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Evidence-Based Therapeutic Approaches in Houston
The Heights Treatment
Therapy and Treatment Approaches
At The Heights Treatment, therapy is not a checkbox. Every modality we use is selected because it has demonstrated clinical value for addiction, mental health, and dual diagnosis treatment. Here is how we approach the work.
Call (832) 979-3625 for a private, no-pressure conversation about treatment options and next steps.
Therapy That Is Selected With Purpose, Not Habit
The modalities used at The Heights Treatment are not chosen because they are popular or easy to deliver. They are chosen because the clinical evidence supports their use for addiction, trauma, mood disorders, and co-occurring conditions, and because our clinicians are trained to deliver them with integrity.
Therapy at The Heights Treatment is delivered across individual sessions, group formats, and integrative programming. Each client’s plan draws from the approaches that are most clinically appropriate for their specific presentation, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
If you have questions about a specific therapy approach or want to understand how treatment actually works here, our team is glad to walk you through it before you commit to anything.
On This Page
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- EMDR
- Neurofeedback
- The Daring Way®
- Solution Focused Therapy
- Cognitive Processing Therapy
- Art Therapy
- Equine Therapy
- Healthy Relationship Therapy
- Mindfulness Based Therapy
- Trauma Informed Yoga
- Individual Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Sex Addiction Therapy
- About
- ASAM and The Continuum of Care
- Sex Addiction Therapy
Treatment Programs
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps people change high-risk patterns while also building self-acceptance and stability. In simple terms, DBT teaches skills to manage emotions, tolerate distress, improve relationships, and stay present, especially when cravings, anxiety, or impulsive urges spike.
At The Heights Treatment, DBT skills are integrated into dual diagnosis care for addiction recovery, anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and behavioral addictions. Skills are reinforced in individual therapy, clinician-led groups, and between-session structure across PHP, IOP, and OP.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy explores the correlation between one’s thoughts and behaviors. The CBT therapists at The Heights Treatment help the client to discover where self-destructive behaviors and unhealthy patterns stem from, and help to change the behavior.
CBT has been clinically proven to be effective for several mental health conditions, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
For over 35 years, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has helped patients suffering from the trauma of past experiences.
Initially designed to treat PTSD, EMDR is a structured therapy that uses bilateral stimulation, including guided eye movements, to help the brain reprocess distressing memories and reduce their emotional charge. Rather than requiring clients to talk through trauma in detail, EMDR works by engaging the brain’s natural information processing system.
Along with PTSD treatment, EMDR is effective for treating anxiety disorders, emotional dysregulation, depression, and trauma-related conditions.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based, trauma-focused therapy designed to help individuals process and recover from traumatic experiences. At The Heights Treatment in Houston, CPT is used to treat PTSD and trauma-related symptoms by helping clients identify and challenge unhelpful beliefs that develop after trauma.
Rather than avoiding painful memories, CPT provides a structured approach to understanding how trauma impacts thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through guided exercises and writing-based processing, clients learn to recognize stuck points such as guilt, shame, or distorted thinking, and begin to reframe them in a more balanced and accurate way.
CPT is particularly effective for individuals struggling with:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Trauma-related anxiety and depression
- Guilt, shame, or self-blame following traumatic events
- Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe
At The Heights Treatment, Cognitive Processing Therapy is integrated into a broader, individualized treatment plan, ensuring that each client receives the appropriate level of care while developing practical tools for long-term recovery.
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback (also known as EEG Biofeedback) is a non-invasive method for retraining the brain to function in a more balanced and healthy way without relying on prescription medications.
EEG biofeedback works by monitoring brainwave activity in real time and providing audio or visual feedback that helps the brain learn to self-regulate more effectively, shifting between states of calm focus and alert engagement more smoothly.
Clinical applications include depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, substance addictions, insomnia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, traumatic brain injuries, seizures, and performance enhancement.
The Daring Way™
The Daring Way™ is a highly experiential methodology based on the research of Dr. Brene Brown. It was designed to help individuals, groups, families, and professionals explore their relationships with vulnerability, courage, shame, and worthiness.
The goal is to develop genuine resilience skills and sustainable daily habits that support more authentic, wholehearted living. In a treatment context, this work helps clients dismantle shame-based thinking, build emotional courage, and develop the self-awareness needed to show up honestly in their own recovery.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a goal-oriented, forward-looking approach that helps individuals identify strengths and build practical solutions rather than focusing solely on past challenges. This method emphasizes what is working and how to create meaningful, sustainable change.
