Treating Substance Abuse With Group Therapy - Essay Example

Running Head: Group Treatment for Substance Abuse Group Treatment for Substance Abuse [Institute’s Group Treatment for Substance Abuse Substance abuse and drug addiction is one of the most complex problems the world is facing these days. Substance abuse and drug addiction is one complicated kind of illness defined by acute and unmanageable craving or desire for the substances used as drug. This craving results in determine and compulsive want of drugs even in the midst of devastations. Mostly, the journey to this problem starts with the intake of drugs or substances voluntarily or for satisfying ones adventurous nature. However, with time, it takes the worst possible form ever as the want of substances once used for fun becomes inevitable and uncontrollable. This situation usually arises after using these drugs and substances over a longer period of time that directly affects the working and functioning of brain and brain cells called neurons. This effect is usually in the form of addiction that is a disorder affecting brain connections such as those used in actions of reward and motivation, cognitive learning, memory skills, and controlling ones self and desires. With the increasingly alarming situation of substance abuse and drug addiction, experts worldwide has recognized it as one of the most critical problems rising at exponential rates. This has increased the needs and encouraged different methodologies that exist as effective and efficient treatment for the problem. Devising quick and effective treatment methods has become mandatory in order to protect and heal significant portion of worlds population from this illness. Group therapies are one of the most successful treatment methodologies in this regard; the reason that group therapies are most preferred is because of the effectiveness both in term of cost and performance. Nowadays, group therapies have emerged as the potential healing force bearing fruits that are hardly achieved in an individual or personal therapy setup. Another point in this regard is the fact that group therapies efficacious because it constantly use therapeutic powers like care, emotional and mental support, association, bonding, and peer encounter. These forces make the client strong enough to establish a bonding that encourage quick recovery and ensures effective healing. The other benefit of using group therapy is their efficacy in the treatment of problems that comes with addiction like depressive feelings, getting isolated from environment, shame, and guilt. Making groups or utilizing group therapies usually result in significant advantages to the group members. Group helps establishing a bond due to which the individual members offer a caring shoulder and a supportive platform in painful and troublesome times. Moreover, groups assist the individual members to recover in such a way as to become healthier and sound every passing day. Conventional group therapies are the most persuasive, supporting, and encouraging source of extending help and promoting stability among the individual members (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2007). An experienced and skilled group instructor or leader can induce the powerful healing forces in the group in order to harness the positive abilities of people in the right direction and promotes these positive traits to achieve the greater goals (Flores, 1997). Group therapies can satisfy wider range of needs of therapeutic services that are far better in efficiency and effectiveness when compared to the results obtained from individual therapies. One substantial point in this regard is the fact that clients with history of substance abuse are most likely to remain proper when the treatment done is in-group mode. The outstanding characteristic of group therapies related to establishing strong bonding between clients is very valuable in therapeutic studies and practices. Group therapy itself involves various techniques that bring the best output from the whole group by inducing positive impacts on every single individual pertaining to the group. Out of these techniques, motivational interviewing has proved to be very effective and efficient. Motivational Interviewing is a guiding, patient focused technique of counseling that has the objective of helping clients in exploring and resolving their ambivalences and confusions about the behavioral changes they experience during the treatment process (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). It blends the emotional elements such as affection, warmth, with the methodology such as centered reflective listening process and the development of disagreement and discrepancy. A fundamental dogma of this methodology and technique is the fact that if a very gentle and kind process of interviewing takes place then the patients or the clients look forward to change in a very positive manner. This is the process in which, the patient or the client is independent and responsible enough to express merits and advantages, and costs and shortcomings involved. A potential maxim in this regard is the point that engagement in any conflict does not bear any fruits and it is harmful to the experts, clients, environment, and the cause as well. