Substance abuse researchers identify self-efficacy and group cohesion as important components in alcohol and other drug-dependency treatment. Objectives: The purpose of this single-group, pretest-posttest study is to explore the therapeutic value of a challenge course intervention on the self-efficacy and group cohesion of nine chemically…

The development of a group therapy program for the treatment and prevention of alcoholism on a college campus is described. (JD)

Clinicians involved in family therapy are increasingly concerned with the impact of parental alcoholism on individual development and family functioning. With more than 20 million adults raised within an alcoholic family, and with widespread problems associated with parental alcoholism, clinicians providing family treatment have a potentially…

Assigned 96 inpatients in alcoholism treatment to aftercare group treatment with either coping skills training or interactional therapy. Survival analyses using two-year outcome data provided evidence for durability of matching interaction effects. Individuals scoring high on sociopathy or global psychopathology had better outcomes in coping…

Describes group work designed to promote spiritual development with drug and alcohol abusers. Provides a definition of spirituality. Discusses research that relates to the spiritual development of members of drug and alcohol groups. Compares the ways that group work and Alcoholics Anonymous promote spiritual development. (Author/MKA)

Reports results of a two-part study designed to extend training in cognitive interpersonal problem solving to an adult alcoholic population. Treatment subjects made greater improvement on problem-solving thinking than controls. Responses in discharge interviews demonstrated that treatment subjects were more likely to anticipate and plan ahead for…

Proposes that therapeutic efficacy of heterogeneous groups is additionally enhanced by the similarity of interpersonal dynamics and flawed communication patterns common among dysfunction families of all types. Focusing on the roles of the lost child and the mascot, presents case studies of an adult child of alcoholics and the adult child of a…

Married or cohabiting female alcoholic patients (n = 138) and their non-substance-abusing male partners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 equally intensive interventions: (a) behavioral couples therapy plus individual-based treatment (BCT; n = 46), (b) individual-based treatment only (IBT; n = 46), or (c) psychoeducational attention control…

The verbal participation of Anglos, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans in group therapy sessions for alcoholic patients was examined. Fifteen therapy groups with a total number of 265 alcoholic inpatients were recorded. Anglo patients had significantly higher verbal participation than either Mexican American or Native American patients. (NQA)

Describes how adolescents are affected by depression and alcohol dependence and offers a treatment plan for a dual diagnosis. The plan consists of an adolescent group and family program to facilitate and maintain behavioral changes in treatment. The benefits of this treatment and rationale for its application are discussed. (LSR)

Adult children of alcoholics (n=24) were tested on measures of loneliness, anxiety, hostility, depression, and interpersonal dependency before and after participation in short-term group therapy. Highly significant test score changes supported effectiveness of individual therapy in short-term groups. (Author/NB)

Compares behavioral with interactional couples group therapy for male alcoholics (N=36). Behavioral methods included rehearsal and weekly homework assignments, such as contracting, shared recreation, caring behaviors, communication skills, and negotiation. Both methods were effective, but preliminary results showed communication skills training…

A structured approach to group therapy was added to an alcoholic treatment program previously offering only unstructured insight-oriented groups. Participants in the interpersonal problem-solving group therapy were generally very active in all sessions. Participants reported actively utilizing their learning after leaving the treatment program, a…

Based on the view that attention to cultural/sex-role norms is essential in working with the male alcoholic, this article discusses the rationale for an all-male setting for group therapy and the relation between sex-role behavior and alcoholism in men. It then describes the introduction of a gender-based men's group to meet the special needs of…

Describes techniques of utilization and indirect suggestion in multiple-family group therapy as a component of an alcoholism treatment program. Techniques include: unconscious conditioning, therapeutic binds, indirect suggestion, and the utilization approach. Describes how a set of specific goals can be achieved using these techniques. (Author/KMF)