Question

What are the different types of psychoeducation and psychotherapeutic clinical group therapies often used in treatment of substance use disorders? How would the prescreening process for referrals look different for each? If you determined a client needed a referral for an alternative treatment, how would you describe the referral process and complementary treatment alternatives?

Answer 1

• Psychoeducational groups are designed to educate clients about substance abuse, and related behaviors and consequences. This type of group presents structured, group‐specific content, often taught using videotapes, audiocassette, or lectures.
• Psychoeducational groups provide information designed to have a direct application to clients’ lives,to instill self‐awareness, suggest options for growth and change, identify community resources that can assist clients in recovery, develop an understanding of the process of recovery, and prompt people using substances to take action on their own behalf, such as entering a treatment program.
• Psychoeducational groups generally teach clients that they need to learn to identify, avoid, and eventually master the specific internal states and external circumstances associated with substance abuse.
• The coping skills (such as anger management or the use of “I” statements) normally taught in a skills development group often accompany this learning.
• A psychoeducational group integrates skills development into its program. As part of a larger program, psychoeducational groups have been used to help clients reflect on their own behavior, learn new ways to confront problems, and increase their self‐esteem .
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and used to treat individuals with numerous issues, most of them quite severe and difficult to treat with other forms of therapy.
• The approach uses individual therapy where principles are primarily based on cognitive-behavioral techniques, group therapy sessions that are primarily didactic in nature (focus on psychoeducation and the group practice of techniques for change), and the belief that clients have accessibility to therapists when they need them.
• Didactic therapy is based on the principle of psychoeducation and primarily experiential, although learning is both experiential and action-oriented. Didactic therapy is most often performed in group sessions. It adopts a more classroom-like atmosphere where certain principles, techniques, and other forms of information are taught through methods of instruction based on psychological principles.
• Supportive psychotherapy aims to offer patients a safe and trustworthy forum in which they may discuss the troubling aspects of their lives. The therapist strives to listen to the patient, who is encouraged to share emotionally.
• When needed, the therapist may act as a strong guide/authority figure, outlining things that the patient should do and not do. This type of therapy is not exploratory and doesn't delve into the past histories of patients.
• It is most helpful for interpersonally and emotionally fragile patients, and/or patients who become disorganized when confronted with stressful situations and memories.
• Social skills/interpersonal/growth psychotherapy aims to teach patients to become more emotionally and socially mature in their dealings with others. For a variety of reasons, many addicts tend to have poor interpersonal skills and to deal with their emotions in self-destructive ways.
• Social skills/interpersonal/growth psychotherapy (usually performed in a group therapy context) helps patients to learn about and practice (within the session amongst each other) healthy ways of communicating with others.
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