It’s hard to find two addiction recovery journeys that look the same. Everyone has their own goals, treatment needs, and setbacks, after all.
The mental health history alone can change the therapeutic approaches drastically. And who’s better prepared to consider a person’s mental health and medication needs than psychiatrists? Of course, in this case, we’re talking about an addiction psychiatrist.
What role can this healthcare professional play? Is their scope of practice different from that of therapists and psychologists? How do you even find a board-certified addiction psychiatrist in Boynton Beach, FL?
This post will help you find answers to all these questions and more. Read on.
Multi-Disciplinary Teams in Addiction Treatment at a Glance
Holistic therapy doesn’t just aim to control the substance use disorder (SUD). It also puts a lot of emphasis on the person’s general well-being. The goal is to get all the systems in harmony to help the individual recover at every possible level—body, mind, and spirit.
As it happens, getting this sort of holistic patient care is much easier when you have experts from different disciplines working together.
Let’s take a look at how a treating team with professionals from different backgrounds functions and where a psychiatrist fits in.
How Multi-Disciplinary Teams Work
Different members might have to meet the patient to interview them and collect the needed physical/psychiatric history.
The meeting could be a simple interview, a medical examination, or a standard questionnaire. Either way, when the health professionals from all the different disciplines are done assessing the patient, they start discussing their findings.
The goal here is to build a customized yet evidence-based addiction treatment that tackles the patient’s substance use issue from all angles.
Healthcare Professionals and Included Team Members
Naturally, addiction psychiatry is one of the disciplines that shape the treatment plan. But the psychiatrists also work hand in hand with a wide range of professionals from other backgrounds and practice scopes, including:
- Interventionists
- Physicians
- Nurse practitioners
- Psychologists
- Pharmacists
- Counselors
The Team at Recreate Life Counseling
At the Boynton Beach-based Recreate Life Counseling, we understand the importance of holistic and cross-disciplinary approaches.
That’s why our team includes psychiatrists, therapists, medical doctors, and recovery counselors. All medical teams are led by doctors with board certification in psychiatry and addiction medicine.
We also recognize that the devastating effects of addiction hurt more than the patient—it ripples over to their family members. Plus, many of us are in recovery ourselves, which means our patients will always have access to someone who understands their struggles.
5 Roles for a Psychiatrist in the Field of Addiction Treatment
By now, you should have a decent idea about how useful a multi-disciplinary approach can be. Next, we’ll focus on the various roles that an addiction psychiatrist can play within the treatment team.
1. Prescribe Medications for Mental Health Conditions
Terms like psychiatrist, psychologist, and therapist are sometimes used interchangeably in the field of addiction and mental health treatment. But they aren’t exactly synonymous.
| Description / Title | Is a medical doctor? | Can Diagnose/Treat Mental Disorders? | Can Prescribe Medications? |
| Therapist | No | Yes | No |
| Psychologist | No (but must have a doctorate-level degree) | Yes | No |
| Psychiatrist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
As you can see, the number one difference between psychiatrists and other professionals in the field is the medication management aspect. Only a licensed psychiatrist is allowed to prescribe medication for mental illnesses.
It’s also worth noting how education and background are critical differences here. After all, the Florida Psychiatric Society (FPS) defines a psychiatrist as a medical doctor who specializes in treating mental, emotional, and behavioral health problems.
An addiction psychiatrist is someone who not only went to medical school and completed a residency in general psychiatry. They also did a fellowship in addiction psychiatry as a subspecialty.
2. Work on Integrated Interventions
The reason it’s so important to have professionals who can treat mental health problems on the team is that dual diagnoses are common. When addiction treatment professionals say “dual diagnoses,” they mean patients who have an illness co-existing with the SUD.
For example, someone might have an alcohol use problem and an anxiety disorder at the same time. Another patient might suffer from both drug abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Cases like these aren’t uncommon in Florida at all.
