For most clients entering a rehab treatment facility, this significant life change brings some fear. That natural fear often relates to particular aspects of rehab, such as detox and treatment therapies. For many, group therapy is the most intimidating. But those same people go on to enjoy the benefits of our addiction group therapy sessions and even seek to maintain their peers’ mutual support long after rehab.
Addiction group therapy refers to a therapy setting in which multiple individuals discuss their past experiences and the feelings they associate with said experiences. It is meant to reduce stigma while encouraging those struggling with addiction and mental illness to communicate honestly with others. This form of open dialogue is crucial in cultivating a sense of comradeship and belonging among clients. It also sets them up to make long-lasting bonds, so that they can continue to support one another after treatment has ended. These sessions are conducted by a licensed counselor or therapist that keeps the discussion moving and constructive. Participants are meant to leave sessions with the understanding that they are not alone and that there are many people who have their backs.
Group therapy is one of the best methods for treating addiction, especially alongside trauma-informed care. Current group therapy programs use a variety of methods and approaches. These include educational sessions, in which you learn about addiction. You also learn about co-occurring mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, or trauma.
Some of the education of your group therapy program involves learning coping skills as part of relapse prevention. After all, your biggest goal in recovery is to maintain that recovery. This means staying sober. To stay sober, you must know what potential relapse looks like and how to stop it.
Group therapy also involves bonding with your peers in treatment. Rehab programs seem like a forced environment of widely varied personality types, at first. But in group counseling, you quickly find common ground with your peers. You learn to support each other, communicate better, and even lean on the people around you when you need to do so.
From your peers, you learn what works in recovery and where others suffer setbacks. This helps you make informed decisions in your own life. You soon find yourself using what you learn in your group therapy program as part of your daily life and even as you build new relationships.
Of course, group sessions also delve into why you started abusing drugs or alcohol in the first place. Sometimes this self-discovery and growth feel uncomfortable. But as you maintain your course and engage in your group therapy, you start seeing changes.
Group therapy has been a core substance abuse treatment method for many decades and has been proven to be very successful. Listed below are a few benefits of group therapy that can help people during substance addiction treatment:
Once a decision has been made to participate, the next question is where to find a drug and alcohol addiction group therapy program. Both residential treatment centers and outpatient rehab centers will offer many forms of group therapy programs that address substance abuse and other issues members are dealing with.
Other forms of group therapy are 12-step programs offered by groups like Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. These groups will typically be held at numerous locations and times, so members can always find them conveniently.
Additionally, group therapy programs may also include:
Between your addiction treatment team and therapist, you will find which benefits of group therapy will be the most effective for your recovery.
Those participating in group therapy know that there are five separate models of group sessions you may enroll in. A proficient and knowledgeable treatment specialist and group therapy model can offer significant benefits, but each specific model will fit each particular need. Therefore, some group therapy programs will use several models during the meetings as they shift from one model to another.
This form of group therapy’s primary focus is to educate members on mental health, substance use, related behaviors, and consequences. These meetings are held in a classroom-like setting, and the material will be presented through either lecture, audio, or video format.
Psychoeducational groups are helpful for many scenarios as they teach members:
In these groups, the leader will act as a teacher. The material presented will be more specific to members of the group and their particular needs. Skill development groups are more structured on the members communicating with each other than only the leader talking to them.
Skill development group sessions will center on skills that contribute to the member’s ability to remain sober. Potential skill development group topics include:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based therapy style that treats patients with the assumption that negative behaviors are acquired and strengthened over time. Modifying these behaviors means the patient must change their thoughts, feelings, and actions that contribute to substance abuse. Users beat themselves up by telling themselves they’re not strong enough to get clean. By altering negative thoughts and feelings, the patient can begin the changes required to support recovery.
To achieve these changes, cognitive-behavioral therapy groups will:
A support group’s primary focus is to offer understanding and care to all group members. This support comes from the group leader and is passed on from each member to another. The group leader will help each member to improve their interpersonal skills while sharing experiences, engaging in group discussions, and assisting other members with the challenges they face.
The treatment therapist will illustrate the level of communication, model respectful conversation, and provide positive support.
Interpersonal process groups strive to heal group members through psychodynamics, meaning how they operate psychologically. The group leader will take notes and process:
A focus is on childhood concerns and emotional development that, when remaining unresolved, lead to impulsivity, bad decision-making, and harmful coping skills. However, it’s possible to improve their judgment by resolving these issues through treatment.
With interpersonal group therapy, the content covered in each therapy session is secondary. Instead, the group leader observes how each group member is behaving and socializing in the present and how their past impacts their present.
Phoenix Rising Recovery in Palm Springs, CA provides quality treatment and a secure environment to help you build stable sobriety and long-lasting recovery. Our programs include a wide range of support, education, and therapeutic modalities.
You are capable of building a new life with the fresh mindset and knowledge you gain through our group therapy program in Palm Springs, CA. Contact us to learn more about this therapy and the brighter future that waits for you.
There is a multitude of benefits associated with the comprehensive drug rehab care we offer in sunny California. The most noteworthy of these is living a life free of the harmful physical, mental, and social effects of addiction.
Further benefits of receiving treatment at our drug rehab in Southern California include the following:
These benefits are why our programs lead to successful outcomes for many in recovery. By offering varying levels of care, therapies, and amenities, we have something for everyone in recovery.