At The Heights Treatment, therapists work collaboratively with clients to define clear goals and identify actionable steps toward progress. Even small improvements are used as building blocks to create momentum and reinforce positive change.
This approach is particularly effective for individuals seeking clarity, motivation, and direction in their recovery or mental health journey. It supports faster engagement in treatment while maintaining a strong focus on long-term outcomes and is often used in combination with other evidence-based modalities.
Art Therapy
Art therapy is a therapeutic discipline that integrates the creative process with psychotherapeutic techniques to support emotional healing and self-expression. It is grounded in the belief that the act of creating, not the artistic outcome, carries therapeutic value.
Clients use drawing, painting, collage, and other creative modalities to explore feelings, process experiences, and develop new insights that can be difficult to access through verbal therapy alone.
Art therapy has demonstrated effectiveness for depression, anxiety, trauma, schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions, and is particularly useful for clients who struggle to articulate their experiences in words.
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential therapy in which clients interact with horses in a ground-based setting, no riding required, to promote self-awareness, emotional regulation, and the development of interpersonal skills.
Horses are highly attuned, responsive animals that pick up on emotional cues and respond authentically. This quality makes them powerful partners in the therapeutic process, offering immediate, non-judgmental feedback that helps clients identify patterns in their emotions and behavior.
EAP is effective for anxiety, depression, PTSD, behavioral health disorders, and substance use, and is one of the integrative modalities offered at our Houston treatment center.
Healthy Relationships
Healthy relationships are a foundational part of long-term emotional stability and recovery. At The Heights Treatment in Houston, we help individuals identify patterns in relationships that may contribute to stress, conflict, or unhealthy coping behaviors.
This work focuses on developing communication skills, setting boundaries, and building trust in both personal and professional relationships. Clients learn how to recognize attachment patterns, improve emotional regulation, and navigate conflict in healthier and more constructive ways.
By strengthening relationship skills, clients are better able to maintain progress in recovery, reduce isolation, and build a more stable and supportive environment in their daily lives.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness is a therapeutic approach that cultivates present-moment awareness, helping clients observe their thoughts and emotions without automatic reactivity or harsh self-judgment. Rather than suppressing or avoiding difficult internal experiences, mindfulness teaches clients to notice them with curiosity and self-compassion.
This modality supports mood stabilization, reduces racing thoughts, and builds emotional resilience over time. It is integrated into our programming as both a standalone practice and a complement to DBT and other evidence-based approaches.
Mindfulness has demonstrated clinical benefit for clients with Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, C-PTSD, generalized anxiety, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Trauma-Informed Yoga
Trauma-Informed Yoga recognizes that traumatic experiences are held not just in the mind but in the body. Through intentional movement, breathwork, and physical postures, this practice helps restore the mind-body connection that trauma often disrupts.
To be trauma-informed is to practice with an awareness that participants may carry significant trauma histories, and to offer movement in a way that emphasizes choice, safety, and self-compassion rather than performance or compliance.
Our Trauma-Informed Yoga facilitators create a calm, client-centered space where participants can build body awareness, regulate their nervous system, and support the broader work happening in clinical sessions.
Individual Therapy in Houston
At The Heights Treatment, individual therapy is the core of each client’s clinical experience. Every program participant is assigned a primary therapist and meets with them for weekly one-on-one sessions throughout the course of treatment.
Individual sessions provide the private space to go deeper, address what is most pressing, and develop the personalized insight and skill set that group formats cannot fully replicate. Clients work on coping strategies, emotional regulation, relapse prevention, interpersonal effectiveness, grief, and the specific clinical goals established in their treatment plan.
Our goal is to give each client the tools, perspective, and self-awareness to maintain their progress after they leave our offices, because that is where the work of recovery really happens.
Group Therapy in Houston
Group therapy is a key component of treatment at The Heights Treatment in Houston, providing clients with the opportunity to connect, share experiences, and learn from others in a structured and supportive environment. Led by licensed clinicians, group sessions are designed to foster insight, accountability, and interpersonal growth.
In group therapy, clients explore challenges alongside others who may be facing similar experiences. This shared dynamic helps reduce isolation, increase self-awareness, and provide real-time feedback in a way that individual therapy alone cannot replicate.
