Early Stage of Group Treatment

getting the client to recognize, admit and move past their high levels of ambivalence

and denial.

Early Stage of Group Treatment

understand the relationship between their addiction and their present difficult in life.

Early Stage of Group Treatment

rebellious, suspicious and manipulative behaviour

Early Stage of Group Treatment

During the early stages of treatment the goal of the therapist is to:

1) to discover themselves and others as feeling people

2) identify their defenses

Early Stage of Group Treatment

Ego Defenses: denial rationalization

Early Stage of Group Treatment

The art of treating addiction is to overcome the enormous denial and resistance that most addicts possess.

Confrontation How confrontation is used is critical ~

there can be constructive and destructive

Early Stage of Group Treatment

Washton (1992) Guidelines for Effective Confrontation giving feedback as you see it most useful when spoken with empathy,

concern, and respectful voice be descriptive (what you observed, give

examples) expressing concern about the person’s

dangerous and self-defeating behaviour

Leaders Responsibility

Assessing when to/ not to intervene Allowing some tension for group to grow Helping members assume responsibility

for their own drug related problems Modulating anxiety in intense situations Dealing with destructive resistance: fleeing Treating the group as a mirror, microcosm

Reinforcing Group Norms

Feedback Risk-taking Openness Acceptance Confidentially

Impulse Control & Self-Disclosure

Manage members difficulties with impulse control

Members inexperience in regulating closeness and intimacy

Appropriate/inappropriate self disclosure Risk of self-disclosure ~ vulnerability Too little, too much: indiscriminate self-

disclosure Tolerance and readiness of the group/individual

Integrating New Members in the Open Group

Introduce how the group works to new comers

No set ways or rituals for integrating new members

Impact of new members on group development

Impact of relapse and returning members on group process

Middle Stage of Treatment

Action stage of treatment Awareness of the stages of change for

individual members and the group as a whole

Middle Stage of Treatment

Group leader should consider: Equal distribution of time in group Activity focuses and invites group

members to participate Focus on topics that are meaningful Prevents rambling patient from derailing

the group Provides a clear direction for the group

Corrective Emotional Experience

Strong expression of emotion Group supportive enough to permit risk Reality testing of the incident Inappropriateness of certain feelings Inappropriateness of avoiding behaviour Facilitation to interact with others more

deeply and honestly (Yalom, 2005)

Late Stage Change

Emphasis will focus on addressing characterological makeup of the client

Helping the person become aware That’s who I am I wnt ot cange but can’t Here I go again Whey change? What is in it for me?