How to Facilitate a Substance Abuse Group

Addiction is a complex, multifaceted issue. According to the National Center on Child Abuse and Child Welfare, addiction is a continuum, starting with use and increasing to abuse and then dependence. Recovery can be slow and fraught with danger. But, a relapse does not necessarily spell failure. Remaining in recovery depends on ongoing support and treatment. Group therapy can be a key to remaining sober and drug free. The National Center for Biotechnology Information identifies five different types of group support for people recovering from addiction. A group may successfully combine two or more of these approaches.

Instructions

• 1

  Focus on education by using a psychoeducational model if the members are still at the contemplative stage of their recovery, meaning they are just thinking about change. The facilitator in a psychoeducational group instructs the members, in this case about the damage the substances are doing to their lives. Assemble a number of effective information sources and disseminate this to group members.

• 2

  Initiate a cognitive-behavioral type of group if you want to emphasize the faulty coping skills of the addict. Using this approach, discuss learned responses and substance-use triggers. Discuss previous problems such as anxiety with the group members. Propose a number of coping strategies, such as journal keeping, relaxation therapy and meditation.

• 3

  Facilitate a support group, the next type, by taking more of a back seat. Allow the group members to largely set the agenda and support their peers. Many maintenance groups operate in this way, so this approach may be more suitable for clients who are well set on their road to recovery. Help to maintain a warm and supportive environment and intervene if there is a problem in the group dynamic or a lot of conflict.

• 4

  Initiate an interpersonal process group. This type of group emphasizes a more psychotherapeutic approach, seeing many of the roots of present problems in a person's early years. In this type of group the dynamic between members is crucial and you, the facilitator, will remain largely in the background, intervening to help solve problems or move the discussion on. Ideally, you need psychotherapeutic training to facilitate a group like this.

• 5

  Run a skills development group. Many addicts lose the skills needed to manage daily living, particularly those skills needed to manage stress. Some people use substances in the first place because of this deficit. Limit the number in the group to eight or 10 members and assess their individual needs. Teach coping skills and allow the dynamic in the group to improve individuals' confidence in their abilities.