Recreational Therapy

happy young couple camping

Typically, when we think of what a therapy session looks like, we conjure an image of a face-to-face meeting with a therapist in the confines of a private and calming room. While there are undoubtable benefits to utilizing one-on-one therapy sessions with a licensed healthcare professional, it is not the only form of therapy available to patients. There is also what is called recreational therapy.

What is Recreational Therapy?

It is a form of treatment that is administered through a series of recreational activities and physical engagement to treat emotional and behavioral issues. This treatment is utilized to engage the patient to improve their emotional and physical well-being. The goal of recreational therapy is not only to treat the illness, but to improve the patient’s overall health.

How Does It Work?

Recreational Therapy includes activities that engage the patient both mentally and physically. While some may immediately attribute this to sports or other similar outdoor activities, providing recreational treatment can utilize a variety of techniques including arts and crafts, performance-based recreation such as dance, theater, and music, as well as community outings. 

In order to treat and support their patients’ physical, mental, and emotional health, recreational therapists work to lessen their clients’ anxiety, tension, and depression as well as assist them regain their basic motor and cognitive abilities, gain confidence, and socialize more successfully. Recreation workers, who plan recreational events purely for pleasure, should not be mistaken with recreational therapists.

Benefits of Recreational Therapy

A major benefit is how accessible it is for most patients. Therapeutic tools learned while practicing this form of care can continue once the client leaves the rehab facility. Patients can continue to use these tools once they return to their daily lives.

Recreational Therapy at California Recovery Center

California Recovery Center is proud to offer recreational therapy as one of the modalities we feature at our center. We believe in leading our patients towards the best and healthiest version of their life. Find your best self with us today!

Trauma Informed Care

trauma-informed care with man sitting on sofa

When going through the recovery process at an individualized treatment center, such as California Recovery Center, the health care providers work to find the best approach for each patient. There are numerous approaches a therapist can choose and one of these options is trauma informed care. This process requires detailed knowledge of the client’s history in order to facilitate the best treatment.

What is Trauma Informed Care?

Through trauma informed care, a patient’s life history is examined. According to this method, the health care professional must have a complete understanding of the client’s condition, both in the past and the present, in order to fully comprehend the source of the behavior. This provides a more detailed picture of the client’s life and allows the provider to deliver a diagnosis and treatment plan that is more accurate to their specific needs.

What are the Benefits of Trauma Informed Care?

One of the primary benefits is that it allows the health care provider to offer care based on each individual’s specific needs. Likewise, it allows patients to be more involved in their own recovery, by offering insight into their life. They become the expert at what traumas, experiences, and events have occurred and offer input into how these have shaped their behavior. Through this extensive knowledge, it presents the opportunity for the provider to approach the client with more empathy.

The Six Principles of Trauma Informed Care

There are six main principles at the foundation of trauma informed care: safety, transparency, support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural/historical issues. These principles help guide the providers in their care of the patient, as well as establish processes and systems for treatment.  

Seeking Treatment

At California Recovery Center, we offer individualized treatment, including trauma informed care. Our practitioners work to get to know each patient that comes through our door in order to offer the best treatment for the individual. If you are looking to start your recovery journey, reach out to California Recovery Center today!

The Link Between Depression and Alcohol  

Addictive substances can be broken into two different groups known as stimulants (or “uppers”) and depressants (or “downers”), depending on how they interact with the body and mind. From these descriptors, it’s pretty easy to decipher what the effects of these substances do. Despite the fact it is so often consumed in social settings and is marketed as a product to enjoy at parties and other lively events, alcohol is considered a “downer.” From this, the consumer can experience a state of sedation, dulled senses, and suspended inhibitions. This can create a temporary feeling of relaxation, but too much can present an entirely different outcome, which is why some links depression and alcohol.  

Depression’s Link to Alcohol Addiction 

About one-third of individuals experiencing depression will develop an addiction or abuse alcohol. Teens who experience major depressive episodes are twice as likely to develop an alcohol addiction compared to their peers. “Women are more than twice as likely to start drinking heavily if they have a history of depression.” They are also more likely to “overdo it” than their male counterparts when going through a depressive period.  

Can You Develop Depression from Drinking?  

Because of its suppressant qualities, it is very common for people to turn to alcohol to help them unwind after a stressful day at work or difficult other difficult experiences. This is perfectly acceptable, as long as a glass doesn’t turn into a bottle. When an individual begins to use alcohol to help them cope with every issue that arises, this can reflect the start of an alcohol addiction. 

Also, if drinking becomes excessive, it can damage the brain and lead to depression. It can also cause you to develop depression inadvertently, through careless actions carried out during a state of intoxication (poor decisions, DUIs, etc.).  

Seeking Help for Addiction and Depression  

A preexisting condition of depression combined with a substance addiction is what is considered a dual diagnosis. When seeking recovery for a dual diagnosis, it is important to seek qualified, experienced help. At California Recovery Center, our team of certified care technicians are not only here to assist you in your recovery, but help you build a foundation and healthy coping mechanisms so you can live your best life.