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Establishing and Maintaining a
Therapeutic Alliance With Substance
Abuse Patients:
A Cognitive Therapy Approach
Cory F. Newman
INTRODUCTION
A positive, collaborative therapeutic relationship is an essential
component of the cognitive therapy of substance abuse (Beck et al.
1993). To engage substance abuse patients in treatment, therapists
will need not only to connect with the patients but also gain their
trust. Otherwise, the patients will be less likely to benefit from
treatment, and their rates of no-show and dropout are apt to increase.
Therefore, therapists must work diligently to form a working alliance
by demon-strating general good will and a respectful desire to help.
Further, they must carefully attend to any signs that the patients are
losing interest or having adverse emotional reactions, and intervene
promptly.
COMMON OBSTACLES TO FORMING A THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE
Substance-abusing patients are an especially difficult population with
whom to establish a commitment to change. A glance at the troubled
family life of a substance abuser is instructive. At the height of his or
her use of drugs, a patient often obtains far more gratification from
the drugs than from the love and companionship of significant others,
friends, and relatives. Therefore, the positive social reinforcement
from a supportive therapist may pale in comparison to the high that
the patient gets from a line of cocaine or a hit of crack. Thus, the
therapist's capacity to act as an agent of change is more limited and
fragile than with many other patient populations for whom the
therapist’s approval and guidance have greater relative significance.
As a result, the therapist will need to build the relationship when the
patient is in a period of diminished drug use or abstinence. During this
time, the benefits of having meaningful interpersonal relationships
should be underscored at the same time as the drawbacks of drug use
are being highlighted. The intention of this strategy is to enhance the
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patient's perceived reasons for remaining drug free, to motivate the
patient to strive for relationship preservation, and to communicate
the kind of therapeutic support that the patient will value.
Additionally, substance abusers often enter treatment with
ambivalence about relinquishing their habits (Carroll et al. 1991a,
1991b; Havassy et al. 1991). Within the framework of Prochaska
and colleagues' (1993) stages of change model, one sees that many
substance abusers do not enter treatment at the stages of action or
maintenance. Instead, they commence therapy with a notion that it
might be beneficial to give up the use of drugs, or with a wavering
desire to cut back on their use (i.e., the contem-plative stage). In
extreme cases, such as when patients are remanded by the courts to
attend drug abuse rehabilitation sessions, the patients may not
acknowledge that they have a problem with drugs or even that they
use them at all (the precontemplative stage).
From the very start, therapists will need to ascertain their patients'
respective levels of commitment to change in order to have the best
chance of communicating an empathic understanding and to minimize
the risk of pushing an unwanted agenda onto patients whose resistance
then will likely increase. It is generally not a good idea to accuse
patients of "not really wanting to change," or of "wanting to suffer,"
or of "being in denial" (Newman 1994a). It is one thing to confront
patients in this manner when they are in the protective confines of
an inpatient (perhaps group therapy) setting. It is quite another to do
this in an individual outpatient setting where the patient can easily
leave treatment and never return if he or she takes offense at the
therapist's methods. It is far more preferable to acknowledge that the
patient has mixed emotions, and then to assess and get to know the
part of the patient that likes to use drugs and the other part that
would rather be free of them. In this manner, the therapist
demonstrates that he or she is not so naive as to believe that the
patient's goal is unequivocal and immediate abstinence, but instead to
recognize the complexities and difficulties involved in trying to stop
using drugs. Further, the therapist avoids the potentially damaging
pitfall of communicating in a judgmental, unempathic tone.
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ESTABLISHING RAPPORT AT THE OUTSET OF TREATMENT
The initial interactions between the patient and therapist are
extremely important, as substance abuse patients often will be silently
sizing up their therapists to determine whether they can be trusted and
know what they are doing (Perez 1992). The lack of a positive start
to treatment may lead a patient to choose not to return for further
sessions, or may foster negative expectancies in the patient that
often exacerbate passive resistance or contentious behavior in session.
On the other hand, a positive start to treatment may instill hope in
the patient, thus encouraging him or her to stay in treatment and to
consider the prospects of therapeutic change more seriously.
The following are some common methods by which therapists can
connect with their substance-abusing patients as treatment begins:
1. Speak directly, simply, and honestly.
2. Ask about the patient's thoughts and feelings about being in
therapy.
3. Focus on the patient's distress.
4. Acknowledge the patient's ambivalence.
5. Explore the purpose and goals of treatment.
6. Discuss the issue of confidentiality.
7. Avoid judgmental comments.
8. Appeal to the patient's areas of positive self-esteem.
9. Acknowledge that therapy is difficult.
10. Ask open-ended questions, then be a good listener.
Speak Directly, Simply, and Honestly
The development of rapport is hindered when patients cannot
understand their therapists due to the therapist’s unbridled use of
psychological jargon. Similarly, patients often do not appreciate it
when they perceive that their therapists are talking down to them, or
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are speaking to them in the manner of a teacher addressing a grade
school class.
The remedy is to endeavor to speak adult to adult, rather than
authority to subordinate. For example, the cognitive therapist would
be ill-advised to speak in the following manner: "I'll be assessing your
thought processes so as to spot the kinds of cognitive distortions that
lead you to engage in dysfunctional and antisocial activities."