Group therapy is particularly effective for:
- Building communication and relationship skills
- Gaining perspective from others in recovery
- Practicing emotional regulation in real time
- Strengthening accountability in recovery
- Reducing feelings of isolation and shame
At The Heights Treatment, group therapy is integrated into a comprehensive treatment plan, ensuring each client benefits from both individualized care and the therapeutic value of community.
Sex Addiction Therapy in Houston
Sex addiction therapy at The Heights Treatment in Houston provides a private and structured environment for individuals struggling with compulsive sexual behaviors. Often linked to underlying emotional distress, trauma, or maladaptive coping patterns, sex addiction requires a thoughtful and clinically grounded approach to treatment.
Through individual therapy and specialized interventions, clients work to understand the patterns driving their behavior, including triggers, emotional responses, and underlying beliefs. Treatment focuses on developing healthier coping strategies, improving self-regulation, and rebuilding a sense of control and stability.
Sex addiction therapy may address:
- Compulsive sexual behaviors or patterns
- Difficulty managing urges or impulses
- Shame, guilt, or secrecy surrounding behavior
- Co-occurring mental health or substance use issues
- Relationship and trust challenges
Treatment is individualized, confidential, and integrated into a broader care plan to ensure clients receive the appropriate level of support while working toward lasting behavioral change and emotional well-being.
Treatment Modalities and the Continuum of Care
At The Heights Treatment, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment for mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co-occurring diagnoses.
Every client who enters treatment first completes a comprehensive pre-assessment. Based on this assessment, the Clinical Director and Treatment Team determine the appropriate level of care for each individual.
Once the appropriate level of care is determined, the care each client receives is individualized based on:
- The results of a multidimensional biopsychosocial assessment using ASAM Criteria
- The client’s perceived needs and personal goals
- The clinical determination of the multidisciplinary treatment team
As clients make progress and their needs evolve, the care plan is adjusted accordingly. When a client has achieved the goals on their treatment plan or has stabilized sufficiently, they will transition to a less intensive level of care.
ASAM Assessment and the Continuum of Care
The ASAM Criteria is the most widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay, transfer, or discharge of patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions.
Using the ASAM Criteria in conjunction with our clinical team’s professional judgment enables The Heights Treatment to provide outcome-oriented, individualized care that reflects each client’s actual clinical needs, not a predetermined program timeline.
ASAM outlines levels of care on a scale from 0.5 to 4, with higher numbers representing more intensive levels of support. At The Heights Treatment, when a client has completed the goals on their treatment plan and has stabilized in recovery, they will transition to a less restrictive level of care as part of a planned step-down.
Continuum of Care at a Glance
The Heights Treatment Programs
Every patient’s treatment plan is completely custom and aligned with their current state, the severity of their condition, and their future goals. We will conduct a comprehensive intake assessment that encompasses all aspects of patient care, from mental and emotional health to physical and spiritual wellness.
Our goal is to ensure no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of patient recovery and healing. Once we have established an individualized treatment plan, the patient will begin individual sessions with their assigned psychiatrist or therapist. They will also be required to attend a minimum number of group sessions led by our experienced clinicians and peer team leaders.
Level 0.5
Prevention / Early Intervention
Recovery mentoring, coaching, and supportive living through Transcend Supportive Living for those in early recovery or maintaining sobriety
Level 1
Outpatient Program (OP)
Scheduled weekly sessions with continued clinical oversight. Clients live at home and maintain daily routines while sustaining recovery progress.
Level 2.1
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Structured outpatient treatment three to five days per week with individual and group therapy. Clients live at home or in supportive housing while engaging in consistent clinical care.
Level 2.5
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Full-day structured programming five or more days per week. Clients receive intensive clinical support including individual therapy, group work, and psychiatric care while returning home or to supportive housing each evening.
Level 3.1 / IIP
Individualized Intensive Program (IIP)
A highly personalized, intensive outpatient program with frequent individual sessions, tailored treatment planning, and clinical oversight. Designed for clients requiring a deeper level of clinical engagement, often paired with supportive housing.
Level 4
Inpatient / Medically Managed Detox
24/7 medically supervised care in a residential setting for the most acute presentations, including medical detox and stabilization. The Heights Treatment can assist with referrals to appropriate inpatient or detox providers when needed.
