During the rehab process, patients receive much more than therapy and counselling. They learn a lot about addiction and what it takes to stay on the path of recovery. In many cases, they also learn the value of having one or more support groups. For many years now, counselors have placed a great deal of value on promoting the idea of "one addict helping another addict." In fact, who would know more about the recovery process than someone who has successfully lived it? About Supports Groups Contrary to popular beliefs, supports groups involve much more than a bunch of patients sitting around talking about their problems. There is much more taking place in the room. A good support group process is going to encourage the exchange of ideas, experiences …show more content…
Patients can find great comfort in knowing they are not the only ones going through such a horrible experience. In an environment of people with something in common, everyone is much more likely to open up and share their innermost feelings and fears. The Greatest Benefit of Support Groups While sharing and caring provide the basis for support groups, there's one benefit from group therapy that patients can't overlook. Simply put, it's the building of trust in others to help when help is needed. While caught in the cycle of addiction, trust is not easily given. In fact, many people dealing with addiction are paranoid. The lost of trust in the people around them promotes a lonely existence. There's great benefit in knowing patients can find relief by discovering they can trust someone other than counselors and family. It's also important to note how important group settings can be on the outside. Many people in recovery make significant process by going to 12-Step meetings. Again, these meetings offer much more than a forum for having coffee and discussing problems. These meetings offer people a chance to make new friends and develop lasting relationships. That's a very important attribute because most people in recovery have to say goodbye to the old friends they had while living life with an
As a student, practice is crucial to learn group therapy techniques. In order to achieve these practices, I attended 2 support groups of the same topic. Observation and attendance constructs an idea of how group therapy works. Attending this group was important because of the profoundness of its meaning and experiences I have witnessed.
...e or social group for being an addict if it is not fully understood that they are trying to recover from their addiction (Methadone Cons).
Dealing with everyday stresses can be overwhelming for most people, all the more for recovering addicts. If you don’t have access to a support group who can help you manage these feelings in a positive way, you may be pushed to find social connections and coping mechanisms in other avenues. You may seek old relationships or habits that reawaken tempting behaviors.
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a support group that helps individuals with the process of recovery from the disease of addiction. Whether they share the same drug addiction or not, it is open for those who seek a clean way of living. The only requirement for this support group is the "desire to stop using" (pamphlet). At the same time, NA strongly believes that "fellowship and support of other clean addicts really help [as they] begin to rely on them for the reassurance they so desperately need" (pamphlet). As a group, they work together to find new ways to support one another. With that said, their goal is to engage each addict into a safe and encouraging network that will help them throughout the recovery process. A "recovery
While the group therapy sessions are supposed to bring the patients problems out in the open
Substance abuse is the habitual use of mind altering substances (Substances). Addicts have a false or altered look on reality; they need help seeing what is wrong with the life style they are living. Nikki Sixx once said,” Addiction- When you can give something up at any time, as long as it’s next Tuesday!” Recovery is teaching a person to break old habits. Substance abuse counselors are very important, not only in the mental health field, but in society as well.