Instead, the therapist might say: "If it's okay with you, I'd like to
understand your point of view about things. I don't want to assume
that I already understand what it's like to live your life. I'm interested
in listening to your thoughts so I get the real story."
Although the therapist in the second example does not really start
teaching the patient about cognitive therapy, he or she establishes
some of the groundwork. More important at this early stage, the
therapist comes across as being a real person who is understandable.
As the patient progresses through succeeding sessions, the therapist
will be able to elaborate gradually on the specifics of cognitive
therapy, and to teach some of the basic nomenclature.
Additionally, it is important for therapists to share their own
thoughts and opinions openly (and diplomatically) when patients ask
for them, rather than remaining mysterious figures. Substance
abusers, either by virtue of their own developmental/personality issues
or their experiences with dishonest drug-abusing associates, often have
major problems in trusting others. A therapist who makes an earnest
effort to respond to questions can provide the patient with evidence
that the therapist does not have a hidden agenda. As a qualifier to the
above, it is important to note that the therapist should feel free to
ask the patient many questions as well, lest the patient put the
responsibility for the work of therapy entirely (and inappropriately)
on the therapist.
Ask About the Patient's Thoughts and Feelings About Being in
Therapy
The therapist should assume neither that the patient is highly
motivated for treatment nor that he or she is resistant and hostile.
The best way to obtain valid data and at the same time demonstrate
that the therapist cares to understand how the patient feels is to ask
the patient directly about his or her experience of coming to the
therapist's office.
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Such questions can involve asking about the patient’s doubts and
concerns, as well as expectations, goals, and hopes for therapy. If the
patient expresses misgivings about being in treatment, these negative
reactions can be addressed on the spot, thus reducing the risk of early
dropout. At the same time, the therapist can utilize this interaction
to begin to teach the patient the cognitive therapy model. For
example, a patient who expects to be disrespected by the therapist
may harbor feelings of anger. By contrast, if the patient expects to
be helped, he or she may feel a sense of relief and have a high degree
of motivation. This example begins to demonstrate one of the
central tenets of cognitive therapy, namely, that the patient's
thoughts will influence his or her feelings, intentions, and actions.
Focus on the Patient's Distress
In light of the high rates of dual diagnoses in substance abusers who
present for treatment (Castaneda et al. 1989; Evans and Sullivan
1990; Nace et al. 1991; Rounsaville et al. 1991), it is likely that these
patients will be suffering from affective disorders, anxiety disorders,
or other psychological maladies when they enter treatment. If
therapists show an interest in sympathizing with and addressing these
emotional problems, in contrast to focusing exclusively on the
substance abuse per se, they can demonstrate that they are interested
in the entirety of the patient's well-being. In this manner, therapists
show that they are interested in getting to know the patient as a
person, and not simply as an addict.
Such an approach is especially indicated for substance-abusing patients
who also meet diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder
(ASPD). These patients typically are unmotivated to change unless
they are in emotional distress, in which case there is a desire to
participate in therapy to gain relief (Alterman and Cacciola 1991;
Woody et al. 1990). By helping these ASPD/depressed drug abusers to
improve their mood, therapists may be able to form an interpersonal
alliance with patients who otherwise might not bond with a helper.
Even when patients do not technically meet criteria for dual
diagnoses, they may often experience emotional suffering related to
having reached points of crisis in their lives (Kosten et al. 1986;
Newman and Wright 1994; Sobell et al. 1988). Therefore, it is quite
appropriate for therapists to put such topics as current areas of stress
and family problems on the thera-peutic agenda. In addition to
providing the patients with understanding and empathy, this approach
also calls patients' attention to the fact that substance abuse is an
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important cause of their general malaise in life. This may further
motivate patients to consider the cessation of substance abuse as a
major goal of treatment.
Acknowledge the Patient's Ambivalence
Anecdotally, some drug-abusing patients report that they doubt (at
least early on) that therapists who have not had drug problems
themselves can truly understand their patients' plights. However,
upon further questioning, it typically becomes apparent that this
misconception arises when the patients perceive that their therapists
take the view that, "Of course you want to quit using drugs. You have
everything to gain and nothing to lose by becoming clean and sober."
Patients then conclude that their therapists don't understand the
power and allure of drugs such as cocaine.
Therefore, it is advisable for therapists to admit that cocaine is a
difficult drug to relinquish, and that it would be reasonable and
understandable for the patients to have a sense of grief about having
to give up the drug (Jennings 1991). By acknowledging and asking
about the patients' ambiv-alence, therapists communicate more
accurate empathy, and open up a vital area of discussion that patients
otherwise might believe it best to conceal.
In fact, one of the standard techniques in the repertoire of the
cognitive therapist depends on the therapist's awareness of the
patient's mixed emotions and attitudes—the advantages/disadvantages
analysis (Beck et al. 1993). Here, therapist and patient explore the
pros and cons of both using and not using drugs. Many patients
express pleasant surprise that their therapists really are willing to
discuss the pros of continuing to abuse drugs. Although the ultimate
goal obviously is to strengthen the patients' resolve, know-how, and
commitment to be drug free, an exploration of the seductive aspects
of drug use can help the formation of a trusting, collaborative
therapeutic relationship.
