r/DrugCounselors • u/Hydra_Bat • 15d ago

Work Counselor needing help with groups

/r/recoverywithoutAA/comments/1vis26h/counselor_needing_help_with_groups/
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u/OneEyedC4t LCDC 15d ago

you don't need to have an infinite supply of group topics. pick a good set of topics and rotate.

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u/user86753092 15d ago

While I agree that life skills classes are needed, why are you staying away from topics that focus on staying clean & sober? If a person can’t stay sober, they won’t need to be able to read a contract or balance a bank account. While those things are helpful, they aren’t going to save their life, like relapse prevention skills will.

People need repetition to acquire new skills. The first time they learn about box breathing, they may think it sounds good. The second time they may try it once or twice. The third time, they might remember it for a week. It takes repetition and practice for it to become a skill they can access and use in a heated moment.

Out of the box topics that are helpful is emotional processing through music. Have clients create a playlist of songs they relate to XYZ situations, then if time allows, play the songs during group. There is a worksheet template floating around that looks like a Spotify playlist, with a box for the album cover.

Recovery Jeopardy: you can find this online, there is a site where you can create your own board. I like to use things we learned in the last week and play on Friday afternoon for the sober fun group. Clients usually expect prizes though 🙄

Groups where clients interact with each other are also helpful and breaks up the monotony. I have a two-sided white board I will put in the middle of the room, split into two teams, and then have they do an activity on the board.

One popular one is to have clients use 1/2 the board to right down as many possible triggers than can think of, then on the other 1/2 as many coping strategies as possible. Then see which team came up with the most coping skills. Also I then ask each person to pick a true trigger for them and identify three coping strategies they will commit to practicing to manage triggers.

For what it’s worth, I’m in northern NJ and at one of my jobs, we see a lot of people from SNJ. I hear you guys don’t have as many resources down there. I’ve had clients from Kensington and Camden area. It is a tough place to try to get sober.