The Colombo Plan Asian Centre for Certification and Education of Addiction Professionals Training Series

Curriculum 41
Basic Counseling Skills
for Addiction Professionals

MODULE 6 – PSYCHOEDUCATION
GROUPS FOR CLIENTS AND FAMILIES
Learning Objectives

 Define and describe “psycho-education” and

differentiate it from group therapy
 Develop topics for both a skill-based group
and an information-based group
 Develop content for a psycho-education group
 Assess your program’s psycho-education
services and identify possible improvements

1.2
Psycho-education

 What ispsycho-education?

1.3
Definition of Psycho-education

 Educate clients about substance abuse

 Educate clients about related behaviors and
consequences
 Present structured content
 Often use visual aids
 Facilitate discussions

Source: Center for Substance Use Treatment. (2005). Substance abuse treatment: Group
therapy. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 41. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 05- 1.4
3991. rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Psycho-education and Group Therapy:
Similarities
 Group of clients with similar characteristics
 Common goal
 Focus on substance use and recovery
 Facilitated by a leader
 Encourages interaction among clients

1.5
Differences

 Focuson education, not therapy

 Emphasis on information, not feelings
 Emphasis on skill building, not behavioral change

1.6
Large-group Exercise: Value of Psycho-
education
 Why should we offer psycho-education to our
clients?
 How can it benefit them?
 What are possible outcomes for clients and
family members?

1.7
Types of Groups

 Clientsonly
 Family only
 Family and clients
 Community settings

1.8
Skill-based Groups

 Teachhow, not what

 Examples of skills:
 Problem-solving
 Techniques for managing cravings
 Refusing drug offers
 Other relapse-prevention strategies

1.9
Information-based Groups: For Clients
or Families

 Address knowledge, not skills

 More didactic than skills-based
 More specific
 Less interaction in group
 No discussion of personal issues

1.10
Group Leader: Qualifications

 Investment in providing psycho-education

 Demonstrated concern for clients
 Experience in leading educational groups
 Familiarity with agency’s treatment programs
 Experience with clients and families

1.11
The Group Leader: General Tasks

 Help identify appropriate members

 Recruit group members
 Adjust the group approach
 Develop a curriculum and schedule
 Prepare visual aids
 Select reference materials and hand-outs
 Deliver training
 Provide after-session support as needed
 Keep up-to-date regarding relevant knowledge
 Be flexible
1.12
During Each Session

 Provide a welcoming atmosphere

 Encourage questions and comments
 Provide sources of additional information
 Remain in the room afterward
 Talk to people with problems or concerns

1.13
Considering Learning Styles

 Age
 Education level and fluency
 Stage of treatment or recovery
 Didactic vs. interactive
 Visual vs. auditory

1.14
Tailoring Instruction

 Variety
 Visualaids
 Role-plays
 Videos

1.15
General Training Guidelines for Group
Leader

 Periodicallyreview information
 Use common language
 Break information down
 Check for understanding

1.16
Cognitive Deficits

 Common in early recovery

 Particular effect on:
 Short-term memory
 Attention span
 Helped by repeating information

1.17
Avoid Overt Triggers

 CRITICAL!!!
 No:
 Drug images
 Paraphernalia images
 Images of substance use or drinking

1.18
Countering Triggers – What to do?

 Stay after group

 Have one member escort another home
 Call a family member

1.19
Break
15 minutes

1.20
Potential Topics

 Information about specific substances

 Relapse prevention
 Finding supports
 Avoiding triggers
 Others?

1.21
Stages of Treatment

 Treatment engagement: working to motivate

client to get involved in treatment
 Early recovery: dealing with special issues
such as lingering physical effects and cravings
 Maintenance and continuing care: help
client maintain abstinence and prevent relapse

1.22
Small-group exercise: Psycho-education Topics

 Whatare the main points you would cover

under your assigned topic?

1.23
Small-group Exercise: Stages of Treatment

 Note all psycho-education topics you think

would be appropriate for your assigned stage
of treatment
 Grab another sheet of newsprint if you need it!

1.24
Journal Exercise

 Did anything you learned today surprise you?

 What will you be most likely to use in your
practice?
 What burning questions do you still have
about working with groups?

1.25
1.26
Family Groups

 Includea wide range of people

 Can re-establish relationships
 Can help family support recovery
 Help members realize that their situation is not
unique

1.27
Goals: General

 Learning
 Working together
 Understanding relapse
 Improving relationships

1.28
Topics Specific to Family Groups

 SUDs and families

 Putting the family back together
 Rebuilding trust
 Family roles
 Families in recovery
 Living with an SUD
 Communication traps

1.29
Goals: Specific

 Present accurate information

 Discuss how recovery affects families
 Enable families to discuss recovery
 Correct any misunderstandings about
substances or recovery
 Promote self-care
 Convey dignity and respect

1.30
Large-group Discussion: What are Your
Programs Doing?

 Do you offer psycho-education?

 What types?
 Is there anything you want to change?

1.31
Group Facilitation

 Thepractice of supporting a group’s process

rather than creating or directing it

1.32
Group Facilitation (continued)

 Teach participants to support one another:

 Model support in early stages of group
 Teach specific skills
 Reinforce and affirm participants’ support of one
another
 Don’t rush in the later stages of group

1.33
Group Facilitation (continued)

 Avoid doing for the group what it can do for

itself:
 Turn questions back over to the group
 Ask a group member to direct a comment to
another group member
 Don’t always be the one to break a silence
 Ask the group to comment on process

1.34
Emotional Contagion

 Another’ssharing can stir frightening

memories and intense emotions in listeners
 Emotional contagion can overwhelm group
members and the group process

1.35
Modulate Emotionality

 Keep emotionality at a level that enables the

work of group to continue
 Example:
“We’ve been expressing some intense feelings here
today…To prevent us from overload, it might be
valuable to stop what we’re doing and try together to
understand what’s been happening and where all
these powerful feelings come from”

Source: Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. 4th ed. New
York: Basic Books. P. 350. 1.36
Small-Group Demonstration: Instructions

 Decide:
 In what phase of development is your group?
 What portion of a group session will you
demonstrate?
 Select a facilitator
 Select client roles from Resource Page 5.2
 Prepare an 8- to 10-minute group role-play
 Be creative!

1.37
Issues in Group Management

 Handling conflict in group (Resource Page

5.8)
 Unhealthy interactions
 Covert conflicts
 Displaced anger
 Managing subgroups (Resource Page 5.9)
 Make covert alliances overt
 Reframe what the group is doing
 Rearrange

1.38
Issues in Group Management (continued)

 Responding to disruptive behavior (Resource

Page 5.10)
 Talkative or interrupting clients
 Clients who flee a session
 Coming in late or absence
 Silence
 Turning out
 Focusing only on others

1.39
Lunch
60 minutes

1.40
Small-group Presentations: Issues in Group
Management – Instructions

 Read your assigned Resource Page

 Select a facilitator
 Select client roles from Resource Page 5.2
 Create a presentation and a demonstration
role-play

1.41
Small-group Presentations: Issues in Group
Management

Presentations

1.42