Explore the Purpose and Goals of Treatment
Cognitive therapy contains a significant psychoeducational
component (Beck et al. 1979). A long-term goal of treatment is to
empower the patient—to increase a sense of self-efficacy and to
teach the patient to becomes his or her own therapist. One way to
achieve this goal is to make the patient a full partner in charting the
course of therapy. This entails discussing the purpose of meeting with
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the therapist, the goals of treatment, and the types of methods that
will be used to achieve these goals.
By exploring the purpose and goals of treatment, therapists take
some of the mystery out of the process of change, and minimize the
chances that mistrustful patients will view their therapists as playing
mind games or being on power trips. If the therapist and patient
determine that their respective goals are at odds, at least the problem
will be on the table, and not a conflict of hidden agendas. They can
then agree to find some common ground, and work toward shared
goals until the thornier issues can be discussed and explored at greater
length. Therapists can stress that the process of change requires
teamwork, and that the therapist and patient are not adversaries.
Discuss the Issue of Confidentiality
Because illicit drug use is by definition illegal behavior, patients have
learned to be very cautious in what they will divulge about their
activities. Thus they often are highly motivated to be dishonest in
reporting their substance abuse. Although the vast majority of
therapeutic interactions represent privileged communications, drug-
abusing patients may not understand or trust the extent to which their
admissions of drug use will be kept confidential.
To facilitate more open communication and mutual trust, therapists
should spell out the nature and limits of confidentiality from the very
start. Patients may not be pleased to hear about the limits, but they
will appreciate the explanation and the warning. Therapists will need
to emphasize that their primary role is to help patients confront their
drug use and improve the quality of their lives; therapists do not serve
as society's watchdog, or punish, or oppress.
Avoid Judgmental Comments
A longstanding and well-known fact is that it is important for the
therapist to communicate a sense of positive regard and respect for
the patient (e.g., Bergin and Solomon 1970; Egan 1975; Truax 1963;
Truax and Carkhuff 1967; Truax and Mitchell 1971). Nevertheless,
it is all too easy for the therapist to fall into the trap of sounding
accusatory and judgmental toward a patient who is abusing drugs. If
this happens, the formation of a healthy therapeutic relationship is
seriously hindered. Further, the patient may become less inclined to
view the therapist as an effective professional when the therapist's
comments resemble those heard from exasperated relatives.
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Instead, therapists need to explain that they wish to ally with their
patients in a mutual struggle against the patients' drug use and
concomi-tant life problems. Patients need to be helped to understand
that they are not viewed as bad people, but rather as people with a
highly troublesome habit with which to deal.
Similarly, therapists need to take care not to spew forth judgmental or
hostile comments about anybody else. For example, when a therapist
treats a substance-abusing patient who is involved in a romantic
relation-ship with another substance abuser, there is a great
temptation for the therapist to criticize the significant other,
especially when the significant other sabotages the patient's progress
toward abstinence. However, by doing this the therapist runs the risk
of triangulating the patient between the loved one and the therapist
(in essence, putting the patient in the position of having to take
sides). When this happens, patients frequently choose to be loyal to
the significant other, which may precipitate a flight from treatment.
Even if the therapist makes judgmental comments about impersonal
third parties, the patient may wonder whether this is also how the
therapist truly feels about the patient when he or she is not around.
This will impede the formation and maintenance of a positive
therapeutic alliance. It is much more prudent to evaluate the relative
merits and drawbacks of the behaviors and attitudes of people, rather
than make pat statements about their characters.
Appeal to the Patient's Areas of Positive Self-Esteem
Although substance-abusing patients typically present with a host of
problems, including chaotic lifestyles and skills deficits, it is important
for therapists to assess their patients' areas of strength and
competence. By doing so, therapists show that they have respect for
their patients' individual talents and assets. Further, they can appeal
to areas in which the patients feel a sense of pride, thereby eliciting
greater cooperation in other therapy tasks.
For example, Walter (all names have been changed) was a patient who
was very mistrustful of authority figures, and his collaboration in the
process of therapy at the start of treatment was tenuous at best.
Although he seemed to be quite hostile and resistant, he did prove
himself to be rather intelligent (in spite of his limited education).
When Walter would engage in high-risk behaviors (e.g., drive while
intoxicated), the therapist would appeal to the patient's intelligence
to get him to reconsider this maladaptive behavior. For example, the
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therapist would say: "Walt, you and I have discussed how you have
survived to this point, mainly due to your smarts. You seem to be
someone who thinks fast under pressure. That's why I'm so perplexed
that you would risk your safety and freedom by driving drunk. It just
doesn't seem to fit. What's your opinion about all of this? I'm
interested to hear your views."
Aside from noting the patients' intelligence, therapists can encourage
patients to collaborate in the work of therapy by focusing on other
attributes such as their survival skills, the love of their friends and
family, their spirituality, their integrity, their potential abilities to be
positive role models for others, their advanced vocational skills (when
sober), and other legitimate personal attributes.
