Group Activities for Families in Recovery

M. Joan Zimmerman, MA, LMFT, LCAS, has been working with substance abuse and families for nine years. Until recently, she supervised the Family Solutions substance abuse treatment program. This program was specifically designed to work with families with substance abuse. She was involved in initially designing the program, with broad input from a variety of community members and agencies, and has consistently led weekly Family Groups for the families the program works with. Currently, she is in private practice and teaches in the Human and Psychological Counseling department at Appalachian State University. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist, and an approved Marriage and Family Therapy supervisor. Jon L. Winek, PhD, LMFT, LPC, currently directs the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Appalachian State University, where he has been teaching since 1993. He has been involved with the theoretical development of the treatment program at Family Solutions, and continues to provide ongoing clinical supervision to the staff. He is the author of the DVD series, Systemic Family Therapy: From Theory to Practice, as well numerous book chapters and journal articles.

Part 1: Introduction
Whole and Parts
Origins
Assumption
Everyone is impacted
Learn from listening and watching
Child Focus
Healthy caring not enabling
Families and Substance Abuse – A Brief Overview
Roles
Rules
Boundaries
Family ‘Esprit de Corps’ (collective ′sense of self′)
Part 2: Structure of Family Group For Families With Substance Abuse
Structure
Recruitment
Dual diagnosis
Session length
Screening
Process and Structure of Therapy
Avoiding resistance
Locus of control from external to internal
Confidentiality, legal and ethical issues
Working With Expressive Arts
Working With Blended and Diverse Families
Group leadership
Interns
Part 3: The Curriculum
Curriculum Section 1: Family Structure
1-1 Family Roles
1-2 Impact of Addiction on Family
1-3 How We Experience our Family
1-4 Family Cycles & History
Curriculum Section 2: Family Identity
2-1 Family Identity I: Who We Think We Are
2-2 Family Identity II: Structure
2-3 Family Identity III: Who We Feel We Are
2-4 Family Drawing
Curriculum Section 3: Sober Fun
3-1 Family Fun
3-2 Playing Together
Curriculum Section 4: Towards Health
4-1 Healthy Helping
4-2 Doing It Differently
4-3 Relationships I – Healthy or Unhealthy?
4-4 Relationships II – Choosing a Relationship
4-5 Relationships III – Stages In Relationships
4-6 Private or Secret?
4-7 Families in Recovery I
4-8 Families In Recovery II
4-9 Healing Families
4-10 What Could Be Better?
4-11 Rebuilding Trust
4-12 Building Life-Long, Healthy Supports I
4-13 Building Life-Long, Healthy Supports II
4-14 Spirituality
4-15 Rules in Families
Curriculum Section 5: Anger
5-1 Anger in My Family
5-2 Strategies to Manage Anger
5-3 Conflict in My Family
5-4 Making Arguing Work
Curriculum Section 6: Communication
6-1 Working Together
6-2 Assertive Communication
6-3 What We Haven’t Said
6-4 Our Different Experiences
6-5 Do You Hear Me?
6-6 We Are Grateful
6-7 Resentments – Taking Back the Power
Curriculum Section 7: Parenting
7-1 When Daddy Drinks
7-2 What About the Kids?
7-3 What Do We Tell the Kids?
7-4 Consequence With Empathy