Group Therapy,
Who, What,
Where, and How
Cheryl Gentile, MS, LPCS,
LCAS, CRC-MAC, ACS, CCS
The Advantages of Group
 Help
members learn to cope with
problems related to substance abuse
by allowing them to see how others
deal with similar problems
 Reduces the sense of isolation
 Witness the recovery of others
 Provides information about recovery
 Provides feedback to others
 Allow
a single treatment professional
to help a number of clients at the
same time
 Help clients overcome past harmful
experiences.
 Encourage, coach, support, and
reinforce members as they
undertake difficult or anxietyprovoking tasks.
 Add
needed structure and discipline
to the lives of people with substance
use disorders, who often enter
treatment with their lives in chaos.
11 Curative Factors
Instillation of hope
 Universality
 Imparting
information
 Altruism
 Corrective
Recapitualtion of
Primary Family

Improved social
skills
 Imitative behavior
 Interpersonal
learning
 Cohesiveness
 Catharsis
 Existential factors

Negative Attributes of Group
 Not
for everyone
 Confidentiality
 Difficult to build trust
 Untrained facilitators
 Not enough time to meet everyone’s
needs
 Conformity vs. peer pressure
Types of Groups

Psychoeducational

Skills development

Cognitive–behavioral

Support

Interpersonal process
Psychoeducation Groups
 Role
of the facilitator is to educate
 Targeted
for the pre-contemplative
and contemplative stages of change
 Provides
information about recovery
 Structured
with specific content
Skills Development Groups
 Facilitator
is a role model and
educator
 Anger management
 Resiliency
 Identifying and avoiding triggers
 Enhance coping
 Relaxation techniques
 Structured
Cognitive–Behavioral Groups
 Facilitator
role is one of active
engagement
 Focuses on immediate problems
 Promotes self-control skills to
manage overwhelming emotions
 Is early-recovery–oriented
 Emphasizes structure
 Goal oriented
Interpersonal process Groups
 Role
of the facilitator is to monitor
individual needs
 Early experience affects later experience.
 Focuses on the Now
 Interactions in a group setting
 Explores attachments
Self Help Vs. Interpersonal
Peer leader
 Voluntary
 No screening
 No theoretical
approach
 Unlimited number
 No contract

Professional
 INV or Voluntary
 Screening
 Multiple
approaches
 8-15 members
 Contractual

Qualities of a Group Facilitator
 Confidence
 Knowledge
 Spontaneity
 Integrity
 Trust
 Humor
 Empathy
Facilitator Skills
Active Listening
 Reflecting
 Clarifying
 Summarizing
 Facilitating
 Empathizing
 Interpreting
 Questioning
 Linking

Confronting
 Supporting
 Blocking
 Assessing
 Modeling
 Suggesting
 Initiating
 Evaluating
 Terminating

Stages of Group
 Forming
 Storming
 Norming
 Performing
 Adjourning
Placement considerations
 Meet
with each candidate for group
placement
 Assess the client’s level of:
– interpersonal functioning
– impulse control
– Motivation
– Stability
The How Tos
 Introductions
 Setting
the Norm
 Provide direction
 Facilitator acknowledges each
member, and their reactions to one
another
Middle Stage
 Content,
information, and feelings
are expressed, and processed
 Non
 Ask
verbal cues are addressed
members how they are doing in
group
End Stage
“Termination is more then the end of
therapy it is an important force in
the process of change……a stage in
the individuals career of growth.”
Yalom (1995, pp361-362)