Group Counseling and Substance Abuse

Group Counseling and Substance Abuse

There is a plentiful collection of literature regarding group counseling and substance abuse, and this paper will present two theories in that regard.

Client-Centered Therapy (also referred to as "Person-Centered Therapy"): Psychologist Carl Rogers, a renowned educator and innovator in matters of therapy, launched a new approach to treating behavioral issues about sixty-six years ago. His approach was a huge departure from Freudian psychotherapy / psychoanalysis, according to an article in the Harvard Mental Health Letter (Harvard Medical School, 2006) (HMS). Basically Rogers' approach is to eschew some of the common strategies; the Client-Centered Therapy does not employ psychological tests, or "agree or disagree with clients or express opinions of their own" -- nor does the Rogers approach "explore the client's feelings about the therapist" (HMS, p. 1).

Instead, the therapist in a group setting offers a "model of reflective listening without trying to point out directions and provide solutions," and that listening takes place with a relaxed pace, allowing the clients in the room to "tell their own stories at their own pace" (HMS, p. 1). The principle at work in Client-Centered Therapy, the HMS asserts, is that "clients know more about themselves than the therapist can possibly know" and hence, they don't necessarily need the wisdom of a "expert." By avoiding being judgmental and being careful not to intrude into the personalities of group members the therapist avoids "becoming an object of the client's attitudes and feelings" (HMS, p. 1).

There are three "facilitating conditions" that the therapist must offer to the group: a) accurate empathy (tracking "moment-to-moment" feelings and thoughts of the client); b) Congruence or transparency (no facade or deception in response to the client is permitted; what the therapist is thinking and feeling should be clearly expressed); and c) Unconditional positive regard (respecting clients without interrupting; empathy is imperative) (HMS, p. 2).

Meanwhile, as to recent research into addictive behavior, an article in Community Care (2011) reports that "a third of older people with alcohol misuse problems develop them later in life" -- and their addictive problems tend to go unnoticed (General OneFile). The preconception among many healthcare providers is that alcohol and drug use issues "are problems of the young" and hence, the article offers doctors, psychologists, nurses and other healthcare professionals to "wake-up call" that indeed older people suffer from "bereavement feelings of loneliness or depression" which often leads them into abusing alcohol and drugs (General OneFile). It seems that a group counseling session involving older people could achieve positive results if the therapist embraced Client-Centered therapy. Indeed, older people respond when respected.

Adlerian Group Therapy: The approach of Adlerian is to institute the "4 R's" (respect, responsibility, responsiveness and resourcefulness); and in the process, group members' introductions do not say "Hi, I'm John and I'm an alcoholic" because that forces people "to identify themselves with the lowest point in their lives" (Prinz, 1994, 351). One interesting strategy in Adlerian therapy is when a group member talks about herself for a few minutes, and then steps outside the group, turns her back, and listens to group comments "without responding" (Prinz, 356). This experience "can be intimidating" but the dynamic can encourage honesty and help group members face up to their personal substance abuse issues.