Intensive Outpatient Group Therapy For Substance Use Disorders

The group therapy setting creates a powerful dynamic to support and aid recovery.

Intensive outpatient treatment for alcohol and drug abuse is an important part of healing in the process of recovery. Club Recovery provides individual, family, and group therapy on an outpatient treatment basis.

The group setting in which a counselor facilitates among eight to twelve participants provides multiple benefits:

  • The group dynamic provides feedback from a range of perspectives, enabling the participant to attain greater self-awareness and understanding of how his or her behaviors affect others.
  • Contributing to the recovery of others enhances empathy and self-worth and reinforces the commitment to positive change on both sides.
  • Group members learn from one another. They share common experiences and sympathize. Group members form strong social networks.  Building relationships with others in treatment, the individuals learn how to rebuild relationships in their own lives.
  • A strong, supportive group, under the guidance of an experienced counselor, challenges the individual to be honest and confront self-delusions and fears. The group members develop a sense of responsibility to one another, providing reinforcement to each other for the courage to change.

Gender-specific or Mixed Gender Groups: Which is right for you?

Most clients at Club Recovery choose to participate in mixed-gender groups. The advantage of a group featuring both male and female participants is that the group members can gain from the broader perspectives of both genders. We live in a mixed-gender society in a multicultural world. Learning to relate better and communicate with the others is beneficial to the recovery of some people for whom discomfort relating to others with genders different than their own is a contributing factor to the disassociation that promotes their chemical or behavioral addiction.

Women’s Group

Many women however find that a women’s-only group is a better environment for their addiction recovery. This gives them an opportunity to deal with sexual, physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma that has prompted some of their stepping away from their true selves.

  • A woman’s healing path away from addiction is frequently a different process from a man’s, due to biological and socialization distinctions.
  • Women interacting with women can be more empowering and enlightening. A female-only encounter may be more open and honest.  Some find it a safer place to raise women’s issues from needing to work on assertiveness to overcoming shame, using the time to heal the body, mind, and spirit.
  • Club Recovery offers a choice. Women may join a mixed-gender group meeting weekday evenings or on Saturday or may choose to become part of the Woman’s Group that meets in-person Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings.

Men’s Group

Also, many men prefer an all-male group.

  • Men often struggle with issues that are more common among males such as traditional male responsibilities, pressures and concerns at work, and society’s demands.
  • Men may find it easier to be honest in an all-male group about past experiences including criminal behavior, issues of abuse, and fears of failure and vulnerability.
  • Alcohol in particular tends to affect men differently than women, (for example, depressing testosterone levels) providing a different context to the experience of a male alcoholic.
  • Men can be particularly impactful in holding one another accountable and providing motivation to change.
  • Again, Club Recovery offers a choice to each individual.  Men may join a mixed-gender group or our Men’s Outpatient group. Both groups meet Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings. Men also have the option of joining our Mixed Gender Saturday Program which meets in-person on Saturday and virtual (zoom)Wednesday evenings. 

The Group Therapy experience

The group is a safe place to discuss feelings, fears, and frustrations in a non-judgmental environment.  Every individual in the group understands the tragedies and burdens of addiction and has made the personal decision to change. Club Recovery’s professionally trained, licensed, experienced and empathetic counselors facilitate the group dynamic by applying tools such as Cognitive Behavioral Training, Motivational Interviewing, and Health Realization.

In Club Recovery’s intensive outpatient treatment programs, groups meet on Weekdays, Evenings and Saturdays as outlined in our group offerings below. 

* Virtual (Zoom) – All other groups are in person. 

Depending on the results of the assessment, clients may be recommended for our intensive outpatient treatment which lasts about 18 weeks on average. Group therapy meetings are accompanied by one to one treatment planning sessions with the client’s counselor, at which individualized solutions and goals are developed.

Group meetings consist of sessions devoted to education followed by sessions of moderated group discussion focused on personal application of the education as well as current issues. In a standard 18 week cycle a full counseling program will cover all aspects of the healing in addiction and recovery and looking at its effects on the whole person: physical, emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual, choices, work, and money.