It requires ongoing treatment, and those treatments vary from patient to patient. Mental conditions can be treated with one or a combination of treatments such as medication, psychotherapy, hospital treatment, and group therapy (Medicine Net). While medication does not completely cure mental illness, it does help control the symptoms of said mental problem. Psychotherapy is performed by a trained mental health professional who studies the patient’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to assess what is best for the individual’s health. The most effective way to treat mental illness is a combination of psychotherapy with medication. The need for hospitalization is rare among mental health cases; it is only necessary for patients who need to be monitored closely because they are a danger to themselves or society. Group therapies, also referred to as support groups, are meetings where members help guide each other towards their shared goal of recovery (Mental Health America). Support groups are beneficial because it comprises of peers who are going through the same experiences and
I also think that reason why people change in groups is because they are relating to topics covered in groups and they are understanding why they need to make changes. For some people Group is like a therapy group where you can say you troubles without being judge and sometimes you get a sense of belonging since you realized that you’re not the only one struggling. Another factor that I found interesting that the article mention was the instillation of hope, this is a factor that I fully believe in and that 100 percent think that it should be within every patient is the hope of getting better . Hope is not a factor only patient have but the group leader and or therapist or a family member and supporter they all need to have hope that the patient is going to get
Though not much research has been done to find out the effectiveness on NA meetings for persons with addictions, there are some studies done to show outcomes of this form of treatment. Many addicts try to put themselves in rehab or some form of treatment to help them with their recovery. According to the article “Attendance at Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, frequency of attendance and substance use outcomes after residential treatment for drug dependence: a 5-year follow-up study” by Michael Gossop, Duncan Stewart, John Marsden, they state “…the relatively high rate of relapse which often occurs after leaving treatment gives rise to concern” (Gossop, Stewart, & Marsden ,2008). This means after rehab there is no form of treatment helping them with their sobriety. “Studies that looked specifically at NA have found an association between group attendance and improved drug-using outcomes and length of time in NA has been found to be related to abstinence from illicit drugs” (Gossop, Stewart, & Marsden ,2008). Another study on youth, ages ranging from 30 and under, from the article “Can 12-step group participation strengthen and extend the benefits of adolescent addiction treatment? A prospective analysis” by John Kelly, Sarah Dow, Julie Yeterian, and Christopher Kahler, explains “…high post-treatment rates
the patient's life and feelings to get an understanding of what the patient goes through on
...t strides are carried out to restore group dynamics if a certain member discloses a statement that jeopardizes the atmosphere of recovery. In addition, what can Narcotics Anonymous do in order to safeguard the well-being of each group member in terms of feeling supported? With regard to how I can apply what I learned from this group to my learning in the course, I can transfer the importance of making group members feel validated, respected, and supported and clearly communicating acceptance and respect through both nonverbal and verbal behaviors to Group Counseling. The most important lesson that I took away from this experience was that it is okay to acknowledge and admit that you feel powerless or find a situation difficult to handle because openly acknowledging mistakes can demonstrate that you are not only human but are making an effort to correct them.
The support group I observed was the Suncoast Aphasia Support Group located in Sarasota County (5741 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL, Auditorium Room 170 at Doctor's Hospital). This group meets the 1st Monday of every month at 5:30 pm-7 pm. I participated in the meeting that took place on November 6, 2017, from 5:30-7:15 pm. The general population that attended the group consisted of elderly participants. There were about 20-23 people who attended the support group, and about half of them were people with Aphasia. There was I believe one SLP, two 911 Sarasota county visitors, and people with Aphasia did have their spouses or family members there as well.
Social support is defined as the existence and availability of friends and other people, including family, on whom we can rely, in times of need or crisis to give us a positive self-image (Towey, 2013). In addition, social support is provided by those people who express care, value and love towards others. It plays a positive role in psychological adjustment and health and this can be observed in several settings. For example, in developing a strong, mutual tie amongst each other, soldiers ensure the success and survival of their peers. Physicians observe the salutary effects of their attention and concern on their patients’ well-being and recovery from illness. These observations lead to social support playing two major roles in our life: (a) it contributes to positive adjustment and personal development and (b) provides a buffer against the effects of adversity and stress (Sarason, Levine, Basham, & Sarason, 1983).
Among those who are recovering from addiction, social support was shown to have a positive effect decreasing the possibility of relapse, as have friends, family or support groups there to encourage addicts as they quit showed to make them more determined to succeed and quit.
Many people have a misconception about what Group Counseling is. Group Counseling is something that many people do not take into much consideration as a way to help others. Anyone that has not been part of a group counseling, could consider hard it to speak to strangers about their problems and issues without feeling insecure or afraid to be judged. Group Counseling is a great way to bring people together; a way for people to talk about their problems and realize that they are not alone, universality. Also, seeing what others are going through, gives the participants the opportunity to listen and learn.