Acknowledge That Therapy Is Difficult
Therapists can help to build rapport with their patients by noting that
it takes courage and hard work to participate fully in therapy. This
stance can help to counteract patients' beliefs that it is a sign of
weakness and incompetence to be in treatment. In essence, the
therapist tries to help the patient to take the shame out of being a
patient. Additionally, by establishing the baseline notion that therapy
will be difficult, the therapist reduces the chance that a patient will
bail out of treatment at the first sign of discomfort.
The therapist can liken the pain of going through therapy to the pain
of receiving medical treatment for a wound or a broken bone.
Although the procedures hurt, they enable the patient to heal and to
be strong. The adage, "If it hurts, you know the medicine is working,"
is appropriate in this regard. By contrast, if the patient comes to
learn that he or she actually enjoys and looks forward to therapy
sessions, it will seem like a bonus benefit.
Ask Open-Ended Questions, Then Be a Good Listener
One of the defining features of cognitive therapy is the spirit of
collaboration that the therapist attempts to foster in working with
the patient (Beck et al. 1979). A central method for enhancing an
atmo-sphere of collaboration is to encourage the patient to actively
talk and think aloud in the session, and for the therapist to listen
carefully and reflect accurately. Additionally, it is important to add
structure to this process by asking clinically relevant questions that
allow the patient to expound his or her feelings and thoughts. Open-
ended questions serve this purpose well.
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A common trap to avoid is lecturing the patients and/or bombarding
them with yes/no questions that are reminiscent of interrogation. It
is much more collaborative to employ a Socratic style (Overholser
1987, 1988, 1993) in which the therapist gently guides the direction
of the session material by punctuating the patients' comments with
thoughtful, open-ended questions. The following short dialog serves
as an example.
Therapist: I see on your responses to the questionnaires that you
haven't used any drugs or alcohol since our last session. What
do you think has helped you to do this?
Patient: I don't go past that house no more.
Therapist: The crack house?
Patient: Yeah.
Therapist: What do you say to yourself—how do you manage to
keep yourself from going to that house?
Patient: I just remind myself that my life falls apart
whenever I start to go there. I just remind myself that I'm
kidding myself if I think I can just stop in and say "hi" and
shoot the breeze and then just go home. It don't work
that way. I just have to stay away.
Therapist: So you remember the problems that you had when you
used to go there, and how your life changes for the worse
when you use drugs.
Patient: That about sums it up. (Frowns)
Therapist: You looked a little sad just then. What went through
your mind?
Patient: Ahhh. I don't know. (Pause) It's a lonely feeling.
I got friends who hang out at the house, and I can't see
them no more.
Note that in the example above, the therapist gets a lot of useful
information from the patient by asking open-ended questions and by
carefully listening to the patient's responses. A good rapport seems
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to be present in the interaction, with the patient implicitly
acknowledging that the therapist understands.
MAINTAINING A POSITIVE ALLIANCE OVER THE COURSE OF
TREATMENT
It is often difficult to establish rapport and a collaborative working set
with substance-abusing patients; moreover, it is very easy to lose that
rapport once it is there. Therefore, even when things seem to be
going smoothly in the therapeutic relationship, the therapist must be
vigilant in consistently doing what is necessary to maintain the
positive feelings between therapist and patient.
The following are some general principles that therapists can employ
throughout treatment to preserve a productive and healthy
therapeutic alliance.
1. Ask patients for feedback about every session.
2. Be attentive. Remember details about the patients from
session to session.
3. Use imagery and metaphors that the patients will find
personally relevant.
4. Be consistent, dependable, and available.
5. Be trustworthy, even when the patient is not.
6. Remain calm and cool in session, even if the patient is not.
7. Be confident, but be humble.
8. Set limits in a respectful manner.
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Ask Patients for Feedback About Every Session
The best cure for a damaged therapeutic relationship is prevention.
One of the easiest and most reliable methods for avoiding
misunderstandings between the therapist and patient is for the
therapist to check on what the patient perceives and feels about the
session. This can be done during the course of the session (e.g.,
"What do you think about what I've been saying so far today?")
and/or at the completion of the session (e.g., "How do you feel about
today's session? Is there anything I said that rubbed you the wrong
way?") If the patient states that he or she is disgruntled, or
demonstrates nonverbal reactions that seem to indicate discomfort
(e.g., sighing, reticence), the therapist can address this immediately,
providing a heavy dose of nondefensive empathy along the way.
For example, one patient misconstrued the therapist's discussion of
high-risk situations as an attempt to plant the idea into the patient's
head that he was going to succumb to his urges. Once the therapist
asked for feedback and ascertained that the patient thought the
therapist was trying to sabotage the patient's sobriety, the therapist
was able to explain his actual intentions, which were to educate and
help the patient. For good measure, the therapist apologized for not
being more clear.
It is important for the therapist not to assume that everything is
okay in the therapeutic relationship just because the patient hasn't
openly complained. Patients who have mistrust issues and/or live in
dangerous neighborhoods often conceal their negative feelings
extremely well. They adopt a "street smile" that hides both their
vulnerability and their desire to strike back without warning.
Therefore, the therapist should make an effort to ask for feedback on
a regular basis, as both a preventive and a reparative measure.
