The first step in a journey through a twelve-step program is to admit you have a problem. It takes a lot of courage it takes to admit you have a problem. Upon my attendance at Gamblers Anonymous I was able to observe seven very courageous people.
As McDonagh says in her article “Shared Benefits,” The benefit of group therapy is “ ..discovering the group as a safe environment where you can say whet you think without fear.” McDonagh presents and discusses descriptions of group therapy clearly and in a way that you do not have to be a therapist or researcher to understand her findings. This article explains how to find a group by giving tips on what you should look for when looking for a support group and suggests you do not nix a group you do not like until you give it 3 months.
The overall purpose of “Gambler’s Anonymous” is to support people that have a serious gambling issue. Most of these people have gambled away their life savings and destroyed their families. At Gamblers Anonymous, the goal is to not gamble anymore. It may sound simple to someone who does not have a gambling addiction, however according to the people at the meeting, it is a conscious decision they have to make on a daily basis. The gambling that they supposed to avoid is not only casino venues, but is also placing petty wagers. For example, “I bet you $5 that the Broncos will win the Super Bowl,” is frowned upon in the twelve-step program.
They do not accept donations from outside sources. It is self-supported by contributions from the members of Gambler’s Anonymous. Another philosophy that Gamblers Anonymous has is that it is hard to fight addiction on your own. They highly recommend that you attend meetings more than once a week until you can get your add...
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...that after someone has shared their story, no one can comment on what they said. In a way this is good because no one can belittle their feelings by saying something wrong. However, this can also be a bad thing because sometimes people at support groups as for advice and no one is allowed to reply directly.
In applying this to my own nursing practice I realize that everyone goes through phases in their life where they might need group therapy. It is important as a nurse to know where to be able to find resources to get patients connected with support groups in their area. Trying to find a support group, and pick which group I wanted to attend really opened my eyes to the addiction problems in the greater Oklahoma City area that I was unaware of and Gamblers Anonymous did just that.
Works Cited
McDonagh, P. (1997). Shared benefits. Chatelaine, 70(6), 136.
Group therapy is a setting among other antisocial personalities. This style allows the patient a different type of incentive to improve some of their disorders.
While sharing and caring provide the basis for support groups, there's one benefit from group therapy that patients can't overlook. Simply put, it's the building of trust in others to help when help is needed. While caught in the cycle of addiction, trust is not easily given. In fact, many people dealing with addiction are paranoid. The lost of trust in the people around them promotes a lonely existence. There's great benefit in knowing patients can find relief by discovering they can trust someone other than counselors and family.
Looking for new and more effective ways to treat the issues of their clients, counselors and therapists may often begin to consider leading a group therapy session. Group therapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist either treats or provides psychoeducational skills to a small, carefully planned target group of individuals in an effort to ameliorate the issues and dysfunctions of each individual in that particular group of patients together (Scheidlinger, 2004). In this group, therapists often utilize some of the psychotherapy theories such as Gestalt, transactional analysis, psychotherapy or psychodrama which they often use to treat clients individually.
Similarly, inferiority feelings may be challenged to offset the negative concepts and values that form the roots of social and emotional issues. Group therapy can facilitate the social context in which the participants may develop the sense of belonging and community. Some of the beneficial dynamics of the group are the identification between group members’ behavior, participants can benefit from others group members’ feedback, ability to help other and receive support from others members. The group enables the possibility of trying new behaviors and encourages the other students to take action over their lives. There are four stages in group therapy that correspond to four goals in counseling: first establishing and maintaining interconnected relationships with another student of the group; the therapy is based on the idea of equality between members, mutual respect, and identical involvement. The introduction of self-rule bases from the counselor, who is the mediator, is important. Both, students and counselor work together in the process to explore and look for positive change during the sessions (Corey,
One objective is to utilize the most powerful tool at psychotherapy’s disposal; the group experience. By one individual sharing their experience within the group, the other members are able to identify their similar experiences and work toward their own growth. Group therapy also increases self-awareness of clients in order for them to think introspectively in order to make a change in behaviors, increases social comfort, allowing exploration of new behaviors, provide and obtain support, develop communication skills, and promote interactions with others using truth and
Korn, D. A. (2004). An Evidence - Based Treatment Guide for Clinicians. Toronto, ON: Massachusettes Department of Public Health's Practice Guidelines for Treating Gambling - Related Problems.
As a student, practice is crucial to learn group therapy techniques. In order to achieve these practices, I attended 2 support groups of the same topic. Observation and attendance constructs an idea of how group therapy works. Attending this group was important because of the profoundness of its meaning and experiences I have witnessed.
Gadding, S. T. (2012). Groups: A counseling specialty (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education
"Gambling Addiction and Problem Gambling: Signs, Help, and Treatment." Helpguide.org: Expert, Ad-free Articles Help Empower You with Knowledge, Support & Hope. Web. 12 May 2011. .
Group therapy is considered one of the most resourceful forms of therapy. The benefits to group therapy can be both cost-effective and a great means of support (Corey, Corey & Corey, 2014). The process of experiencing ideas and viewpoints expressed by your peers allows group members to become more susceptible to the counseling procedure. Group counseling also helps individuals to feel a sense of belonging due to similar situations and experiences shared by the group. The sense of support from group members can be an excellent means towards developing long-lasting relationships and developing communication skills needed to move forward during the counseling phase. In this paper, I will discuss my experiences throughout the group-counseling phase.
Forming a counseling group may seem simple, but it’s not. A “major issue in putting a group together is screening it for potential members” (Gladding, pg. 212). The reason it can be a complicated task to complete is because members are not always volunteers. Screening members for a “group counseling session, is a three step process” (Gladding, pg. 212). We’ll discuss how these steps are an important component of having a successful group.
Alcoholics are all different ages, genders, and races. The disease is not specific to one person and can affect everyone in different way. Self-Help Groups are an important piece of recovery. It does not matter what type of recovery someone is looking for. When someone is in crisis they look to the people who are most likely to understand them and connect with them for support. I believe self-help groups are the most important part of the healing/recovery process. Not only for the person who needs help in the present. It also shows the others in the group why they sought out help in the first place. This group showed how important self-help groups are to the healing and recovery process, I would recommend self-help meetings to anyone looking for support.
Gambling addiction is a unique addiction that can sneak up on just about anyone. Just about everyone has the urge to gamble or make a wager on something they
Providing higher funds to gambling addiction clinics is one solution to the problem of gambling addiction. Clinics are important because they offer services to addicted people to help them get over their addiction. Six months after clinical treatment, 80 percent of people say they either don’t gamble or gamble much less (1). Sufficient amounts of free clinics is the key to decreasing the number of problem gamblers. “For the first time, we don’t have enough money to meet the growing demand of free clinics,” said Jeffrey Marotta, a clinical psychologists who manages problem gambling services for the Oregon Department of Human Services (1). In Washington, a state-funded treatment program for problem gamblers was started in 2002, but it ran out of money the next year (1). It is obvious that same states have a need for more clinics. Providing higher funding to create more clinics is the issue.
In the first chapter the therapeutic factors what stood out to me the most was instillation of hope. There is several research that says most therapies operate through hope and conviction. Group therapists do all that they can do to increase the patient’s belief and confidence in group therapy that works effectively. Also, it is important that therapist believe in themselves. The most important is that members learn from others who had similar problems how therapy can work for them in their life.