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Group Therapy and Substance Abuse Treatment

A continuing education course for 7 ces

consisting of reading and taking a post-test on:

Substance Abuse Treatment:
Group Therapy

 



This TIP, Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy, presents an overview of the role and efficacy of group therapy in substance abuse treatment planning.

This TIP offers research and clinical findings and distills them into practical guidelines for practitioners of group therapy modalities in the field of substance abuse treatment.

The TIP describes effective types of group therapy and offers a theoretical basis for group therapy's effectiveness in the treatment of substance use disorders.

This work also will be a useful guide to supervisors and trainers of beginning counselors, as well as to experienced counselors.

Finally, the TIP is meant to provide researchers and clinicians with a guide to sources of information and topics for further inquiry.


how it works

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You will immediately receive confirmation of your order, your password and how to access the course material. (Please do not block e-mails from classes@psychceu.com, orders@psychceu.com and info@psychceu.com)

If you ordered an online course, you can begin to take the course immediately.

You will receive instructions, via e-mail, on how to take your test online.

Contact us or call if you need technical support.

Your test will be graded online, so the moment you have passed, you may print out your certificate of completion.

That's it! You are done!

 


Learning Objectives

The clinician will be able to:

1) List the advantages, disadvantages and contraindications of group treatment with substance abusing populations

2) Describe the five group models recommended by the consensus panel for substance abuse treatment

3) Identify and describe the specialized groups in substance abuse treatment

4) Describe the various stages of group therapy with substance abusing populations

5) List the criteria for placing a client in a group, including cultural and ethnic considerations.

6) Describe how groups develop and specific tasks in various phases of groups with substance abusing populations

7 ) Demonstrate the leadership skills, concepts and techniques necessary for successful group treatment

8) Review the purpose and value of clinical supervision, and how to get training to be a group leader .


 

 

From the Executive Summary
With the recognition of addiction as a major health problem in this
country, demand has increased for effective treatments of substance
use disorders. Because of its effectiveness and economy of scale, group
therapy has gained popularity, and the group approach has come to be
regarded as a source of powerful curative forces that are not always
experienced by the client in individual therapy. One reason groups work
so well is that they engage therapeutic forces—like affiliation, support,
and peer confrontation—and these properties enable clients to bond
with a culture of recovery. Another advantage of group modalities is
their effectiveness in treating problems that accompany addiction, such
as depression, isolation, and shame.