Be Attentive. Remember Details About the Patients From Session
to Session
Although this point may be common sense in theory, it is not always
easy to enact in practice. For example, some drug-abusing patients
may use slang terms the therapist doesn’t know. If the therapist
doesn't ask for clarification, he or she may miss important
information. This may further lead the patient to think that the
therapist didn't care to understand, rather than that the therapist
wasn't able to understand, and the therapeutic rapport may be harmed.
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To accurately conceptualize the patient's life situation, the therapist
must be able to mentally accumulate information about the patient
from week to week. In this way, understanding increases. A simple,
tried-and-true method to enhance this process is to take thorough,
prompt therapy notes about every contact with the patient, and to
review these notes religiously before each new session.
Use Imagery and Metaphors That the Patients Will Find Personally
Relevant
Once the therapist facilitates the establishment of rapport by
speaking "directly, simply, and honestly" (see first item, previous
section), he or she can facilitate more sophisticated understanding by
using images and metaphors to communicate important but complex
points.
For example, a therapist wanted to discuss the patient's tendency to
isolate himself from others, including those who purported to love
him and to want to help him. The therapist conceptualized the
patient's problem in terms of the patient's fear that he would
inevitably hurt anyone who got close to him. Further, the patient saw
himself as being very attractive and powerful, thus making his efforts
to isolate himself from would-be admirers all the more difficult.
The therapist used the following metaphor in order to explain this
formulation, while also appealing to the patient's narcissism: "Joe,
you're like a shiny new Porsche with no brakes. You're coming down
the road looking as cool and swift as you can be, and everyone wants
to come up close to you to get a better look. Meanwhile, you know
that you have no brakes. Therefore, you're afraid if that people get
too close, you're going to run them down, and you're not sure you can
live with yourself if that happens, so you drive away from everybody.
Joe, I think we need to get you some brakes. What do you think?"
Then the therapist elicited feedback from the patient, who said he felt
both understood and complimented. This facilitated the continued
discussion of the important issue above.
Be Consistent, Dependable, and Available
Therapists typically do not earn their drug-abusing patients' trust
through sudden, dramatic gestures. Rather, trust is gained through the
therapist's consistent professionalism, honesty, and well-meaning
actions over a long period of time.
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Although drug-abusing patients often may arrive late for sessions, fail
to show up at all, and otherwise demonstrate the lack of a serious
involve-ment in the process of treatment, therapists (by contrast)
need to demon-strate a steady commitment to helping these patients.
Therefore, it is very important for therapists to arrive on time for
their appointments, even in cases when the patients habitually come
late. In like manner, it is impor-tant for therapists to be available for
therapy sessions on as regular a basis as possible (and to make sensible
alternative arrangements if necessary), to return their patients' phone
calls promptly, and to be reachable in cases of emergency.
Another more powerful way that therapists can establish that they are
well grounded and dependable centering points in their patients' lives
is to unfailingly pursue patients who do not show up for their sessions.
If the therapist establishes a pattern whereby he or she will almost
always telephone a patient within hours of their missing a session, the
therapist communicates a concern that goes beyond words. Along
these same lines, it is advisable for therapists to be willing to continue
to treat a drug-abusing patient when he or she returns after a drug
lapse or other prob-lematic hiatus from therapy. This strategy
provides the most realistic means by which to treat a disorder whose
course is often recurrent. Further, it provides a sense of hope for
patients who otherwise might believe that they have burned their
bridges with all benevolent and helpful others. Therefore, they may
be more apt to return to treatment voluntarily and more quickly
following future lapses.
Be Trustworthy, Even When the Patient Is Not
As explained above, therapists must demand a higher standard of
behavior from themselves than they can expect from their substance-
abusing patients. Patients who act and think in combative, passive-
aggressive, and/or mistrustful ways in their everyday life often expect
that others will treat them in like fashion. Therefore, it is a
corrective experience for patients when they realize that their
therapists will continue to demonstrate honesty and concern, even
when the patients themselves have been less than friendly or truthful
in return.
As difficult as it is to gain the trust of the substance-abusing patient, it
can be impaired or lost quickly and with relatively little provocation.
There- fore, the therapeutic relationship must be managed in a
delicate, pains-taking fashion. In the process of accomplishing this
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goal, therapists must recognize their own anger when patients lie to
them, and must strive to keep such feelings in check. Instead,
therapists need to find a diplomatic way to address the "apparent
inconsistencies" in what the patients say and do, and to remain
nonjudgmental (Beck et al. 1993).
Remain Calm and Cool in Session, Even If the Patient Is Not
When a patient becomes hostile, loud, intransigent, and/or verbally
abusive, it does little good for the therapist to respond in kind (Beck
et al. 1993). To deescalate a potentially dangerous situation, the
therapist must stay calm, nondefensive, and matter-of-fact. It is
important at such times for the therapist to express a genuine
concern for the patient's well-being and best interests.
When the therapist and patient are at odds, it is extremely helpful for
the therapist to call attention to their areas of agreement and
collaboration. This helps to remind that patient that a single conflict
with the therapist does not mean that the entire therapeutic endeavor
is adversarial. Although a certain degree of confrontation between
the therapist and the drug-abusing patient is almost inevitable during
the course of treatment (Frances and Miller 1991), the therapist can
minimize damage to the therapeutic relationship by calmly
communicating a tone of respect and concern (Newman 1988).
