The Assignment In a 3- to 4-page paper, identify the video you selected and address the following: What group therapy techniques were demonstrated? How well do you believe these techniques were demonstrated? What evidence from the literature supports the techniques demonstrated? What did you notice that the therapist did well? Explain something that you would have handled differently. What is an insight that you gained from watching the therapist handle the group therapy?

The Assignment In a 3- to 4-page paper, identify the video you selected and address the following: What group therapy techniques were demonstrated? How well do you believe these techniques were demonstrated? What evidence from the literature supports the techniques demonstrated? What did you notice that the therapist did well? Explain something that you would have handled differently. What is an insight that you gained from watching the therapist handle the group therapy?

Assignment: Analyzing Group Techniques

Group therapies alleviate isolation feelings and enhance a supportive and collaborative environment that allows members to share difficult feelings to attain healing. Group therapy is a form of counseling effective for treating psychological disorders that include substance abuse and addiction. The purpose of this assignment is to analyze group therapy techniques. The selected group therapy video is by the Center for Addiction Treatment Studies that focus on Interpersonal Group Therapy for Addiction Recovery.

Demonstrated Group Therapy Techniques& Evidence from Literature

Addiction is a complicated disease that affects many areas of an individual’s life. Studies show that group therapy is an approach shown to be effective in treating substance use disorders, especially with a view of preventing potential relapses among clients. Group therapy is a powerful component of addiction recovery as connecting with peers suffering from similar challenges assists in reducing the shame and isolation that accompany addiction. The approach also reminds one that they are not alone in their struggles. Therefore, group therapy offers a safe place for the addiction recovery victims to be vulnerable and share all their worries, discomforts, and shame, as demonstrated in the video by Jimmy.

The video demonstrates a host of interpersonal group therapy techniques like vulnerability and shame that Jimmy, the supportive and collaborative approach that members of the group show to him, and the non-interference role in sharing that the therapist plays. These techniques are essential in interpersonal group therapy as they allow members to share their secrets and gain trust and confidence in the group. Jimmy makes disclosures about how he started using drugs. This happens when a group has sufficient cohesiveness and readiness by the individual to reveal. Disclosures like Jimmy’s should never be forced, especially by the therapist. Disclosures show trust in the group and take risks by members to reveal their past secrets.

Evidence from existing literature supports the interpersonal group techniques noticed in the video. Firstly, the commentary by Devin Ashwood, an interpersonal group therapy teacher, supports the techniques as he asserts that interpersonal group therapies offer benefits like enhanced trust and the ability to make disclosures. However, they also show that members can be vulnerable and at risk of sharing personal information. Dingle et al. (2017) show that interpersonal group therapies can enhance emotional regulations and allow participants to feel more comfortable. The study observes that people suffering from substance use disorder (SUD) have difficulties expressing their emotions’ awareness, feelings, and regulations. As a scholarly source, the article shows evidence of the benefits of using group therapies based on its research findings. The implication is that these people require interventions that can help them deal with challenges associated with addiction recovery.

Therapists can also find challenges dealing with the management of complicated group matter due to their limited experiences and training and over-dependence on educational groups (Mahon & Leszcz, 2017). The other technique in the video and supported by literature is the interpersonal group therapy process stages that include here-and-now, and formation of genuine interpersonal and genuine relationships occurs. Another source of evidence is the Niedermoser et al. (2020) study that focuses on the benefits of interpersonal group psychotherapy among individuals with major depressive disorders. The study shows that these therapies enhance life at work for these individuals to perform better in their lives.

Therapist Doing Well

Interpersonal group therapies focus on members of the group and their abilities to interact with each other well. One notices that the therapist does well not interfere in the discussion. The therapist does not offer any opinion but allows the group members to offer potential solutions to Jimmy based on their past and using the interpersonal group therapy stages.