To put things into perspective, we’d like to share some local insights on dual diagnosis. Here are the annual averages from a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2022–2023 report:
| Age Group | SUD with any mental illness (in thousands) | SUD with any mental illness (percentage) | SUD with serious mental illness (in thousands) | SUD with serious mental illness (percentage) |
| 18–25 | 309 | 15.1 | 131 | 6.4 |
| 26+ | 1,037 | 6.59 | 311 | 1.98 |
| 18+ | 1,345 | 7.57 | 442 | 2.49 |
3. Plan and Hold Psychiatric Treatments
There are some psychiatric treatments that can help people recover from substance abuse.
For instance, there’s dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a form of talk therapy or psychotherapy that focuses on troubled emotions. One study shows that it can cut the duration of psychiatric hospitalization by 77%!
Addiction psychiatrists can use DBT modalities with their patients as needed. Sure, other health professionals might also hold sessions.
However, having a trained person handle both the medication and therapy can prove beneficial. This would allow them to see the full picture. Understanding how certain medications affect the patient’s thought patterns can help them deliver a more personal and cohesive treatment plan.
In fact, some psychiatrists rely on the biopsychosocial model. It’s a holistic approach that recognizes the complexity of every patient they treat, from genetic makeup and brain chemistry to thoughts and emotions.
4. Assess Patients and Update Records
Besides prescribing medication and holding therapy sessions, an addiction psychiatrist will also need to constantly re-evaluate the mental and/or addictive disorder.
Since they’re likely working in a large multi-disciplinary team, they’ll need to keep the records and files updated. Some might meet with clinicians to discuss the patient’s progress and overall wellness.
5. Direct Opioid Addiction Treatment Programs
Medical directors for opioid treatment programs (OTP) should preferably be board-certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry. This way, they’ll be better equipped to run programs designed to help people overcome drug use disorders.
These guidelines also make a lot of sense when you consider that drugs like buprenorphine might be involved in the treatment plan.
Side Note: In Florida, the medical directors of any public treatment program need to be ASAM-certified as well.
How to Find a Board-Certified Addiction Psychiatrist in Florida
The “board” in “board-certified psychiatrist” refers to the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).
The ABPN recognizes several subspecialties in the field of psychiatry, from geriatric and forensic to addiction. Each of these subspecialties has its certification process—deadlines, accredited training, exams, fees, and so on.
Plus, the ABPN doesn’t accept training from international programs. So, any person who claims to be a board-certified addiction psychiatrist must have finished the subspecialty training in the US.
Verifying the Validity of an ABPN Addiction Psychiatry Certificate
How do you confirm that the MD is certified? Well, you can use the ABPN’s search tool.
As long as you know their first and last name, you can look them up. Just remember to choose addiction psychiatry from the certification drop-down list.
Side Note: A psychiatrist could be double board-certified if they have ABPN certification in both general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry.
Locating Nearby ABPN-Certified Addiction Psychiatrists
You can use the ABPN’s database search tools to find a board-certified psychiatrist near you. To do that, select Florida from the state drop-down list and pick addiction psychiatry as the subspecialty.
If the search results are too overwhelming, you can narrow the search further. All you need to do is type a specific city (Boca Raton, Miami, Fort Myers, etc.) to find local psychiatrists.
Other psychiatrist-finder tools will let you search for professionals who accept insurance or telehealth services. However, the one by the ABPN is great for finding board-certified professionals in one specialty or subspecialty.
Getting in Touch With the Recreate Life Counseling Team
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help finding counselors and addiction professionals. Our admission team will be happy to discuss the available options with you.
You Don’t Have to Start the Recovery Journey Alone
We at Recreate Behavioral Health Network firmly believe in the importance of personalized care plans. Our multi-state network offers a full continuum of care, from inpatient detox to intensive outpatient services and alumni programs.
Our addiction treatment facility in Boynton Beach, Florida, is staffed with a compassionate, cross-disciplinary team that includes psychiatrists working alongside counselors and therapists.
Remember, we’re here to answer your questions. So, feel free to fill out a contact form or dial our number today to learn more about addiction psychiatrists and how they can help you (or your loved one).
