Group Counseling
During group counseling, patients come together with others from the inpatient treatment program to discuss their progress in recovery, review their struggles and share their stories of addiction, recovery and survival. This method of counseling is heavily regarded as an effective social tool that helps patients to reintegrate back into a society and learn how to accept other’s feelings, provide support and be proactive in recovery.
Most inpatient drug rehabilitation programs utilize group counseling is a the primary method of counseling provided on a daily basis for member involved in the treatment program.
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Benefits of Group Counseling
The benefits that you actually realize when you attend group counseling will depend on your level of involvement with the group and how much you really want to get out of the program. If you decide to participate regularly and you are heavily involved in the support and closeness that builds with others in the group, there’s a good chance that you will grow to gain new friendships and lasting relationships with some members of the group which you can value for many years to come.
Recovery is a life-long plan and by taking part in group counseling, you have the chance to build strong relations with other members who are also making the commitment to lifelong sobriety. In the years to come, this can provide a means for quality support from your peers and may help you to achieve lasting success in your recovery.
What to Expect
You may not know what to expect the first time you enter a group counseling or therapy session—but that’s ok. During group counseling, there will be a higher member of the group who moderates discussion or there will be a counselor who moderates. This will depend on the level of the counseling and the individual type of counseling session that you are at.
All members of the group will be encouraged to participate and to have full respect for other members of the group. Although there is no patient doctor privilege during a group counseling program, there is some privacy protection that you should know of—the members of the group are only to discuss group happenings within the group and are not to talk outside of the group about others. This allows the group to build a bond and sense of trust with one another.
You may not, nor may anyone else, point fingers during group counseling. This means that if you say something that another group member disagrees with or if another member says something that you disagree with, the disagreement must be handled in a respectful manner. There is no rude, offensive or otherwise harsh behavior allowed in the group meeting. Make sure that you always have full respect for other members of the group and also that you request the same respect of yourself.
Most importantly, have fun and learn something. Listen to the struggles and triumphs that other group members have gone through in their inpatient rehabilitation efforts and share similar stories with the group. This is how you will bond, find strength and gain support in the group counseling session and it is also how you will grow to support other members of the group.