• Providing opportunities for clients to develop communication skills and participate in socialization experiences; this is particularly useful for individuals whose socializing has revolved around using drugs or alcohol

• Establishing an environment in which clients help, support, and, when necessary, confront one another

• Introducing structure and discipline into the often-chaotic lives of clients

• Providing norms that reinforce healthful ways of interacting and a safe and supportive therapeutic milieu that is crucial for recovery

• Advancing individual recovery; group members who are further along in recovery can help other members

• Providing a venue for group leaders to transmit new information, teach new skills, and guide clients as they practice new behaviors

The Groups are as follows:

Psychoeducational Groups - These groups provide a supportive environment in which clients learn about substance dependence and its consequences. This time-limited groups are initiated at the beginning of treatment. We feature:

• Low-key rather than emotionally intense environment.

• Rational problem-solving mechanisms to alter dysfunctional beliefs and thinking patterns.

• Various forms of relapse prevention and skills training. Didactic components often are supplemented by videos or slides to accommodate different learning styles.

Skills-development Class – These classes offer clients the opportunity to practice specific behaviors in the safety of the treatment setting. Common types of skills training include:

• Drug or alcohol refusal training. Clients act out scenarios in which they are invited to use substances and role-play their responses.

• Relapse prevention techniques. Using relapse prevention materials, clients analyze one another's personal triggers and high-risk situations for substance use and determine ways to manage or avoid them.

• Assertiveness training. Clients learn the differences among assertive, aggressive, and passive behaviors and practice being assertive in different situations.

• Stress management. Clients identify situations that cause stress and learn a variety of techniques to respond to stress.

Interpersonal process groups

• Single-interest groups. These groups—usually organized at a later stage of treatment—focus on an issue of particular significance to and sensitivity for group members. The issues include gender issues, sexual orientation, criminal offense, and histories of physical and sexual abuse.