Your participants will now have a completed gratitude map that can be hung anywhere they choose. Read more about this Silent Gratitude Mapping activity in the Positive Psychology Toolkit©. This activity is a great icebreaker but is also fun to do with group members that are already familiar with one another.

• It brings people with similar needs together in a supportive, encouraging, and validating way.
• Journaling is about getting in touch with your experiences through writing, while expressive writing is about processing emotions.
• They also work to develop their communication skills and learn to engage in fun, healthy social experiences.
• As the therapist, you may lead the check-in activity by preparing a list of subjects each member can speak on.
• For more tips on facilitating check-in and the role of personal interactions between group members, have a look at the videos we’ve linked to below.

We have assessments, practice forms, and worksheet templates mental health professionals can use to streamline their practice. The ideas and activities for substance abuse group therapy that are used substance abuse group activities will have an impact on the benefits that our clients have. Group sessions provide group members with an opportunity to practice life skills including communication and establishing boundaries.

Common Discussion Topics

If there is enough time, the partners can switch when the object(s) has been found. This icebreaker is best applied in a setting where everyone is at least somewhat familiar with the other members of the group. Each member will draw one fear each, read it aloud and try to https://ecosoberhouse.com/ identify who wrote it. The most appropriate check-in question will depend on your answers to these questions. Strengths Spotting can be a useful warm-up for an existing team or group, and works best if the facilitator gives an example positive story to get things started.

It’s an excellent addition to a group meditation session as it gently guides participants without distracting thoughts. You can play the music in the background to help clients reflect while listening to music. Creative arts may be used in a group setting as an alternative therapy. Creativity has been proven to have positive clinical effects, especially on mental health disorders. Group therapy sessions led by an experienced facilitator can be a source of stabilization and support. The group can also comfort members through times of crisis and guide them.

Ready to Take Your Practice to the Next Level?

If the couples are comfortable with this idea, they can share out to the group on something they learned about their partner or a fun memory they recalled together. For participants, there are many reasons why group therapy is a treatment worth considering. Typically, group sessions are held once or twice a week for one or two hours per session. The minimum recommended number of sessions is generally six, but group therapy often continues for up to a year or more (Cherry, 2017).

It could be a guitar, piano, flute or even the maracas or tambourine (which don’t require any musical ability). You can organize a sing-along or organize a favorite song show-and-tell. On the thought of writing songs, you may find those who are struggling to verbalize their thoughts and feelings can use music as a tool to help them express the complexities within themselves. Contact Bedrock Recovery Center to learn more about our group therapy strategies.

Substance Use Group Therapy Activities

Having graduated from St. John’s University in 1990 with a BA in Psychology, Jackie began her career in Human Resources and Office Services/Training. Her journey led to a change in the industry, and Jackie began her career at Haley House in 2011 as Resident Advisor. She was promoted to Resident Advisor Supervisor and Counselor in 2013.

Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology. Also, please leave a comment below if you have other ideas, or would like to add to the discussion. The first time attending any group therapy session can be intimidating. We find that many of our clients are unsure of what to expect, and need time to feel out the group dynamic before speaking up. Navigating dual relationships, where facilitators have connections with participants beyond the group setting, requires careful attention.

Meditation

Group therapy also encourages support by promoting positive behaviors and actions, helping group members through difficult scenarios, and offering constructive criticism. People will shut down if you ask them to share their most intimate thoughts from the moment they walk in the door. You need to start slow in order to ease your clients into sharing their deeper thoughts with the group. Once your group feels comfortable with each other you can start digging deeper. She is currently pursing her graduate degree while continuing to volunteer as a SMART Recovery meeting facilitator in a city which had no SMART presence just two years ago! Therapy will challenge you to answer questions about why you’re angry/stressed and what happens if you can’t control it.

• Day Two builds on this reflection, but participants are encouraged to write a different and more positive ending to the event or situation they described on Day One.
• Our highly-trained therapeutic and clinical experts at Oasis Recovery offer a safe and comfortable space for clients to undergo addiction treatment.
• The experience of meditating alongside others can be encouraging, inspiring, and help build social skills and self-esteem.
• The purpose of this is to reduce fear, anxiety, and avoidance of that specific situation or object.
• Typically, therapy groups will allow people to talk about their triggers.