WHY GROUP COUNSELLING?

Group counselling is a great addition to your recovery process as it helps you meet new people who are also working towards reducing their use and living a life free of drugs and alcohol. Get support from others going through similar experiences and feel like you’re not alone. Groups give members in recovery people who they aren’t emotionally tied to to hold them accountable, and promote honesty and acceptance. It’s also a great way to prevent isolation and feelings of loneliness, and help reduce stigma and shame.

WHAT IS A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL GROUP?

Psychoeducational groups are designed to help educate clients (and their families) about alcohol and substance abuse and its effects. These groups have been developed to provide information to members to help them learn about and identify issues related to addiction, and provide materials and lessons that can be applied to the clients' lives. Clients learn about and practice self-awareness, emotional identification, triggers, and are introduced to new skills that help the client learn to cope in a healthier way with day-to-day stressors. Groups may identify community resources and services that clients can access to help them with their recovery. Sometimes participants who are actively using may decide to take action on their own behalf and reach out for in or outpatient treatment and move from contemplation to action.

Groups for families and friends can help those close to the person using understand addiction and the behaviours of a person with alcohol or substance use disorder. By learning about addiction and taking part in their loved one’s recovery process, the individual can act in a way that allows them to both support the individual who is in recovery in a healthy manner (not enabling and not pushing away), and to focus on how the addiction affects them, and learning about their own needs for change.

WHAT IS A SUPPORT GROUP?

Support groups usually consist of members of a specific community ( Substance and Alcohol Abuse in our case) who usually discuss their current situation and any recent problems that have arisen in life. The discussion usually focuses on solutions and support to help members with staying clean in recovery, feel heard and respected, and find solutions to common problems. Things like ways to deal with day-to-day issues, how to deal with triggers, and sharing their positive experiences and tips with others. Members of the group are encouraged to share and discuss their common experiences and help each other in their recovery process. It’s like a sports team, and helping your teammates with staying sober is the goal. Support groups for family and friends also work i the same manner. They allow for partners, and family and friends to discuss issues they are having and feel heard and supported by others experiencing the same while coming up with solutions to deal with any issues they are having with their loved one. Discussions about self care, boundaries, and being empathetic to yourself when helping others in recovery are frequent topics.

IS GROUP COUNSELLING RIGHT FOR YOU?

Group counselling is usually a good start for someone who isn’t quite ready for one-on-one counselling, or who feels like they may want a mix of both kinds to complement each other. Relapse Prevention Groups are often a keystone in recovery for members as it helps to keep them active in the learning process and accountable in their new life of not using. Members in groups will help each other focus on maintaining abstinence, or at times help a member who has had a relapse. Support groups for family often help give participants a safe space to discuss their struggles and get support from others in the same situation.