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.
My Family: Cycles and History: Activity Title: Genogram: Activity Mode: Worksheet/Diagram/Drawing/Expressive Arts
My Family: Cycles and History: Activity Title: Genogram: Activity Mode: Worksheet/Diagram/Drawing/Expressive Arts
Rationale
Many people with substance abuse problems come from families that had substance abuse problems. In fact, it is common to work with families that have generations of problems with substances. A genogram can be a helpful way to help group members and family members identify this (and other) cycles and/or patterns in their families. We think of “cycles” as ways of functioning that are passed from one generation to the next. For example, addiction often cycles through generations of families. “Patterns” are ways of functioning that occur repeatedly in the current generation. Recognizing patterns and cycles can come as a relief to ...
