Recovery Groups : A Guide to Creating, Leading, and Working With Groups For Addictions and Mental Health Conditions

This book focuses on community self-help and support groups specifically in the context of recovery movements in addiction and mental health care. The idea of groups of recovering people meeting together may seem like a simple one and not one requiring much effort and thought; however, as this book will show, this is not the case. In __Recovery Groups: A Guide to Creating, Leading, and Working with Groups for Addictions and Mental Health Conditions__ Linda Kurtz breaks down the recovery movement for addictions and mental health care into three sections. In the first section recovery concepts are broken down into two fields: how they differ and how they come together. The second section focuses on methods of working with independent self-help groups and leadership in support groups. Kurtz touches on the study of helping mechanisms, social climate, group teachers, group structure, and how to use each of these to improve group performance. In the third section of the book, Kurtz examines social and community actions from members involved in Twelve-Step fellowships and consumer survivor organizations. The final section also details programs that provide employment, housing, and mutual support, explaining how to accomplish these goals without a large expense. This book will be useful to students, professional mental health and addiction workers, recovery coaches and peer support specialists, and group members and leaders who are interested in this topic. Cover 1 Recovery Groups 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Foreword 14 preface 16 1 Introduction 22 Part 1 26 2 The Recovery Approach in Mental Health and Addiction 28 The Paradigm Shift From Medical Model to Recovery Model 30 Recovery Philosophy 37 Peer Helpers 38 Recovery Groups 40 3 How Recovery Groups Differ From Other Kinds of Groups 43 Self-Help Ethos and Recovery Philosophy 44 Types of Groups 45 Self-Help and Support Groups 45 Psychotherapy and Task Groups 46 Ideal Types 47 Choosing a Group Type 48 4 Groups for Addiction and Mental Health Conditions 51 Twelve-Step Groups for Addiction 52 Non-Twelve-Step Groups for Addiction 55 Twelve-Step Groups for Mental Health Conditions 56 Non-Twelve-Step Groups for Mental Health Conditions 57 Groups for Families and Friends 59 Part 2 62 5 Connecting With Independent Self-Help Recovery Groups 64 Founders 65 Starting a Local Chapter 66 Linking People With Self-Help 67 Professional Leadership of Self-Help Groups 72 Ethical Issues Related to Linking to Self-Help by Professionals 74 6 Facilitating Support Groups 78 The Preformation Stage 79 Who Needs the Group? 79 What Kind of Program Do You Want? 79 Do You Have Enough Potential Members? 79 Will the Group Be Time-Limited, or Will It Continue Indefinitely? 80 Do You Have an Appropriate Meeting Place? 80 Who Will Lead the Group—a Member or a Professional/Staff Person? 80 Leadership 81 The Forming Stage 82 The Storming Stage 84 The Norming Stage 84 The Performing Stage 85 Problems That Come Up in Support Groups 86 Member Attrition and Absences 86 The Monopolizer 87 Bringing Outsiders to the Meeting 87 Inappropriate Emotional Expressions 88 Unwillingness to Risk in the Group 88 Leader Burnout 89 Postmeeting Upsets 89 Coming to the Meeting Drunk or High on Drugs 89 Diverse Populations Not Represented 90 Confessions of Criminal Behavior 90 7 How Recovery Groups Help 92 Cohesiveness 92 Universality 93 Instillation of Hope 93 Support 94 Giving Information and Advice 95 Achieving a Sense of Belonging 96 Making a Difference and Having a Sense of Mattering 97 Teaching Coping Methods 97 Identity Transformation 98 Becoming Empowered 100 Achieving Insight 100 Reframing 101 New Way of Life and Redefinition of Self 102 Encouraging Helping Factors 103 Avoiding Unhelpful Factors 103 8 Analyzing a Group’s Climate, Philosophy, and Structure 109 Social Climate in Groups 109 Group Philosophy or Worldview 112 Group Structure 114 Twelve-Step Meeting Structure 117 9 Who Needs a Group? The Process of Affiliation 120 Who Comes Back 121 Being an Extrovert and Need for Affiliation 121 Openness to Spirituality 122 The Importance of Group Fit 122 Affiliation as a Process 124 Stages of Change-Readiness 128 Processes of Change 128 10 Four Models of Self-Help Recovery Groups 133 Al-Anon Family Groups 133 History 133 Program 134 Research 140 Meeting Structure 140 Starting a Group 140 Recovery International 141 History 141 Program 141 Research 143 Meeting Structure 144 Starting a Group 145 Schizophrenics Anonymous 145 History 145 Program 146 Research 147 Meeting Structure 147 Starting a Group 148 Dual Recovery Anonymous 149 History 149 Meeting Structure 149 Starting a Group 149 Part 3 154 11 Recovery Groups and Advocacy 156 National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency 156 Advocacy, Anonymity, the First Step, and the Twelve Traditions 158 Recovery Community Organizations 162 National Alliance on Mental Illness 163 Consumer/Survivor Organizations 167 12 Housing, Employment, and Mutual Help 173 Fairweather Lodges 173 Founder 173 Founding Story 174 Program Today 175 Financing 177 Diffusion 177 Success Rates 178 Oxford Houses 179 Founder 179 Founding Story 179 Program Today 179 Financing 180 Diffusion 180 Success Rates 181 Fountain House 182 Founder 182 Founding Story 183 Program Today 184 Financing 186 Diffusion 186 Success Rates 186 13 Online Groups 190 Utility and Benefits of Online Groups and Meetings 192 Kinds of Participation 195 Positive Values 196 Disadvantages and Concerns 196 Areas of Uncertainty or Concern 198 The Danger of Exploitation 199 Conclusion 205 Acknowledgments 208 Glossary 210 Index 214 This book focuses on community self-help and support groups specifically in the context of recovery movements in addiction and mental health care. The idea of groups of recovering people meeting together may seem like a simple one and not one requiring much effort and thought; however, as this book will show, this is not the case. In Recovery Groups: A Guide to Creating, Leading, and Working with Groups for Addictions and Mental Health Conditions Linda Kurtz breaks down the recovery movement for addictions and mental health care into three sections. In the first section recovery concepts are broken down into two fields: how they differ and how they come together. The second section focuses on methods of working with independent self-help groups and leadership in support groups. Kurtz touches on the study of helping mechanisms, social climate, group teachings, group structure, and how to use each of these to improve group performance. In the third section of the book, Kurtz examines social and community actions from members involved in Twelve-Step fellowships and consumer survivor organizations. The final section also details programs that provide employment, housing, and mutual support, explaining how to accomplish these goals without a large expense. This book will be useful to students, professional mental health and addiction workers, recovery coaches and peer support specialists, and group members and leaders who are interested in this topic. -- Provided by publisher