Group Therapy Case Study

Group therapy is an important part of recovery for individuals that suffer from mental illness or addiction. Group therapy consists of individuals that share a common issue and meet once a week for about an hour to share their experiences and make suggestions to other members of the group. The purpose of group therapy is for individuals to gain insight about themselves and find new ways to handle their difficult situation. I attended an AA meeting and a support group on forgiveness. Both group meetings created an environment that was therapeutic for participants to explore and express their feelings. Leaders of both groups helped participants express themselves, gain hope, and increase self-understanding. The population served at the AA meeting …show more content…
However, the members did have a responsibility of reflecting in their journals about their forgiveness journey. The services provided at AA include allowing members to share their experiences about their drinking problem. One particular service offered is the Twelve Steps, which is a spiritual tool used for handling problems and enhancing growth. These steps are not completed by a schedule but on an individualized basis. Typically at AA meetings there is an open speaker, who explains what AA is and explains their story and struggle with addiction. Next, volunteered guest will read selected passages from the bible and other sources that they felt were relatable to them. After their introduction about the meeting, there is open discussion for the other members to share their personal stories and struggles. The meeting ends with the prayer The Our Father. In contrast, at the support group on forgiveness the services offered were open discussion about the difficulty of forgiving others. Members kept a journal of everyone they have hurt and people who have hurt them. The leader shared inspirational bible verses, discussed how to forgive and encouraged individuals to forgive in order to experience …show more content…
Helping individuals with either addiction or mental illness takes multiple support systems to help them reach stability or sobriety. Furthermore, support groups have many strengths that an individual can benefit from if they actively participate. Support groups allow individuals to gain insight about themselves and their disease by listening to each other's experiences. Groups also provide mutual support for one another and help each other to move in a forward direction. Another strength of group therapy is they promote social skills and are more affordable than private counseling. Lastly, the strength of AA meetings serves as a powerful motivation to prevents one from relapsing. Moreover, the weakness of support groups is not everyone is a candidate for group therapy. Some individuals may not be as open to share as others and one cannot be forced to share their thoughts or feelings. Another weakness of support groups is some people may dominate the group, which takes time away from other group members sharing. Lastly, confidentiality is always a concern and a risk with group therapy. Some people may not feel comfortable sharing personal feelings about their struggles with