Programs

Trauma therapy is specialized psychotherapy aimed at helping individuals heal from the emotional effects of traumatic experiences. It focuses on reducing distressing symptoms and building resilience through evidence-based techniques and a supportive environment.

Our trauma-focused therapy approach addresses the effects of past traumatic experiences, guiding first responders toward healthier coping mechanisms.

The Trauma Egg is a visual representation often used in trauma therapy to help individuals understand and process their traumatic experiences. It consists of three layers: the outer shell represents the coping strategies used to protect oneself, the middle layer holds the traumatic memories and emotions, and the innermost core symbolizes the deep-seated beliefs and feelings resulting from the trauma. By exploring each layer, individuals can gain insight into their trauma's impact and work towards healing and resolution.

At Recovery First, we utilize The Trauma Egg therapeutic technique to help first responders explore and process various aspects of their traumatic experiences.

CBT encourages clients to question and examine recurring thoughts in order to phase out those that are negative and unhealthy. CBT can be applied in the treatment of many different types of problematic substance use. People treated with CBT techniques learn to recognize and change their maladaptive behaviors. CBT can help people with coping skills, identifying risky situations and what to do about them, and preventing relapse. This approach is helpful because it can be paired with other techniques. The skills learned through CBT continue to be of benefit long after the initial therapy, and it can be used to treat co-occurring mental and physical health disorders as well. 

DBT teaches clients how to regulate their emotions to reduce the self-destructive behaviors that drive them from extreme, intense emotions. DBT focuses on 4 skill sets that include distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness.



Through. Individual therapy sessions and group education, dialectical behavioral therapy promotes skill-building in four key areas. 

1. Mindfulness - Accepting and being present at the moment. 

2. Dispress Tolerance - coping with negative feelings rather than seeking to escape them. 


3. Emotion Regulation - Learning to manage and change intense, problematic emotions. 

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness - Becoming more assertive and prioritizing self-respect.  

DBT works to reduce cravings, helps patients avoid situations or opportunities to relapse, assists in giving up actions that reinforce substance use and teaches healthy coping skills. Outcomes data indicated that DBT successfully treats addiction and various mental health diagnoses. 

MI is a drug addiction treatment method of resolving ambivalence in recovering individuals to allow them to embrace their treatment efforts to best change their problematic substance use behavior. The purpose is to strengthen the client's own motivation for and commitment to change in a manner that is consistent with said client's values. Therefore, rather than imposing or forcing particular changes, we "meet the client where the client is"  and help her/him move toward his/her goals by drawing out and building his/her readiness to change. One benefit of MI is that, despite being facilitated by a therapist, those in recovery develop their own motivation and a plan for change over the course of several sessions, which can provide them with more of a sense of control over the course of their treatment. 

Patients may partake in therapy guided by a therapist in a 1 on 1 format, with a group in a safe, peer-supported atmosphere, and/or with participation from family or anyone significant in the patient's life. 

When most people picture addiction treatment, they think of traditional talk therapy: a series of conversations spread over several sessions. However, hands-on learning can also be a powerful tool for those in early recovery. Experiential therapy is effective for treating substance use disorders because it deeply engages the patient's emotions. Participants explore subconscious thoughts and feelings through guided imagery, role-playing, and other activities. People who cannot articulate complex emotions (or convey the details of their trauma) may begin processing them. 

Examples of  experiential therapy include: 

1. Art therapy 
2. Music therapy 
3. Equine therapy and other animal-assisted therapies
4. Creative writing or poetry therapy 
5. Adventure therapy (wilderness expeditions, rope courses, ziplining)
6. Play therapy 
7. Drama therapy (psychodrama)
8. Sound Bath
9. Flotation therapy (Deprivation therapy)
10. Red light therapy
11. Breathwork
12. Massage therapy
13. Water yoga

New and exciting therapies are emerging rapidly and we'll be among the first to offer them! 

REBT helps clients identify, challenge, and replace destructive thoughts and convictions with healthier, adaptive thoughts. Empirical studies demonstrate that this process incites emotional well-being and goal achievement. It helps patients understand their thoughts and then helps to develop better habits and thinking in more positive and rational ways and fain healthier emotions. The base for REBT is the idea that rational thinking comes from within; external situations do not give one happiness or unhappiness. 

Seeking safety is a present-focused therapy that helps clients attain safety from trauma (including PTSD) and substance misuse by emphasizing coping skills, grounding techniques, and education. This highly effective, research-based therapy has several key principles, which, to name a few, include: helping clients attain safety in their thinking, emotions, behaviors, and relationships, integrated treatment of substance conditions and trauma, and focusing on ideals to counteract the loss of ideals that is experienced in both trauma and substance abuse. 

Anger management is a structured therapeutic process aimed at helping individuals understand, cope with, and express their anger in healthy and constructive ways. It involves learning techniques to recognize triggers, manage intense emotions, and respond to challenging situations with increased self-awareness and self-control. Anger management helps individuals develop healthier communication and conflict resolution skills, improving relationships and more balanced emotional well-being.

Given the nature of their work, first responders often deal with intense emotions, including anger. Our anger management therapy helps them develop healthier ways to express and cope with these feelings.