Cosmo Group Observation Report

Superior Essays
I attended the Cosmopolitan (“Cosmo”) group of Alcoholics Anonymous, held on Friday, August 25th at 1900. Cosmo is located at the corner of Hawthorne Road and Durwood Road in Little Rock, Arkansas. The focus of the group is on alcohol addiction. However, it was a newcomer night, so the chair asked the members to speak about something that many newcomers face – fear. The group was able to speak on their experiences of the fear that comes with beginning sobriety, and one newcomer that responded said that it made him feel better to hear that he wasn’t alone in being afraid of becoming sober. Yalom’s Curative Factor “Installation of Hope” was demonstrated by the long time group members. When a group member was called to share his experience of beginning sobriety, he mentioned how many times he failed. However, he phrased it as how many times he “had to start over”. This emphasized the hope that exists for new members who are pursuing sobriety and addiction free living; no matter how many times you have to start over, you can always start over, and eventually you will be successful. The member then went on to share how worthwhile and rewarding sober living has been for both him and his family. “Universality” was demonstrated after the previous member shared. After he …show more content…
It was not planned to end up there together, but it serendipitously fostered a therapeutic conversation. The Chair, unknowing of the situation, asked her to share her experience. I did my best using only therapeutic communication techniques as a crutch to maintain the environment and integrity of the assignment, and I believe I did it well. I used the SOLER technique, gentle touch, and gave broad openings. However, I know that it was very therapeutic for her to have this conversation for reasons not pertaining to the criteria of this

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