Michael Groat
The Menninger Clinic, USA
Title: Transforming Vicious Cyles into Virtuous Ones: Psychodynamic Perspectives on Treatment of the Addicted Patient
Biography
Biography: Michael Groat
Abstract
Individuals troubled by addictive illness present clinicians with serious challenges regarding the experience, understanding and management of dual diagnosis disorders. Among them, the difficult-to-reach patient features prominently. Such individuals can pull clinicians into intense and endless cycles of relapses, impasses and stalemates, and thwarted progress. Not only are clinicians and families left exhausted and frustrated, patients often earn the distinction of being deemed “treatment resistant.” Outside the extremes, there are many subtle but no less powerful risks for the patient and professional engaged in psychotherapy where enactments around addiction (dishonesty hiding, enabling, etc.) can wind their way throughout a treatment and create havoc of their own. Using clinical examples and research findings from work with difficult-to-treat patients, this presentation will discuss multiple issues involving the vagaries of working with such patients within the framework of psychodynamic treatment. The presenter will lead a discussion with the audience encouraging dialogue from everyone’s clinical experience.