Counseling Addiction Case Study

 

 

For many counseling students, attending a 12-step support group can be an anxiety-provoking experience. There is likely some fear of the unknown, bias, and uncertainty surrounding meeting attendance. And guess what? Your clients will feel this way too! A great way to connect with apprehensive clients about attending a 12-step meeting is to have a true understanding of the meeting experience and share your experience with some of the same concerns they might be having. Additionally, if you have a client in recovery who is already active in the 12-step community, you will have a better understanding of their experience.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the handout in the Learning Resources for this Discussion. It provides a list of 12-step support groups you can reach out to, as well as tips for how to approach attending a meeting.
• Reflect on your personal experience of attending the group and compare it to your expectations of what you thought the experience would be like.

• Post a brief overview of the experience of attending a 12-step support group. In your overview include a description of the type of 12-step support group you attended and why you selected the group that you did.
• Based on your experience at the meeting and the Learning Resources, what is the role of 12-step support groups in relapse prevention and continuum of care. Include how these groups differ from treatment groups.
• Describe something from the meeting that aligned with your expectations.
• Describe something from the meeting that surprised you or did not look like you thought it would.

(Note: Please do not share any personal or identifying information regarding the 12-step support group or its members.)

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Reading:

Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2020). Foundations of addictions counseling (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

• Chapter 12, “12-Step Facilitation of Treatment”
• Chapter 13, “Maintenance and Relapse Prevention”

Handout: Guidance for Attending a 12-Step Support Groups for Treatment of Addiction (PDF)