There are several benefits to being part of a group such as bonds that form as a result of these shared experiences.
Marie Malak
There are several benefits to being part of a group such as bonds that form as a result of these shared experiences. In group therapy, not only do people examine and work on maladaptive behaviors and emotions, but they also have a chance to see how they and others react to these issues over time, as well as learning valuable coping strategies (Forsyth, 2019). According to Forsyth (2019), there are fifteen factors that leaders should consider, any of which could have a positive, neutral, or negative impact. The group’s success may be threatened by the presence of an excessive number of negative forces (Forsyth, 2019).
A self-help group for addiction is where I feel most comfortable in the role of facilitator. The purpose of self-help groups like AA, NA, etc., is to give people in recovery a safe space to talk to others who understand what they are going through and help them form bonds with people who can provide emotional and practical support. Self-help group sizes can vary. Personally, it is important to lead a manageable number, approximately 15 to 25 people; however, there could be some variation in the total number of participants since the group would be opened to both men and women above the age of 18. The only requirements for participation would be a strong motivation to recover from addiction and the determination to put in the necessary effort.
Regularly weekly meetings would be ideal for this type of group, lasting 1.25 hours each meeting. This is to balance positive behaviors, as well as emotions during the recovery process. The regular schedule could consist of starting every meeting with worship, safety rules, the Twelve Steps with a biblical comparison, following a biblically based, recovery devotional that could be substituted bi-weekly, with testimonies of other people in the group. Meetings could conclude with an allotted amount of time for open discussions. The purpose of open discussions is to allow all individuals to have the chance to speak freely, without interruption and within reason, about either the topics previously discussed that night, or something that individual experienced that day or week.
Word count: 348 without citations
Reference
Forsyth, D. R. (2019). Group dynamics (8th ed.).
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