Group Therapy

Another effective approach when dealing with individual addictions is also going through group therapy. Developing a group of people, all dealing with a personal addiction and congregating together forms openness and awareness, which helps communicate and understand each individual addiction. Being able to visually see and hear others in similar situations reduces guilt and shame and allows them to feel comfortable and honest about ones addiction and how to successfully treat it.

Group therapy consists of a varied amount of clients and a counselor or therapist. Depending on a patient’s treatment preference or addiction issues, group therapy can be co-ed, all females or males, or can involve family and loved ones. The counselor or therapist will conduct the group, encouraging each patient to share personal experiences about their addiction, as well as any hopes or fears they may have in relation to their addiction. It is natural that some may feel a little uneasy discussing such topics with others, but even being in the same room for the experience and listening to others open up, can help greatly with the recovery process.

The idea behind group therapy at Unity Rehab is to help all of our patients realize they are not alone in their struggles. Drug addiction and alcoholism can be a very isolating experience and those who suffer from it can often feel pitted against the world. Because addiction is hard to beat alone, sometimes it is necessary to ask for help from others when it becomes too difficult to combat on our own. The main goal of group therapy is to help our patients feel comfortable discussing their addiction issues or concerns with others and in return receive constructive or supportive feedback from those who are experiencing similar problems or in the case of some counselors, have successfully overcome their addiction.

Group therapy at Unity Rehab is most successful when used in conjunction with a personal therapy program. Many times our patient’s addictions stem from underlying personal issues that are not meant to be discussed in a group, but rather in a one on one session with a therapist or psychologist. It is true that one-on-one sessions can work best to address these private issues or mental disorders, but individual therapy alone is not the recipe for success in rehab. Group therapy helps a patient build a strong support system for their addiction and needs to be combined with individual therapy so that all aspects of addiction are addressed. Doing so can ensure our patients the best possible chance for a full recovery.