Integrated Group Therapy for Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse

Roger D. Weiss, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. Through his research, international teaching, clinical work, and writings, Dr. Weiss has made significant contributions to the field of substance use disorders, with a particular focus on those individuals with co-occurring psychiatric illness. He has been Principal Investigator on numerous National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grants, and he recently led a multisite national study of the treatment of prescription opioid dependence as part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. He has authored over 300 articles and book chapters and has participated in a number of prominent national committees, including serving as vice chair of the American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines for Patients with Substance Use Disorders. Dr. Weiss is a recipient of the H. David Archibald Award for Outstanding Research and/or Practice in the Addictions from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Hilary Smith Connery, MD, PhD, is Clinical Director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Connery is a clinical researcher who studies innovative behavioral treatments for patients with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental illness. She has special interest in the treatment of patients with opioid dependence and mental illness and has been a recipient of the Eleanor and Miles Shore/Harvard Medical Scholars Fellowship to study this population. She participated as site Principal Investigator on two national studies of buprenorphine treatment of opioid dependence through the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network, and she is co-investigator on other federally funded clinical research studies addressing substance use treatment in women and medically ill individuals. Dr. Connery also has community psychiatry experience running assertive community treatment teams and studying barriers to recovery among homeless persons. She is currently listed in Best Doctors in America, is a consultant to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine and the National Football League, and is Area 1 Director for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

I. Overview of Integrated Group Therapy
1. An Introduction to Integrated Group Therapy
2. General Principles of Integrated Group Therapy for Co-Occurring Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse
3. Therapist Guide for the Integrated Group Therapy Pregroup Interview
4. Conducting an Integrated Group Therapy Session
II. Integrated Group Therapy Sessions
Session 1. It’s Two against One, but You Can Win!
Session 2. Identifying and Fighting Triggers
Session 3. Dealing with Depression without Abusing Substances
Session 4. Dealing with Family Members and Friends
Session 5. Denial, Ambivalence, and Acceptance
Session 6. Reading Your Signals: Recognizing Early Warning Signs of Trouble
Session 7. Refusing Alcohol and Drugs: Thinking It Through and Knowing What to Say
Session 8. Using Self-Help Groups
Session 9. Taking Medication
Session 10. Recovery versus Relapse Thinking: It Matters What You Do
Session 11. Taking Care of Yourself
Session 12. Taking the Group with You
Appendix A. Rating Adherence and Fidelity: Ensuring That Integrated Group Therapy Is Done Properly
Appendix B. Bulletin Board Material
Appendix C. Frequently Asked Questions about Integrated Group Therapy