Support Group Experience in Therapy

Support Group Experience

Abstract

Group support therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves at least one therapist working with many persons. The type of therapy is adopted in various places, including hospitals, private therapeutic practices, community centers, and mental health clinics. It can either be utilized alone or integrated into a detailed treatment that also comprises individual therapy. There are five major types of group therapy, including interpersonal groups, cognitive-behavioral groups, skills development groups, psycho-educational groups, and support groups (Fenton, 1974). The right choice of group therapy depends on the clinical techniques used during therapy and the specific mental health problem in question. This paper focuses on a support group that helps alcoholics to overcome their addiction.

Introduction

Cognitive-behavioral groups focus on identifying and altering distorted or wrong emotional responses, thinking patterns, and behaviors. Interpersonal groups emphasize social interactions and interpersonal relationships. It also includes the amount of support an individual receives from others and such relationships on their mental health. Skills development groups emphasize enhancing social skills with persons living with developmental disabilities or mental disorders. Psycho-educational groups teach clients about disorders and how to cope with them based on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) principles (Fenton, 1974).

On the other hand, support groups offer various benefits to persons with varied mental health issues, including their family or loved ones. A group has about three to 12 participants. Meetings take place at least once a week for one hour or two, through open (new participants are allowed to join) or closed (new participants are not allowed to join) sessions (Delworth, 1969).

Groups meet in a room with chairs during a typical therapy session. The chairs are usually arranged in a circle to enable each participant to see other group members. A session may begin with introducing participants, each sharing why they joined the support therapy group. Participants also share experiences and progress during ongoing meetings. The therapist in charge of the group is responsible for creating group goals and choosing the right therapy style for adoption. Some therapy groups adopt a free-form dialogue style, encouraging participants to speak as they deem fit. However, other therapy groups adopt particular plans for every session, including participants engaging in various skills with other group members (Bauman & Shaw, 2016).

Running head: SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 1

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SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE

Group therapy can help with many mental health conditions, including depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), panic disorder, substance use disorder, eating disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder, among others. Weight management, loss and grief, domestic violence, anger management, divorce, chronic pain, illness, and stress issues can also be handled through group therapy (In Jegathesan & Abdullah, 2019). Altruism allows group members to share their strengths and support each other, improving self-confidence and esteem. The principle of catharsis allows participants to share experiences and feelings, helping relieve guilt, pain, or even stress. This paper focuses on Alcoholics Anonymous meeting (AA meeting) as a support group for persons struggling with substance abuse or addiction to alcohol (Fenton, 1974).

Content and Process

The support therapy group is like a small family for its members. Participants within the same group can explore experiences during their childhood and how they may have contributed to an individual’s behaviors and personality. The group also allows members to avoid unhelpful or destructive behaviors in real life through its corrective recapitulation. The setting of the group supports the practice and development of new behaviors (Glass, 2010). The supportive and safe nature of the therapy setting allows participants to experiment and share without any fear of failure freely. This is done through socialization techniques development. Every group member gets to realize that each person is responsible for personal actions, lives, and even choices that make up existential factors (Delworth, 1969).

The fact that support group members share the same goals gives a sense of acceptance and belonging, boosting group cohesiveness. Sharing or imparting information helps group members to learn from each other. The AA meeting support group had members at different stages of treatment. Participants in their later treatment process help instill hope in those who were beginning their process of recovery (Glass, 2010). Members can also imitate or observe the therapist’s behavior or other participants in the support group. The principle of universality allows every group member to understand that what they are going through is also happening to others. Interacting with other participants in the same group and receiving feedback helps attain greater self-awareness. This occurs through interpersonal learning from the therapist and other group members (Bauman & Shaw, 2016).

Group support therapy was offered alongside individual therapy and medication. The AA meeting is aimed at helping people overcome their drinking problems. The support group is self-supporting, non-professional, apolitical, and multiracial. The popularity of this meeting is that it can be implemented anywhere, ranging from hospitals to prisons. The open membership meant that no participant is expected to meet specific education requirements, and anyone can join. Millions have used the support group technique to fight and recover from alcoholism. The treatment is founded on twelve spiritual principles that participants practice as a lifestyle to fight drinking obsession. They enable alcoholics to recover wholly and become happy (Delworth, 1969).

