauma is based on an individual’s interpretation of the event. As children, we live under the assumption that “good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.” …
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for Addiction and Alcoholism
By Tracey Basset, PsyD Making the decision to seek help for a substance use problem is challenging enough. On top of that, for a lot of people, they face the challenge of choosing where to go, who to see, and what type of therapy will benefit them most. This can be a very confusing and daunting process. My aim for this post is to provide some useful information about the benefits of one type of therapy, my favorite type of addiction therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). What is Cognitive Behavior Therapy? CBT is based on the notion that the way we think influences how we feel and, subsequently, how we behave. Think of it like a domino effect—something happens, you form a …