Be Confident, But Be Humble
One of the most fundamental ways to help patients gain confidence
and hope about the process of therapy is for therapists to show
confidence in themselves. This involves such behavioral components
as clarity of voice, relaxed posture, nondefensiveness, and an
energetic optimism.
However, the therapist does not need to go to extremes to
demonstrate confidence. In fact, it is actually ill-advised for
therapists to portray themselves as omnipotent and/or omniscient. A
certain degree of humility is necessary to create and sustain an
atmosphere of collaboration and mutual respect.
For example, therapists must be willing to admit that they do not
know (or were wrong about) something, if appropriate, rather than
try to fake their way through. For example, one patient repeatedly
referred to a "Reverend Percy" in his first therapy session. At one
point, he asked his therapist, "You're aware of Reverend Percy's work
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in the community, aren't you?" The therapist, not wanting to seem
like he was ignorant about important civic leaders, was tempted to tell
a white lie and answer "yes." Fortunately, the therapist humbly
admitted that he hadn't heard of Reverend Percy, but that he was
interested in learning more about him. The patient laughed, and
stated that it was a good thing that the therapist didn't know Reverend
Percy, because "I just made him up!" By showing a willingness to
admit that he didn't know something, the therapist passed the
patient's rather clever but devious test. Therefore, the therapist
preserved his credibility.
Another way therapists can demonstrate humble confidence is to
apologize at times. Therapists can do this in response to
misunderstandings or minor errors, such as a miscommunication about
the exact date and time of a scheduled session, or a harsh sounding
comment (e.g., "I'm sorry if my last statement sounded rather hard on
you. Really, I'm on your side, but perhaps I got a little carried away
just then because I was very concerned about you."). The therapist
communicates confidence by showing that he or she is not afraid to
admit to a mistake, and that he or she is still optimistic about the
course of therapy.
Set Limits in a Respectful Manner
While it is important that therapists work collaboratively with their
substance-abusing patients, they must take care not to become so
permissive that patients will know that they can take advantage of
their therapists' good will. Limits must be set (Ellis 1985; Ellis et al.
1988; Moorey 1989)—for example, that a therapy session will not be
held if the patient is intoxicated.
Therapists should establish ground rules during the first session so
there will be no confusion or ambiguity later on. Therapists can set
limits without sabotaging the therapeutic relationship if they adopt a
respectful tone and emphasize their commitment to help patients
with their problems (Newman 1988, 1990).
For example, Beck and colleagues (1993) describe the case of a
patient who arrived intoxicated for a therapy session. The therapist
asked the patient if he had been drinking, and the patient
acknowledged that he had. The therapist thanked the patient for his
honesty and then suggested that the session be postponed. When the
patient protested, the therapist calmly stated, "We made an
agreement that we would meet only when you were sober and able to
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fully absorb the benefits of the session, and I think we should stick to
our agreements." The therapist went further to point out the
advantages of the patient's remaining in the waiting room for a couple
of hours until it was safe for him to drive home. The patient was a bit
disgruntled, but was mollified when the therapist gave him a
newspaper to read to keep him occupied.
The lesson to be learned from the above vignette is to set limits, but
be neither critical nor controlling. Emphasize that the patient's
welfare is the primary concern, and that the therapeutic alliance is
still active and strong in spite of the disagreement. Then, follow
through.
THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP AND THE CASE FORMULATION
Therapists who are most adept at accurately understanding their
patients have the best chance of establishing and preserving positive
alliances with their patients. In this sense, a good case formulation
goes a long way toward helping the therapist and patient maximize
their collaborative effort.
When conflicts arise between a therapist and a patient, and/or when
unexpressed but problematic ill feelings exist in the therapeutic
relation-ship, the therapist can explore aspects of the case
conceptualization to make sense of the interpersonal tensions in
session. Oftentimes, this strategy will not only shed light on the
reasons for the problems in the therapeutic relationship, but will
advance an overall understanding of the patient's life issues. As a
result, important material is revealed, the patient feels better
understood, and the therapeutic alliance is strengthened.
The following are some general guides for using the case
conceptulation in the service of improving the therapeutic
relationship.
1. Strive to understand the pain and fear behind the patient's
hostility and resistance.
2. Explore the meaning and function of the patient's seemingly
oppositional or self-defeating actions.
3. Assess the patient's beliefs about therapy.
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4. Assess your own beliefs about the patient.
5. Collaboratively utilize unpleasant feelings in the therapeutic
relationship as grist for the mill.
Strive To Understand the Pain and Fear Behind the Patient's
Hostility and Resistance
Although the therapist may believe that change is a good thing,
clients may have misgivings. Many patients, especially those with
serious, longstand-ing disorders, cling tenaciously to the status quo in
their lives, because to some extent it is familiar and safe (Beck et al.
1990; Layden et al. 1993; Newman 1994a; Young 1990). For many
patients, it is frightening and disorienting to change patterns of
cognition, affect, and behavior that they have long associated with
their very identity. Additionally, many patients believe that
significant change is untenable, due to further difficulties that they
expect would arise.