The twelve non-coercive steps for self-improvement involve participants admitting that they have no control over alcohol and its effects, acknowledging personal failings, and correcting them. The steps also involve correcting previous misdeeds, ongoing spiritual development, and supporting other addicts to overcome their alcoholism (Delworth, 1969). Although the support group involves belief in support of a supernatural God with the power to heal alcoholism, it also accommodates atheist, agnostic, and non-theist participants. A study links an increase in AA meetings attendance with increased spirituality and a reduction in the intensity and frequency of alcohol use. The meeting is effective at helping individuals, including atheists and agnostics, overcome alcohol addiction. However, some participants in the group use more than just spirituality to change their addictive behavior. Every session begins and ends with prayer (Glass, 2010).

Group Dynamics and Participants

A trained leader with an educational background in therapy led the AA meeting. Every meeting had 12 members for enhanced effectiveness. Each meeting took place for two hours once a week and addressed particular concerns participants raised in a previous session. New members were taken through group rules and confidentiality and ethical matters before joining the meetings. Most participants attended the meetings for six weeks to 12 months. The setting was alternated between a community center and a hospital. Whereas some people had finished their treatment, others were taking medication alongside the support group. The open group allowed people to join the AA meeting at different times, hence members were at different developmental stages (Jegathesan & Abdullah, 2019).

The AA meeting involved many activities that engaged participants to meet their need to recover from alcoholism. The activities fostered trust, communication, and personal growth among participants. Members also shared stories and experiences and indulged in reading as part of dialogue-driven strategies. Some sessions included team-oriented exercises that engaged the mind and the physical body. Ice breakers were used informally to support interaction among members. Activities such as cooking and dancing promoted respect and trust because participants did them as a team. Acting, music, and painting were used in other sessions to foster creativity. Wilderness adventures, role-playing, and other games helped build trust and boost self-confidence (McGoldrick, 2006).

Although joining the meeting was scary for most participants, members adjusted and got to know each other over time. Attending all meetings turned out to be beneficial for most members. The support group enabled participants to receive encouragement, hope, and support from other members. Knowing that everyone in the meetings was dealing with alcoholism gave me a sense of relief. Old group members acted as role models for newer members. Members in their final treatment stages give hope to new members that there is hope for recovery (In Jegathesan & Abdullah, 2019).

New participants gain a sense of success and accomplishment when looking up to those who have progressed in their treatment milestones. No participant paid a dime for the sessions because AA meetings are free for all. The setting of meetings provided a haven for members to share their experiences. This also made it easier for members to practice desired actions and behaviors to foster recovery. Furthermore, the leader, aka therapist, observed how individuals behave towards others and respond to them firsthand. The information helps provide valuable feedback for every participant to improve participation and treatment.

Leadership Behaviors

The group leader and therapist are responsible for maintaining a respectful, professional, and ethical therapy environment. The leader ensures that the sessions are free from sexual misconduct, discrimination, or behaviors that make other participants feel harassed, uncomfortable, or threatened. The leader also ensures that sessions are productive and non-judgmental for all group members. Active and responsive leaders ensure that members (persons struggling with substance use or addiction) are consistently engaged in meaningful ways with each other (In Jegathesan & Abdullah, 2019). Participants possess diverse personalities; hence the leader finds common topics or themes (abandonment, loss, and self-value) suitable for everyone. The attention is always on participants, not leaders.

The AA meeting leader adopted varied therapeutic techniques to meet the varied needs of participants. The leader customized specific treatment styles at varying times during therapy to meet the needs of group members. The leader was more active during the early and middle treatment phases and less active towards the late stages. Similarly, less gratification and support were available during the later sessions of treatment. This ensures that treatment sessions sustain “optimal anxiety level” at the late stages; this would be counterproductive and intolerable during the early treatment phases (Glass, 2010).

Participants’ functioning level, ability to manage to affect, stability, and social support come into play when choosing the right leadership type for a therapy session. The factors helped the group leader pick the right treatment style and support group for persons dealing with illicit drug or alcohol use (Delworth, 1969). For example, participants with high-functioning and previous experience with support groups and just starting treatment required the leader to be less active. They also needed informal sessions. Conversely, lower functioning participants with little to no experience working in a support group and at the beginning of treatment needed a more formal group structure. The leader ensured that they received more warmth and acceptance as new participants (Jegathesan & Abdullah, 2019).