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 Identity III: Who We Feel We Are: Activity Title: “My Family” Poem: Activity Mode: Creative Writing (Worksheet)
Family Identity III: Who We Feel We Are: Activity Title: “My Family” Poem: Activity Mode: Creative Writing (Worksheet)
Rationale
The “My Family” poem activity allows group members to work individually or as families to create a poem that describes various attributes of their family. It is a fill-in-the-blank activity that allows group members to be creative and encourages them once again to think “out of the box” about their family.
Many group members come to group with a background of trauma and many childhood memories that are painful. The writing that results from this activity can often express some of those painful memories. On the other hand, group members often ...