For example, Ed and his therapist agreed that prostitutes were a high-
risk stimulus for him. Whenever he would encounter a prostitute who
liked to get high, he was vulnerable to seeking out drugs with which to
pay the woman. Then, they would have sex and smoke crack cocaine
together. In spite of this understanding, Ed still frequented prostitutes
and used drugs. At first, this exasperated the therapist, who thought
that Ed was deliberately sabotaging therapy because of an opposition
to change. However, when the therapist probed for Ed's fears about
giving up this maladaptive pattern, Ed was able to articulate that he
felt he had nothing to offer a straight woman. He believed that
because he was unemployed and not very handsome, his only means
of finding female companionship would be in the context of drug use
with a prostitute. In other words, underlying Ed's apparent resistance
was a fear of being alone. This understanding helped the therapist to
express empathy, and to encourage Ed to actively challenge the belief
that he would be alone if he gave up drugs.
When patients become overtly angry in session, therapists can cope
with this situation best by trying to provide empathy, and by
reminding them-selves that no matter how aversive this situation is
for therapists, the patients almost always feel worse. This stance
helps therapists to decatas-trophize the situation, and to keep the
therapists' attention squarely on the patients' needs.
For example, one therapist defused a patient's hostile outburst by
asking, "Do you feel I've let you down in some way?" Another
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therapist achieved the same end by saying, "I'm sorry if what I've said
or done has upset you. That wasn't my intention. How did what I
said hurt your feelings?" Yet another example is the therapist who
"normalized" his patient's angry refusal to answer the therapist's
questions by stating, "I can see that you're only trying to protect
yourself. That's okay. Everybody has the right to do that."
Explore the Meaning and Function of the Patient's Seemingly
Oppositional or Self-Defeating Actions
When substance-abusing patients do not appear optimally connected
with the therapist or engaged in the process of therapy, it is useful to
explore the factors that seem to make it in the patient’s best interest
to oppose the therapist.
Therapists can address this issue head on by noting that there are both
advantages and disadvantages to changing one's behavior, and that it
might be interesting to look at the pros and cons of attending
therapy, as well as the pros and cons of using or abstaining from drugs.
Therapeutic collaboration is facilitated when therapists show that
they are willing to look at the cons of change (Grilo 1993). Patients
then become more apt to cooperate in the exercise of reviewing the
long-term costs involved in not changing. Thus, patient receptivity
to change is enhanced.
Rita's behavior at the start of therapy was quite contentious. She
contra- dicted or made sarcastic remarks about much of what the
therapist would say. After experiencing much frustration and
consternation, the therapist finally said: "Rita, given that you
frequently disagree with me, my first guess would be that you don't
like to meet with me—and yet, you always come to your sessions.
What are you getting out of these sessions? How is therapy meeting
your needs, given that we seem to be at odds so often?"
Rita didn't know what to make of this at first. Upon further
reflection, however, she admitted that she gained a sense of power out
of being able to intellectually spar with the therapist. In her view, it
would take the fun out of therapy if she agreed with her therapist.
This admission led to a fruitful discussion of power, control, and
counter-control in relationships.
Assess the Patient's Beliefs About Therapy
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An assessment of how patients idiosyncratically interpret various
situa-tions is part and parcel of the process of case conceptualization
in cogni-tive therapy (Persons 1989). One such situation is therapy
itself. Some patients expect that therapy will be an adversarial
process, especially when they perceive their therapists to be from a
more privileged socio-economic background. Here, they may
perceive their therapists to be agents of the system who will continue
to oppress them. Naturally, this viewpoint is laden with mistrust, and
will need to be addressed in order for treatment to proceed in a
collaborative and amicable fashion.
Another problematic belief about therapy to which some drug-abusing
patients subscribe is that the process should always feel good. This
belief ignores the fact that taking part in treatment is hard work, and
often involves the discussion of emotionally painful issues. If this
belief is unassessed and unaddressed, a patient may bolt from therapy
at the first sign of discomfort, perhaps before a positive therapeutic
alliance can even be established.
Yet another maladaptive cognitive stance that some patients adopt is
that therapists cannot be of any help unless they have gone through
the problem of substance abuse in their lives too. Therefore, instead
of looking at their therapists as positive role models who have the
personal and technical skills to help the patients with their problems,
patients may discount the thera-pists' comments and reject their help
because "they just don't understand."
Therapists need to be aware of some of these (and other)
dysfunctional presuppositions that drug-abusing patients sometimes
have about therapy and therapists. Towards that end, it is extremely
useful in the first session for therapists to ask two series of questions,
one during the early stages of the session and the other at the end of
the session.
The first question is: "What are your thoughts about coming in to
meet with me today? I'm not sure whether you feel good or bad about
seeing me, and I'm not sure what your expectations or hopes about
treatment are. But I'd like to know, if you're willing to share your
thoughts with me."
The second question is: "What are your impressions about how things
went in today's session? Was there anything that I said that you
didn't like or didn't agree with? Was there anything about today's
session that was particularly helpful? What should we make sure we
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continue to talk about in our next session in order to get the most out
of being here?"
Assess Your Own Beliefs About the Patient
Therapists are human beings, and therefore are subject to their own
dysfunctional beliefs at times. This is most problematic when the
therapist's maladaptive beliefs center on their patients, and the
therapist fails to take stock of these beliefs. Some of the more
commonly encountered therapist beliefs (cf. Beck et al. 1993)
include:
• "This patient is a loser."
