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Evidence Based Therapy

When exploring your options regarding addiction therapy programs, you have probably come across the term evidence-based therapy (or EBT). You get the idea that this is a good thing, but what exactly does it mean? You may wonder if this is one particular type of therapy or if it is an umbrella term for several therapies. We’re going to take the mystery out of this term. We’ll show you how it is something you want to consider when seeking treatment for both mental health and addiction issues.

Evidence-Based TherapyA man and his therapist try evidence based therapy

Evidence-based therapy is a therapy practice that has been tested by scientists over some time, and they have found it to be effective in treating a particular condition. They will have tested many different subjects, and the results will prove to be the same in each. Many times, we use specific therapies for a limited number of conditions. This limitation is because the therapy has worked for one disorder, but it doesn’t work for another.

Knowing whether or not a particular therapy is an evidence-based therapy can help you determine whether or not you want to risk trying it. It can also help you or your therapist choose between two different methods.

For example, one type of therapy may work well for addiction and PTSD. That same therapy may not have any evidence backing up its use for bipolar disorder. If you are dealing with both addiction and bipolar disorder, you may want to discuss a different type of therapy with the therapist. Your therapist may also decide to combine two different methods. Evidence-based therapy says, “This has proven to work many times, and that number is greater than the number of times it didn’t work.”

Science or Snake Oil?

Why is it important to know if a particular path is an evidence-based therapy? If it isn’t, the treatment may end up doing much more harm than good.

Think back to the early days of this country. Some men traveled from one town to another selling “medicine” they claimed could cure everything from the common cold to heart trouble and more. They earned the name snake oil salesmen. This name referred to the fact that they often included poisonous snake venom in these “cures.” When people bought the product, some claimed it worked, but many others saw no improvement or even became more ill. Once scientists did get a chance to examine some of the properties of this so-called “miracle cure,” they were able to explain why it was making people sicker. The only explanation they had for the reports of some people improving was found to be mind over matter.

On the other hand, when penicillin first came into being, the claim that it could help cure illness was first met with skepticism. Being open-minded, however, the scientific community started doing trials of treatment with it. As group after group of test patients were shown to get better, it became clear that penicillin did work. It became a better choice for people who fell ill to take penicillin, the evidence-based option, instead of the snake oil. If you choose to undergo evidence-based therapy, you know you have a good chance for it to work.

Types of Evidence-Based Therapy

There are many types of evidence-based therapy, and psychologists find even more, as we learn more about the human mind. Some of the more common ones in rehab and mental health include:

Promises Behavioral Health Uses the Tried-and-True

At Promises Behavioral Health, we believe in using evidence-based therapies. We want you to get the best possible treatment available. We use what we know has worked for many before you. Over time, we may have more choices and therapies that psychologists haven’t tested yet. However, this will only happen after they, too, have withstood the test of time and been found worthy. Contact us today if you are seeking help for an addiction that you want to put behind you. We welcome your call 844.875.5609.

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