Support Group Reflections 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.
I attended Alcoholics Anonymous: New Attitude group in Dyersburg, TN. Prior to the group, I contacted the facilitator that was listed on Dyersburg-Dyer County Chamber of Commerce website. I explained to the facilitator that I was part of my course requirements and asked permission to observe. The facilitator was informative and explained the times were Thursday at 8:00p.m. or Sunday
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I introduced myself. I learned that the facilitator for the night is actually a member, a 30-year sober member. I was asked to enjoy refreshments and was greeted cordially by present members. The meeting was held in a church reception hall and the room was set up with 3 tables parallel from each other. I participated in this group as an observer, although, I did introduce myself at the beginning. The issue of this group was alcoholism and how to stay sober. The purpose of the group is to be a support system for those who are struggling with sobriety and those who have been successful in sobriety. The group focuses its healing around the 12-steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. This support group is open and provides no limit to the attendee …show more content…
The first meeting was large with approximately 12 members, including the facilitator. My initial emotion internalized was amazement in the structure of the group. The structure of the group provides structure for the members which is crucial for those struggling with alcoholism. The initial sharing was from a young member of 26 who was struggling with sobriety and shared that he recently lost a child through miscarriage. I immediately became overwhelmed in the rawness of his visible emotions (crying). As I observed other members while he was sharing his story, they were intently listening to him. When the sharer finished, the group acknowledged him and another sharer started with his name and “I am an alcoholic”. I appreciated the structure of this transition. The emotion seemed to fill the room and it impacted how everyone addressed their next sharing. The following members shared in the direction of the first sharer and related to the difficulties and provided advise. During the exchange of emotion between members, I continued to be overwhelmed with the emotions internally. The second meeting that I attended was smaller but still provided that set structure and “family” feel of group members. Emotion and exchange of emotion was present as well. I chose to attend this meeting twice because I was impressed and overwhelmed by the first meeting, I had to attend again to gain more
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Show MoreAlcoholism is as prevalent in my family, as blood is in our veins. When previously asked to observe 12-step groups, I ritualistically flocked to Alcoholics Anonymous, without consideration of the possibility that other groups had any potential to make an impact on me. I always pride myself in my ability to identify as an individual that is not ensnared in alcoholism, but unfortunately am an individual that was highly tormented by alcoholism. Through observation of the group and how it processed, as well as identifying how I felt as a new attendee, I was able to understand why self-help, support groups are so vital for individuals in recovery. I finally realized, I too am in recovery.
I met with Christine, an acquaintance I know through members of a twelve step program. We met for about 20 minutes over coffee. As we spoke, I asked the questions that I prepared, omitting some and adding others based on the responses given. The list of questions in reproduced in the last section of this work. Christine works at an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in New Jersey, the specifics of which have been intentionally omitted. Her interest in the field is identical to mine; she has a personal history of substance abuse. After obtaining sobriety, she wished to help others with her experience. This similarity is the primary reason I wanted to discuss this topic with her.
The Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was an open discussion meeting. There were people from different backgrounds but everyone was respectful and friendly to one another. We started the meeting with a word of prayer. As a group, we held hands and recited the Lord’s Prayer. After the prayer the group recited a chant and swung their hands back-and-forth. After the prayer, we sat in a circle and the facilitator passed around an offering basket. Once offering was completed, I was asked by the facilitator to introduce myself. During my introduction, I politely stated my name, the name of my school, and major. The other attendees introduced themselves by stating “Hello, my name is John Doe and I am an alcoholic.” They then proceeded to share their personal experiences with alcoholism and express their gratitude for the 12-step meeting. While speaking, each attendee shared the moments in their lives that made them decided to seek treatment and how many years they have been sober. Each member of the group was very supportive of their group mates. They showered each other with love and gave advice for staying on track.
On February 27, 2014, I visited an Alcohol Anonymous (A.A) therapeutic group meeting called Another Chance. Another Chance is an intergroup meeting located inside the Concord Baptist Church of Christ, at 833 Gardner C. Taylor Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11216. Another Chance has been in operation for over thirty years, and holds open discussion meetings on alcohol use and prevention, every Thursday from six in the evening until seven o’clock. This group interaction with alcohol substance use and abuse focuses on helping all members regardless of race, ethnicity or culture, to abstain from drinking one day at a time; and encourages them to maintain healthy thoughts and emotions through the use of the “Twelve Steps and Traditions” of recovery and intervention approaches.
I attended a support group at 204 S Beverly Drive 116 Beverly Hills, CA 90212. The support group takes place every Tuesday from 6PM-8PM. If a team member cannot make it on Tuesday they can also attend on Saturday from 9AM-11AM. I attended a domestic violence class. The counselor name is Dr. Gordon, his License Marriage and Family Therapist. Dr. Gordon provides the following support group domestic abuse, domestic violence, emotional disturbance, Grief, Internet Addiction, and narcissistic personality and online anger courses and self-esteem. Once you enter the office there is coaches and it feels very comfortable. The instructor was sitting on his desk going over roll call and charging the fee. Once he finished roll call and charging he
For my group experiential activity, I chose to attend an open self-help group, Narcotics Anonymous, which is a support group that focuses on the healing and recovery process of people with addiction. The Narcotics Anonymous group was a very informal, open group in which members could come and go at their own free will and were not coerced to disclose any information that he or she did not feel comfortable sharing with the larger group. In addition, new members were welcome to attend. The group was comprised of approximately 19 group members and one group leader. I found it interesting that there were also children of recovering addicts present at the meeting because I was not aware that children could attend these meetings. Nonetheless, I found it very compelling to witness so many families present with their families because it showed that there was still a sense of social support present despite turmoil that the addiction may have caused. The purpose of the group was to engage in the recovery process with other group members but also to adhere to the group’s mission of providing an environment of recovery to those individuals who are still suffering with his or her addiction. The purpose of the group was clearly stated by the group leader during his introductory speech about welcoming new members who would like to share in the recovery process with other group members. Just from observing, there appeared to be a group leader, referred to as the “chairperson,” who provided a brief overview of the group and voluntarily asked members to participate with the reading of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of the Narcotics Anonymous program. In addition, the group leader facilitated the flow of the group members’ conversations and ...
