Science-Based Psychotherapy

Getting Unstuck Part 2: Working with Road Maps

In my last blog about Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) I provided a description of a technique that forms the foundation of CRAFT, the road map (a.k.a., functional analysis). CRAFT trains family members of people with addiction how to non-confrontationally change their loved ones’ use and rebuild lives not centered addiction. Briefly, a road map is an assessment of the triggers and consequences of the addicted person’s substance use. In this post, I’ll offer ideas on how to collect useful information from the family member (the client) to add to the road map. The metaphor is one of creating the compass for the map, so you’ll know which direction you and your client are heading while you’re doing CRAFT.

 

Benefits and Costs of Substance Use:  Opposing Points on a Compass

A critical part of...

posted in CRAFT

An Overview of Emotional Processing Theory

NOTE: This post is part of a larger series of on the theory, practice, and research on exposure therapy. If you are interested in other posts in this series, you can find them here.

 

Twenty-five years ago, in an attempt to create a unifying theory that would explain the processes of and guide the use of exposure in the treatment of anxiety disorders, Foa and Kozak (1986) developed the emotional processing theory (aka, information processing theory). The emotional processing theory has since guided an enormous amount of research, particularly for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Foa drew from the theory in developing prolonged exposure, a landmark PTSD treatment and the gold standard approach to PTSD treatment.

 

Much of my experience with the emotional processing theory comes from my training in prolonged exposure. When...

posted in exposure therapy

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