• "This patient is beyond help."
• "This patient will never listen to me."
• "Why can't I reach this patient? What am I doing wrong?
I'm going to have to give up on working with this patient."
• "You can't be collaborative with this type of patient. If you
give them an inch, they'll take a mile. Therefore, I will not budge
from my position one iota."
• "This case is more trouble and responsibility than I can bear."
When therapists find themselves having such thoughts, it presents them with
an excellent opportunity to use cognitive therapy techniques on themselves
(Newman 1994b). This strategy can help therapists moderate their own
hopelessness and frustration enough to still be able to provide good will and an
earnest effort. The end result is that the therapeutic relationship will
continue to have a positive effect on the process of treatment, rather than
being a hindrance. Additionally, the therapist will have gained a deeper
understanding of the nature of the patient's typical interpersonal difficulties
in everyday life.
The following is a sampling of rational response flashcards that therapists can
personally develop to help them modify counterproductive beliefs about drug-
abusing patients (cf. Beck et al. 1993):
• "There have been a number of sessions in which the patient and I
have worked very well together. Those were rewarding experiences that I
must not forget."
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• "Let me try to understand my patient's resistant thoughts and
behaviors, rather than simply label her a troublemaker."
• "This power struggle is a great opportunity to get at some really hot
interpersonal cognitions!"
• "If I keep my cool, present my point of view calmly, and also show
that I'm willing to be flexible within reason, I'll probably get a lot more
therapeutic mileage out of this conflict than I will if I become strident or
stubborn."
Collaboratively Utilize Unpleasant Feelings in the Therapeutic Relationship
as Grist for the Mill
Tension and conflict between a patient and therapist need not be gratuitously
disruptive to the process of therapy. In fact, if handled skillfully, such
episodes can shed light on the patient's negative beliefs and actions regarding
interpersonal relationships (cf. Layden et al. 1993). This information, in
turn, can be used to help the patient make important discoveries, and can
inspire him or her to experiment with new adaptive behaviors.
For example, a therapist noticed that the patient was looking glum, not
making eye contact, and sounding a little sarcastic. To explore the meaning
of this behavior, the therapist forthrightly said, "Things seem a little tense
between you and me today. Did you notice that?" This led to the patient's
becoming uncharacteristically silent; therefore the therapist knew that she
had hit home. She added, "Can we talk about it? If something is wrong I'd like
to try to work it out, if that's okay with you."
Upon further discussion, the patient stated that the group therapy
leader (in another setting, though still part of the patient's treatment
package) had said something that "he could only have known if he
spoke to you." In other words, the patient thought that his individual
therapist was saying things about him behind his back to the group
therapy counselor. This, in fact, was not the case at all.
The therapist and patient discussed all the possible alternatives to his
mistrustful point of view, including the possibility that the group
counselor and individual therapist were independently reaching similar
clinical judgments about the patient. The therapist added that she
would certainly talk to the patient directly about the prospect of
sharing information with the group counselor if the need arose. Then
she demonstrated empathy for the patient, stating, "It must have
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been difficult for you, thinking that I betrayed your trust. I can
imagine how disillusioned you must have felt. I'm glad we can set the
record straight, because I have enjoyed working with you, and things
seemed to be going well until this misunderstanding."
Furthermore, this episode became grist for the mill in that it highlighted one
of the patient's characteristic patterns—namely, to jump to con-clusions
about the ill motives of another person, and then to keep these suspicions to
himself. This would then prevent the possibility of talking things out and
resolving or clarifying the matter with the other person, and the relationship
would deteriorate. It was little wonder that the patient felt he had so few
friends, and believed that he could never depend on anyone. Because the
therapist succeeded in uncovering the nature of the rupture in the therapeutic
relationship, the patient-therapist alliance was preserved, and an important
aspect of the patient's dysfunction became a clinical topic for the session.
CONCLUSION
The treatment of substance-abusing patients poses a great set of challenges
to therapists. One of the most fundamental and vital of these is the estab-
lishment and maintenance of a positive therapeutic relationship. If thera-
pists succeed in communicating a spirit of acceptance, collaboration, respect,
good will, and optimism to their drug-abusing patients, the process of
treatment will be enhanced. If, by contrast, these goals are not achieved, the
likelihood of the patients' demonstrating spotty attendance, poor
punctuality, and premature termination will increase, thus diminishing the
prospects that therapy will have an appreciable effect.
Therapists can facilitate the formation and maintenance of a positive
therapeutic alliance with drug-abusing patients by consistently
adhering to principles that are part and parcel of a cognitive therapy
approach. Such principles include working with the patient as a team,
giving clinical rationales in a clear fashion, eliciting feedback from the
patient, exploring the belief systems of the patient, being aware of
one's own belief systems and how they may impinge on the
therapeutic process, and utilizing the case conceptualization and other
strategies that require a thoughtful, empathic, and pragmatic
approach.
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AUTHOR
Cory F. Newman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology, in Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine
and
Clinical Director
Center for Cognitive Therapy
University City Science Center
3600 Market Street, Suite 754
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2648
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