Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, Vol 35(3), Sep 2025, 196-220; doi:10.1037/int0000360
A fundamental obstacle in formulating integrated, unified approaches to the treatment of any complex mental disorder is understanding the many factors involved in its etiology, and how they interact in any given individual. In addition, understanding the full scope of the etiological pathways and related treatment options for complex disorders, such as substance use disorders, is complicated by the epistemological assumptions and methodological practices across different research and clinical traditions. These varied perspectives—from behaviorism, neuroscience, cognitive, psychodynamic and affective to family systems, public policy, and sociocultural dynamics—have each produced fragmented understandings of different components of most disorders. Using the four-quadrant model of integral theory, the present article aims to integrate across the approaches involved in researching, diagnosing, and treating substance use disorders in order to produce a unified understanding of its etiological processes, the links among them, and how such a conceptualization is associated with similarly integrated options for treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)