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop and establish a relationship in collaboration with the therapist and the client in order to undertake the challenges of recovering from substance abuse together. At the first few stages of change processes, usually it is very troublesome for clients addicted to substance abuse to accept the change. If the situation was other way around, it would be very easy to start the therapy with different personality development programs and other trainings accordingly. However, the resistance and reluctance of clients towards the change process makes it impossible and illogical to introduce these programs at the early stages of change development. Previously, the techniques used were all about delivering lectures and preaching towards the good that most of the clients could not absorb. Therefore, therapy experts have devised a technique that raises the awareness level of clients addicted to substance abuse in a very gentle manner in order to make the clients absorb the soul of process. Moreover, through motivational interviewing the awareness level reaches to significant height without any lecturing or threatening process. The basic objective of motivational interviewing is making people accept the change or to get them ready for the change process and not imposing the change on clients. The major application of motivational interviewing or MI is during the initial days of developing concepts of change among the client of substance abuse addiction. This aids the clients with speaking their heart about their own problems and confusions regarding the change problem. In motivational interviewing clients, express their opinions and views about the problems they encounter during the change process. This results in greater understanding between the work group and therapist. However, in such cases, disagreements or conflicts are inevitable, but being an active listener and making gentle responses and feedbacks counter the negative impacts that may arise because of difference of opinion within the setup (Rollnick, Butler, & Miller, 2007). In motivational interviewing, different sessions hold a different program or schedule as decided by the therapist. However, in every session, it is necessary to develop the ideas and conversations in such a manner that the motivational touch be always there. This technique has helped in the enhancement of change process use in a significant manner. For instance, gathering and delivering information about substance abuse is least likely to motivate the addicted clients and this methodology is most likely to fail in awakening the consciousness of these clients. The clients would appreciate to know about the information in a manner, which does not create conflicts, promotes empathy, and holds its basis on the specific needs and requirements of the client. This is the manner in which clients absorbs guidance from the therapist at the early stages of change process. Moreover, these practices are most likely to result in mental, moral, and spiritual learning and understanding about the urgency of need to change in the clients mindsets. Motivational interviewing is much fruitful when used in early stages of the change process; however, it offers benefits when applied on the later stages as well. Motivational interviewing plays an important role towards the end of the change process as well. Nonetheless, the prime focus of this technique is different to the focus set for the early stages. The distinction here is the fact that the therapist or the clinician does not have to focus on developing the motivation for change as in the case for motivational interviewing at early stages. There is no question about the significance and importance of counseling in this regard as well, here the counseling is very essential as it provide great help in increasing the self-capabilities of the clients. Moreover, it is of great help in enhancing their firm belief towards the dedication and loyalty for developing a change within their selves. For example, in the processes related to conditioning and counter conditioning, not the clinicians or the therapists but the addicted clients undergo much support and encouragement as to come up with the alternate solutions particular to their own requirements and needs. In this manner, the addicted clients develop a strategy that is their very own creation suitable to their needs. Moreover, as the strategies and plans are the creations of the clients, they are most likely to follow the plans during and after the change process. Concluding, the techniques of motivational interviewing has proved it utmost efficient and effective in counseling with clients addicted to substance abuse. This technique is equally useful in both the early and the later stages of the change process of addicted clients. In early stages of the change process, this technique helps in motivating the client and making them ready to accept the change within. However, in later stages of the change process, this technique is essentially important in letting the clients devise new plans and strategies for themselves. Although the end stages are more prone to action; however, client performance increases effectively when provided a motivational, encouraging, and caring environment for them to work their problems out. For the clients addicted to substance abuse, motivational interviewing is very essential and detrimental in enhancing personal capabilities and resurrects them to reinforce their achievements (Velasquez & Couch, 2001). Conclusively, the paper has discussed some of the significant aspects of substance abuse, and more specifically group treatment for the substance abuse. The paper identified that substance abuse and drug addiction is one of the most complex problems the world is facing these days. However, with time, it takes the worst possible form ever as the want of substances once used for fun becomes inevitable and uncontrollable. From this aspect, group treatment has now become one of the most efficient methodologies to treat the issue of substance abuse in different parts of the globe. The paper has identified and analyzed different studies related to the topic; however, it is anticipation that future researches in this regard will allow a more comprehensive and updated understanding of the impact. It is an expectation that the paper will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in better understanding of the topic. References Flores, P. J. (1997). Group psychotherapy with addicted populations: an integration of twelve-step and psychodynamic theory. Routledge. Goldenberg, I., & Goldenberg, H. (2007). Family Therapy: An Overview. Cengage Learning. Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing: preparing people for change. Guilford Press. Rollnick, S., Butler, C., & Miller, W. R. (2007). Motivational interviewing in health care: helping patients change behavior. Guilford Press. Velasquez, M. M., & Couch, C. (2001). Group treatment for substance abuse: a stages-of-change therapy manual. Guilford Press. Read More