Expectation:
Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resource on your own before you bid. Main references come from Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2018) and/or American Psychiatric Association. (2013). You need to have scholarly support for any claim of fact or recommendation regarding treatment. I have also attached my discussion rubric so you can see how to make full points. Please respond to all 3 of my classmates separately with separate references for each response. You need to have scholarly support for any claim of fact or recommendation like peer-reviewed, professional scholarly journals. If you draw from the internet, I encourage you to use websites from the major mental health professional associations (American Counseling Association, American Psychological Association, etc.) or federal agencies (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), etc.). I need this completed by 04/13/19 at 8pm.
Expectation:
Responses to peers. Note that this is measured by both the quantity and quality of your posts. Does your post contribute to continuing the discussion? Are your ideas supported with citations from the learning resources and other scholarly sources? Note that citations are expected for both your main post and your response posts. Note also, that, although it is often helpful and important to provide one or two sentence responses thanking somebody or supporting them or commiserating with them, those types of responses do not always further the discussion as much as they check in with the author. Such responses are appropriate and encouraged; however, they should be considered supplemental to more substantive responses, not sufficient by themselves.
Read a your colleagues’ postings. Respond to your colleagues’ postings.
Respond in one or more of the following ways:
· Ask a probing question.
· Share an insight gained from having read your colleague’s posting.
· Offer and support an opinion.
· Validate an idea with your own experience.
· Make a suggestion.
· Expand on your colleague’s posting.
1. Classmate (J. Car)
Overview of Alcoholics Anonymous
I chose to attend the 12-step program provided by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), as it is one of the most widely used mutual help groups since its inception in 1935. I was admittedly nervous and took a seat in the circle, unsure of how the meeting would go as a visitor. The group leader introduced herself and was very welcoming, asking me to introduce myself. As this was an open meeting, I shared that I was just visiting and the group was very supportive. The Serenity Prayer was said in unison to begin. The lesson of the evening was presented by a participant who recounted his experience and successes with AA in addition to how alcohol had destroyed both his marriage and his health. The 12-steps were mentioned in his description of how AA impacted him, specifically how he believed he was powerless over his addiction and gave credit to God as his higher power for rescuing him and helping him make amends in broken relationships. After listening to this recounting, it was easy to see how his journey back and forth within the 12 steps gave him hope that recovery was possible and solidarity in that others in the group would be striving to create a sober life that was worth living for (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). The member-run, highly personal, and relaxed atmosphere of the meeting made it a comfortable atmosphere for sharing highly sensitive personal information.
Role of Mutual Help Groups
Mutual help groups may provide an element of treatment that individual therapy cannot, that being the role of a sponsor in the life of the client, one who can be a part of every aspect of his or her life and not only within a counseling session. According to Van Wormer & Davis (2018), 74% of individuals who joined AA requested a sponsor within the first 90 days, showing the acquired desirability of mutual help when it is affirmed by others within the group. In contrast to Twelve Step Facilitation models implemented in treatment centers by professional therapists, the 12-steps utilized in AA do not make demands of members according to any sort of timeline, allowing individuals to choose what level of investment they wish to make in the group and how much effort they will put into following the steps. At this time, the predominant demographic of individuals attending AA meetings in the United States and Canada are middle-aged White males, meaning the format and content of the group may not necessarily be presented in a way that translates to individuals of other cultures (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). Another drawback is the lack of empirical evidence of the effectiveness of AA, as using control groups and randomization is very difficult to achieve due to the lack of uniformity in attendees and leadership (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). While one major benefit of AA is the fact that it is run by lay people who are also members of the group, the long-term efficacy of treatment in these groups is difficult to record and implement data. However, the result of abstinence for individuals who attend AA meetings regularly remains high with or without supporting empirical research.
Relapse Prevention and Continuation of Care
Mutual help groups such as AA may be highly effective in alliance with individual psychotherapy due to the unique elements of personal sponsors, lack of pathologizing, and ownership within the group. With the accountability of an individual counselor, a sponsor, and members within the mutual help group, the client will be surrounded by support systems, potentially aiding in preventing relapse. Positive interactions within an AA community contribute to emotional health, having an effect on the brain that is similar to the relaxation experienced in yoga meditation (Van Wormer & Davis, 2018). Therefore, the AA community and treatment from a harm reduction perspective may be enough to empower a client to choose other methods of self-improvement including continuation of individual counseling. Following the 12-step method includes making amends and reconciling with those who have been harmed due to the client’s alcohol addiction, offering the potential for renewed support systems and inner healing to occur.
References
Greenfield, L., & Tonigan, J. S. (2013).The general Alcoholics Anonymous tools of recovery: The adoption of the 12-step practices and beliefs. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(3), 553–561.
Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2018). Addiction treatment: A strengths perspective (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
2. Classmate (A. Mc)
Overview: Celebrate Recovery
This week, I attended a “Celebrate Recovery” meeting at an interdenominational church in my area. While the group was created for substance and behavioral addictions, other behaviors were welcomed and accepted (e.g. anxiety, anger). Collectively, the group recognizes God as their higher power, singing worship songs and stating that they are a believer in Christ at the beginning of the meeting. The group is based on the 12-Step Recovery Model; the focus of this week was Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. The handout given out to complete and think about