When you are struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol, it can feel like the whole world has disappeared. Sadly, a substance use disorder is often quite isolating, and many people living with addiction wind up feeling all alone. The good news is that, with effective and compassionate care, this need not be the case forever. Particularly effective for combating feelings of isolation is group therapy treatment.
If you or a loved one is seeking rehab services in the Hudson, Ohio area, contact Ray Recovery. Our team is available at 888.598.6299, and we’re excited to tell you more about the benefits of group therapy and our full range of customizable services.
What Are the Key Advantages of Group Therapy?
In group therapy, clients in recovery for similar types of addiction meet in a shared space with a counselor. This typically occurs in tandem with one-on-one sessions as well as other helpful recovery offerings. These may include services like medication monitoring, nutrition counseling, and mindfulness activities. While all components of a certified recovery program support clients’ success, group therapy poses several unique benefits, including:
- Accountability – A positive form of group identity can arise from group therapy settings. Clients come to depend on one another, consistently showing up and both providing and receiving constructive feedback and support. Interestingly, peer pressure is often a negative force in shaping drug use. Accountability within group therapy, conversely, often fosters the very strength and resolve essential for sobriety.
- Peer support or friendship – Coming to see oneself as not so different from others is key for many in recovery who often experience self-loathing. Forming bonds with others and cultivating compassion for them can lead to greater self-acceptance.
- Smoother returns to everyday life – The journey of rehab can feel like a bit of a bubble. Working in a group setting strongly offsets this by allowing clients to relate and talk to peers. These can prove invaluable during the transition back into greater independence after treatment.
- Greater resilience and adaptability – Group therapy gives clients the chance to learn from perspectives different from their own. Inevitably, they glean valuable lessons, coping strategies, and outlooks from their peers that they can apply to their own lives.
Group therapy is a major component of many behavioral health treatment programs and is a proven and effective evidence-based approach.
What Are Some of the Main Forms of Group Therapy?
Group therapy can take many forms, and its success comes not just from the facilitator’s skill but also from the participants’ investment. Many people are familiar with 12-step models in which participants follow a structured path toward recovery with sponsorship. Group therapy can take many other forms beyond the one initially created by Alcoholics Anonymous, however. Here are a few group treatment approaches commonly encountered today:
- Educational Groups – Here, clients gather in a class-like setting to receive and discuss information about the addiction disease process and recovery strategies. Pragmatic thinking is prized, and clients may work to name their triggers and solidify prevention strategies.
- Process Groups – Often long-lasting, this style cultivates clients’ ability to work with mental and emotional contents arising in the present moment. A less structured form of therapy, process groups gently help members identify their own emotional reactions. Clients are invited to be vulnerable and apply their insights beyond the group setting.
- Skills Practice Groups – In skills practice, clients with similar interests work on everyday skills that support sobriety. These groups usually last for just a few weeks and feature a specific topic like meditation or conflict resolution training. Skills practice groups can feel a bit academic, which is highly effective for some clients. For instance, homework and syllabi may be present.
Take Advantage of Group Therapy Benefits and Other Treatments at Ray Recovery in Hudson, OH Today
There’s no need to let the isolating experience of substance use define your future. With group therapy treatment at Ray Recovery, you or your loved one can begin the healing journey as part of a supportive team. Contact us at 888.598.6299 or send us a message online to get more information about our effective treatments near Akron, Ohio.
