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Group Therapy Research Paper

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There are several reasons why group therapy is recommended for individuals experiencing life challenges. Group therapy can be lively, challenging, poignant and sometimes difficult; experiences, which can help individuals, examine, and explore their issues in greater detail and achieve greater clarity, understanding and acceptance of oneself and others. Group therapy is not suitable for everyone. Most therapists interview potential participants to determine if the group is likely to meet their needs given the format, purpose and experience of the particular group. Group therapy is a support group with additional parts. A support group (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, a grief group, or pregnant teenagers group, HIV) brings together individuals …show more content…

Matching patients to treatments based on the level of psychiatric severity was suggested by other studies of patients with mixed-substance-use disorders or alcohol dependence, as was matching based on the presence of antisocial personality traits (or an externalizing vs internalizing coping style).
Treatment consisted of a 6-month active phase and a 3-month booster phase. Individual treatment sessions (50 minutes) were held twice per week during the first twelve weeks, weekly during week thirteen to twenty four, and monthly during the booster phase. Group drug counseling sessions (112 hours) were held weekly for the six months of the active phase. Individual drug counseling followed a manual with specific stages, tasks, and goals based on the 12-step philosophy. Group drug counseling followed a manual designed to educate patients about the stages of recovery from addiction, to strongly encourage participation in 12-step programs, and to provide a supportive group atmosphere for initiating abstinence and an alternative lifestyle (Joel Lexchin and Paul Grootendorst). Many people do not feel they can go through a twelve step program. Mostly due to not believing in God. It would be helpful if grop …show more content…

Stigma may be understood in terms of the different ways it manifests at the self, social and structural levels. Self-stigma is defined as a subjective process that is ‘characterized by negative feelings (about self), maladaptive behavior, identity transformation or stereotype endorsement resulting from an individual's experiences, perceptions, or anticipation of negative social reactions’ on the basis of a stigmatized social status or health condition. Social stigma describes ‘the phenomenon of large social groups endorsing stereotypes about and acting against a stigmatized group’. Structural stigma refers to the rules, policies and procedures of institutions that restrict the rights and opportunities for members of stigmatized groups. Examples of structural stigma are the negative attitudes and behaviors of representatives of public institutions, such as people who work in the health and criminal justice sectors. Disagreement exists in the literature concerning the levels of stigma, including how many exist and how they are defined. For instance, although including attitudes and behaviors of trainees and professionals within the ‘structural’ level of stigma is consistent with existing definitions and theories there are several alternative conceptualizations . Nevertheless, a three-level framework

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