I attended an open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in my neighborhood; officially called the Olive Branch Meeting. The meeting was offered as having a speaker and discussion, it lasted ninety minutes. The Big Book was referenced but it appeared that the speaker was the only one in possession of the Book. To my surprise a fellow Liberty University Student was there in the same capacity as I was, however she was enrolled in a different course. We sat together.
My assignment was to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting and write my observations and thoughts on the meeting, its structure and philosophical beliefs. I was extremely uncomfortable about attending such a personal meeting. Would individuals welcome me or feel as if I would judge? Even though I was uncomfortable, I am glad I attended the meeting as it was a very enlightening experience for me.
When I saw the Alcoholics Anonymous assignment on our syllabus earlier this semester I thought, "Oh my god, I have to go to some stupid AA meeting." In the weeks prior to attending the meeting, I was very nervous about attending it because I did not know what to expect. Some of the questions going through my mind were: "Was everyone expected to talk at the meeting?" and "Was I going to be criticized as the outsider wanting to know what AA was all about?" Those were my two main concerns.
Attending an A.A meeting for anyone may be hard. According to, “Psychiatry and Wellness”, “Practically nobody looks forward to going to their first AA meeting.” Alcoholics or recovering addicts may feel the same way I felt when attending their first A.A meeting. Some alcoholics may feel worse than I did. Some alcoholics may feel ashamed to attend an A.A meetings. Some alcoholics may be scared or have fear to go to an A.A meeting because they do not know what to expect. The thought of attending an A.A meeting may be worse than actually attending an A.A
Twelve steps meetings are thought to be a vital part of recovery for those battling addiction. While it has been proven to help those with addiction maintain sobriety, there are skeptics who feel that they aren’t as productive as advertised. Research on the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is controversial and is subject to widely divergent interpretations (Kaskutas, 2009). I was able to see firsthand how a meeting is conducted by attending the Back to Basics AA meeting in Columbus, GA. My paper will address some of my thoughts and feelings about the meeting, my overall experience, and how it has informed my practice as a counselor.
This expirience has definitely enhance my learning in nursing. After visiting this NA meeting I feel I understand a lot more how they work and especially how they can be of a great help to some struggling with addiction. As Nurses we can work in substance abuse clinics where we will encounter many patients with this problem and in order for us to help any patient in their recovery; we need to be informed first of the different resources available to them in the community. With what I have learned from this experience I will most definitely encourage any of my patients to join any of these self-help groups in their journey to recovery. I will also recommend their relatives or friends to joint a group as well, such as Al-Anon, which is a similar
On Thursday January 21, 2016, I watched Lori Hart present on alcohol safety in the Student Union Auditorium. I had mixed emotions going into the presentation. On the one hand, I was a bit disappointed with the topic. It is very redundant, especially for freshman due to Alcohol Edu and the S.W.A.T. presentation first semester. I understand that it is a truly necessary and popular topic on college campuses because of the tendency of underage and excessive drinking. On the other hand, I was open-minded and excited. I can always learn something new from each opportunity given to me if I am willing. Plus, I had no plans that evening, my homework was done, and I got to spend time with my favorite Levis Leadership friends.
Especially, when it comes to physical and emotional responsibility. In our sessions, I felt as though the group leaders provided an enormous sense of emotional support. I felt as though the environment was stable and conducive to learning. The setting at first was somewhat tense, but this was acceptable considering that many of us were unfamiliar with the group therapy process. I myself had never undergone a group therapy session, whatsoever. I did, however, appreciate the fact that the environment was quite fair and impartial. The leaders were very nonjudgmental and affirmative in their responses when it came to each and every person’s comments and feedback. Everyone was engaged and actively participated. The group was not hostile and everyone participated in the conversations as well as the exercises chosen. I also felt as though everyone was emotionally tied in. Meaning that if someone was dealing with a personal issue or their emotions were all over the place then the group was susceptible to that individuals needs. For example, we experienced group member who had experienced the loss of a friend. Immediately, each group member became involved and concerned. We were immediately concerned with whether or not she was taking time to grieve or if she was simply doing enough to take time out for herself. In all, the environment over the course of each therapy session displayed a great sense of empathy, concern and support. Another session, in particular, that truly stands out to me in terms of support was when we were asked to share our life experiences and dreams. I can recall stating that I was going to school in order to finally do something for myself. I had completed my bachelor’s degree at the age of 40 and had plans to continue education until I complete my PhD. What was so different was the fact that they understood. They understood, I was trying
In reflection on my learning experience in the group class, I have gained clarity on what sorts of competencies of facilitating group therapy, as well as in what areas social workers and students tend to feel most strong in my practice. Regarding my specific gains in competencies, I feel that I learned the most and was most likely to gain specific group facilitating competencies at the weekly class. Learning in group class is taught me the tools to use to work with groups therapy, communities and also with individuals through the process of changes. In this past three months I think a lot of opportunities have been created to shadowing with (beside and behind) and being a part of group members to learn. In addition, this class has taught me about the skills and how effectively help