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 individuals 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 therapists 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...

…recover roles. For example, the leader modeled active listening, provision of precise feedback, and curiosity about known intent and behavioral discrepancies. The leader was aware of ongoing self-disclosure, unconsciously and consciously. This was only to meet the support groups needs linked to activities or tasks (Glass, 2010). The leader assessed the driver or intent of questions asked and was able to understand participants and help them accordingly. The AA meeting leader was also a co-therapist. He blended his diverse reources, skills, and perspectives on therapeutic strategies to help participants overcome addiction.

As a result, group members observed functional, adaptive behavior in the leader and co-therapist. It offered opportunities for family transferences and allowed the leader to observe participants and situations with two different sets of eyes (one of a leader and a therapist). The leader skillfully adopted co-leadership or co-therapy. One challenge I observed was leading a group of people with different spiritual beliefs. The leader gave all participants a chance to express their faith and share their beliefs to ensure that nobody was left out or felt they were in the wrong place. Another challenge was getting new members to get used to old members. The leader organized games that allowed members to interact, communicate, and develop bonds (Delworth, 1969).

Application and Conclusion

The experience of joining the AA meeting support group was one of a kind, and the prospect of sharing experiences and learn from each other was invaluable. Moreover, spirituality played an important role in helping participants overcome alcoholism and addiction or dependence. Support groups effectively foster treatment of mental health conditions and disorders if treatment is followed to the latter (In Jegathesan & Abdullah, 2019). As a leader, I would teach participants more about prayer and how God can help them overcome their substance abuse disorder. A few atheists in the group felt contradicted in many instances because they did not believe in the power of prayer and the presence of a supernatural being. However, Muslims and Christian participants who attended all the AA meetings realized the most effectively reducing their alcoholism problem. All ethical guidelines for group counseling were adhered to, and new members were made aware of the rules before joining the meetings. Truly, unity is power and the power…