Substance Abuse and Group Therapy, Essay Example

Professionals treat substance abuse via a vast array of group treatment paradigms in order to meet the needs of the client during the various phases of recovery. Various methodologies and group goals constitute therapy models that professionals have employed in order to effectively treat substance abuse. The five primary models for group therapy include psychoeducational groups; support groups; skills development groups; interpersonal process groups; and problem-solving/cognitive-behavioral groups. Each of these five models caters to certain segments of the population, a dexterous leaders can always proffer potent therapeutic experiences for substance abusers who attend these meetings. Models need to be respectively cater to the idiosyncratic needs of certain populations that are being treated, as the goals of a group’s treatment comprise an integral determinant of the model that is appropriated. A clients stage of change will govern which methodologies and group models are apt at a certain time. If the group is made up of members who have reached the action stage and proclaim to be substance dependent, the group meeting would be conducted in a greatly different manner from groups in which members are in the pre-contemplative stage (“Substance Abuse Treatment,” 2005). In addition, experience and time also undergird shifting priorities. For example, a group that consists of members who have substance use disorders and have only recently gone cold turkey diverges from a group that has members who have been sober for one or two years. Theoretical frameworks have additionally greatly affected groups tasks articulated by the group leader in addition to the type of intervention initiated by the group leader. The treatment programs for substance abusers and groups provided must remain consistent with theoretical approaches that are clearly defined. Although there remains various discrepancies between practice and clearly defined theory, minimal difficulties will germinate if the group leader employs sound clinical judgment with regards to the models and interventions employed therein.

Lesson Plan Outline/Timeline for 90-minute group session

Topic: Substance abuse

Key Session points:

• Recovery from substance abuse and addiction is a personal choice and can be achieved by embracing a healthier lifestyle
• We are much more than our debilitating malady and we are all whole people who possess strengths in various dimensions: intellectual, physical, spiritual, environmental, and emotional/mental
• There is a vast array of tools that can facilitate group members to commit to a healthy lifestyle
• How can group members evaluate and redefine the manner in which group members think and feel regarding substance abuse recovery/sobriety

Plan for Session

10 minutes: Introductions and go over the meeting agreements

• Introduction of the facilitator
• Go around the group and have each member introduce themselves in order to foment intimacy and more personalization. Make sure each member has a name tag.
• Review group meeting agreements
• Explain the agenda of the group meeting and let the group members know that participation is voluntary and that there may not be ample time for everyone to provide their input
• Briefly introduce the topic of substance abuse and the currency of sobriety and recovery
• Facilitator will state 3 primary objectives of the group session

15 minutes: Defining the problem

• Ask group members how they view substance abuse and how it has impacted their lives in negative ways. Calling on members rather than waiting for them to volunteer will ensure that members remain vested and alert in the discussion
• Process primary concepts associated with substance abuse and treatment
• Client as an agent of change rather than external figures and institutions
• Need for psychosocial skills
• Self-help for recovery
• Key goal: abstinence from addictive behaviors

20 minutes: Members review questions

• How has substance abuse impacted family, friends, and the community at large?
• How do you feel about the very notion of substance abuse?
• How do you define substance abuse?
• How do you view your substance abuse behaviors and where does drug and alcohol abuse figore in your life?

15 minutes: review and discussion of substance abuse and the negative ramifications associated with such behaviors

• Acute intoxication and withdrawal
• Bio-Medical complications and conditions
• Behavioral, emotional, and cognitive conditions
• Motivation and readiness/preparation
• Relapse, persistent use, and continued problem
• Recovery environment

15 minutes: Discussion and pinpointing strengths and weaknesses in 6 dimensions of substance abuse

• Call on members for participation
• Short response from the participants

10 minutes: Discuss the plan for substance abuse recovery

• Tell members that at the beginning of every session there will be a brief review
• Encourage the members to steadfastly commit to working on more than one tool for substance recovery

5 minutes: Ask members to summarize what was discussed in the session and what lessons they took from it

• Thank members for attendance and participation
• Briefly address the next topic

Substance abuse is perceived as a maladaptive and multi-determined way to cope with various life issues that eventually becomes habitual and results in the gradual deterioration of an individual’s life circumstances. The habituation of drug abuse is referred to as a disease that is arguably a malady in its own right because it harms a person mentally, spiritually, and physically. In group meetings, causation is thus not the primary focus of recovery and treatment (Henninger et al., N.d.). It is necessary in group treatment that there is currency in developing a lesson plan and timeline by the facilitator. It does take time to outline a group session, but ultimately facilitators and group members will benefit from ample preparation. Each portion of the meeting needs to be visualized and address an important component of substance abuse recovery. Doing so ensures that a facilitator addresses all necessary topics and concepts and presents the information in a coherent and logical order. In addition, the facilitator prepares for concepts that group members may not be able to fully grasp. Following group meetings, facilitators can review what went well and what did not and thus adapt it for lessons in the future. If a substitute facilitator is called upon, a lesson plan outline would be invaluable. Lack of preparation often results in a lack of engagement with the members and thus be less effective in helping members recover and remain abstinent. Research proves that participation in group meetings for substance abuse increases the likelihood that a group member will avoid relapsing.

As a group facilitator, it is important to convey to group members that there is much happiness in being alive, thereby evincing a life-affirming attitude in which drugs and alcohol are not necessary. Substance abusers are a diverse and broad population that traverses all ethnic groups and ages, which means that there are most likely a vast array of personal histories and co-occurring conditions. An effective facilitator in substance abuse group meetings must employ the same qualities, skills, approaches, and styles mandated in all types of therapeutic groups. The cultural and personal traits of a group meeting unequivocally impacts how the facilitator tailors therapeutic strategies in order to meet the needs of the group on an idiosyncratic basis. Substance abusers typically grow up in households that provide them with little support, protection, and/or safety, which is why facilitators need to be both affirming and responsive rather than judgmental. Group members are vulnerable and thus need support, especially for those who are in the nascent stages of treatment. Of paramount importance for a facilitator is to recognize that he or she is obligated to make various choices as group meetings progress in addition to structuring them.

Personal biases must be eschewed, especially if a facilitator is himself or herself a substance abuser, which skews how group members view the facilitator and may detract from the efficacy of the leader. In addition, facilitators who come from different demographics, such as the socioeconomically disadvantaged, faces various barriers and challenges because of how they view the very concept of substance abuse. While some posit that substance abuse is an addiction, and therefore an illness, others believe it is a choice made by people. Different perceptions of substance abuse may adversely impact how effective group meetings are for those afflicted by substance ause. Ultimately, it is difficult to engage a group of substance abusers who come from vastly different backgrounds because it is hard for facilitators to empathize with group members. In addition, consistency in attending group meeting poses another herculean challenge as group dynamics are not the same if people come and go. Moreover, people have various types of learning styles, and they may not react in a positive manner to certain styles including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Facilitators thus must employ all three types and/or adjust styles to meet the needs of the group members.

References

Alana Henninger, A., Sung, H., & Jay, J. (N.d.). History of substance abuse treatment. History of Substance Abuse Treatment. Retrieved October 21, 2015 from https://www.academia.edu/5187736/History_of_substance_abuse_treatment

Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy. (2005). Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, 41. Retrieved October 21, 2015 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64214/