80. Intro to Addiction (& Preventing Addiction Issues in Adolescents) for Therapists

In this episode of the Therapist Thrival Guide, Dr. Sara Polley, Ellie's Chief Medical Officer and a psychiatrist specializing in addiction medicine, talks about the complexities of addiction.

We're discussing key topics like when to refer clients for specialized addiction treatment, evidence-based treatments, the role of family in prevention and recovery, medicated assisted treatment, and co-occurring disorders.

Dr. Polley emphasizes the importance of breaking the stigma around addiction and the need for more comprehensive training for mental health professionals in substance use disorders.

Stay tuned for an in-depth discussion in the next episode on motivational interviewing as a therapeutic approach!

Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Therapist Thrival Guide 00:17 Meet Dr. Sarah Polley: Psychiatrist and Addiction Specialist 00:53 Diving into Addiction 01:52 Dr. Polley's Journey: From Medical School to Addiction Medicine 04:52 Understanding Addiction as a Pediatric Onset Illness 07:41 Prevention Strategies: Starting Before Birth 13:08 Navigating Substance Use in Therapy 19:00 Substance Use Disorder Assessments and Treatment Levels 25:05 Forced Treatment: Legal and Ethical Considerations 27:30 Evidence-Based Treatments for Addiction 29:57 Therapeutic Techniques for Substance Use 31:55 Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders 40:14 Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) 45:47 Suboxone and Methadone Explained 50:45 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Barker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for over three years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Director of Content and Production at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. The Therapist Thrival Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#therapy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#mentalhealth