Groups can support individual members in times of pain and trouble,
and they can help people grow in ways that are healthy and creative.
Formal therapy groups can be a compelling source of persuasion,
stabilization, and support. In the hands of a skilled, well-trained group
leader, the potential healing powers inherent in a group can be harnessed
and directed to foster healthy attachments, provide positive peer
reinforcement, act as a forum for self-expression, and teach new social
skills. In short, group therapy can provide a wide range of therapeutic
services, comparable in efficacy to those delivered in individual therapy.
Group therapy and addiction treatment are natural allies. One reason is
that people who abuse substances are often more likely to stay sober and
committed to abstinence when treatment is provided in groups, apparently
because of rewarding and therapeutic benefits like affiliation, confrontation,
support, gratification, and identification. This capacity of
group therapy to bond patients to treatment is an important asset
because the greater the amount, quality, and duration of treatment, the
better the client's prognosis (Leshner 1997; Project MATCH Research
Group 1997).
The primary audience for this TIP is substance abuse treatment counselors;
however, the TIP should be of interest to anyone who wants
to learn more about group therapy. The intent of the TIP is to assist
counselors in enhancing their therapeutic skills in regard to leading groups.
The consensus panel for this TIP drew on its considerable experience in the group therapy field. The panel was composed of representatives from all of the disciplines involved in group therapy and substance abuse treatment,
including alcohol and drug counselors, group therapists, mental health providers, and State government representatives.
This TIP comprises seven chapters. Chapter 1 defines therapeutic groups as those with trained leaders and a primary intent to help people recover from substance abuse. It also explains why groups work so well for treating substance abuse.
Chapter 2 describes the purpose, main characteristics, leadership, and techniques of five group therapy models, three specialty groups, and groups that focus on solving a single problem.
Chapter 3 discusses the many considerations that should be weighed before placing a client in a particular group, especially keying the group to the client's stage of change and stage of recovery. This chapter also concentrates on issues that arise from client diversity.
Chapter 4 compares fixed and revolving types of therapy groups and recommends ways to prepare clients for participation: pregroup interviews, retention measures, and most important, group agreements that specify clients' expectations of each other, the leader, and the group. Chapter 4 also specifies the tasks that need to be accomplished in the early, middle, and late phases of group development.
Chapter 5 turns to the stages of treatment. In the early, middle, and late stages of treatment, clients' conditions will differ, requiring different therapeutic strategies and approaches to leadership.
Chapter 6 is the how-to segment of this TIP. It explains the characteristics, duties, and concepts important to promote effective group leadership in treating substance abuse, including how confidentiality regulations for alcohol and drug treatment apply to group therapy.
Chapter 7 highlights training opportunities available to substance abuse treatment professionals. The chapter also recommends the supervisory group as an added measure that improves group leadership and gives counselors in the group insights about how clients may experience groups.
Throughout this TIP, the term "substance abuse" has been used to refer to both substance abuse and substance dependence. This term was chosen partly because substance abuse treatment professionals commonly use the term "substance abuse" to describe any excessive use of addictive substances. In this TIP, the term refers to the use of alcohol as well as other substances of
abuse. Readers should attend to the context in which the term occurs in order to determine what possible range of meanings it covers; in most cases, however, the term will refer to all varieties of substance use disorders described by DSM-IV. The sections that follow summarize the content in this TIP and are grouped by chapter.
Because human beings by nature are social beings, group therapy is a powerful therapeutic tool that is effective in treating substance abuse. The therapeutic groups described in this TIP are those groups that have trained leaders and a specific intent to treat substance abuse. This definition excludes self-help groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Group therapy has advantages over other modalities. These include positive peer support; a reduction in clients' sense of isolation; real-life examples of people in recovery; help from peers in coping with substance abuse and other life problems; information and feedback from peers; a substitute family that may be healthier than a client's family of origin; social skills training and practice; peer confrontation; a way to help many clients at one time; structure and discipline often absent in the lives of people abusing substances; and finally, the hope, support, and encouragement necessary to break free from substance abuse.

 

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs)

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are developed by the Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment (CSAT), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each TIP
involves the development of topic-specific best-practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment
of substance use and mental disorders. TIPs draw on the experience and knowledge of
clinical, research, and administrative experts of various forms of treatment and prevention. TIPs
are distributed to facilities and individuals across the country. Published TIPs can be accessed via
the Internet at http://www.kap.samhsa.gov.
Although each consensus-based TIP strives to include an evidence base for the practices it
recommends, SAMHSA recognizes that behavioral health is continually evolving, and research
frequently lags behind the innovations pioneered in the field. A major goal of each TIP is
to convey “front-line” information quickly but responsibly. If research supports a particular
approach, citations are provided.

 

 

APA Ethics

We do adhere to the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. Our courses are carefully screened by the Planning Committee to adhere to APA standards. We also require authors who compose Internet courses specifically for us follow APA ethical standards.

Many of our courses contain case material, and may use the methods of qualitative research and analysis, in-depth interviews and ethnographic studies. The psychotherapeutic techniques depicted may include play therapy, sandplay therapy, dream analysis, drawing analysis, client and therapist self-report, etc. The materials presented may be considered non-traditional and may be controversial, and may not have widespread endorsement within the profession. www.psychceu.com maintains responsibility for the program and its content.

All material included in this course is either in the public domain, or used with express permission.

Cost of the 7 unit course is $88

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