Summary
Contents
Group Activities for Families in Recovery offers therapists a wealth of activities designed to help families struggling with addiction address problem areas of functioning, and ultimately shift from dysfunctional patterns to healthy living. Written by expert practitioners in family-oriented substance abuse treatment programs, this text focuses on group therapy as a key component to treatment.
Beginning with a brief overview of the issues involved in working from a systemic family therapy perspective of addiction, the text discusses practical guidelines for working with families in groups and how to best utilize the exercise in the book. The collection of 30 group activities are suitable for a variety of family-oriented substance abuse treatment groups. They are divided into seven sections covering the key issues of:
1. Family Structure; 2. Family Identity; 3. Sober Fun; 4. Toward Health; 5. Anger Management; 6. Healthy Communication; 7. Parenting
The activities are varied and include topics presented through expressive arts (drawing, writing, acting), game-playing, problem solving, enactments, worksheets, and roleplaying. The activities can be used individually, incorporated into another program, or stand alone as a 16-week (or longer) program. They can also be adapted for use in groups where children or present, or for adult-family groups.
Family Roles: Activity Title: How Families Look: Roles and Structure: Activity Mode: Worksheet and Expressive Arts (Acting)
Family Roles: Activity Title: How Families Look: Roles and Structure: Activity Mode: Worksheet and Expressive Arts (Acting)
Rationale
In families, family members tend to take on identifiable roles. Families that have flexible rather than rigid roles tend to be more healthy. Family members can function in different roles at different times. For example, a child may go through a phase of being the “good child” and may at other times be the “difficult child.” Or Mom can be the main disciplinarian during some periods and Dad can be at other times. Rigidity of roles varies as families develop. For example, a young child needs concrete expectations that a teen would ...
