Non-Faculty Research and Publication Summaries

One of the greater challenges to group therapy is a loss of involvement when a member misses a session, especially when the group is structured around a set curriculum. To circumvent this problem, Van Brunt describes the dismantling of structured programs into modules to promote continuity of care and even flexibility in treatment planning. 

For example, groups may be programmed to address specific symptoms or disorders. Groups for depression, anxiety, and stress management, when constructed as modules, can be customized for each client's needs and availability. In this sense, clients can divert their course toward any other group to create a sequence designed to address their particular treatment needs. In addition, if the modules are offered on a rotating basis, clients would potentially not have to miss out on any element of their treatment, but simply recover the missed session when it is offered again.

Behavior therapy and the disease model of addiction are seemingly mutually exclusive conceptualizations to treating alcohol and drug use problems. However, the author presents the case for including social skills training, an already effective method for treating substance abuse, into an inpatient, dual diagnosis treatment program. Interventions included medical management, individual drug counseling and group drug and psychoeducational counseling, and 12-step meetings, among others. 

Group size was limited to 8-12 participants, and met for 45 minutes four times each week. The goals of integrating social skills training into a medical model approach are primarily threefold: a) to teach clients to better handle interpersonal stressors, b) to help them recognize and understand the connection between stressful situations and their urge to revert to substance use, and c) to allow group leaders to observe client social skills and general in-session behavior.