Group Proposal Project

Title Your Name Subject and Section Professor’s Name Date Part I: Conceptualization Proposal for a Healthy Parenting in Sobriety Group for Substance Abuse Treatment Clients Overall Scope Substance abuse is a dynamic problem affecting millions all across the globe as revealed by the 20.3 million US citizens of 12 years and above with this health issue in 2020 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). This problem is not limited to only an individual since it affects families along with the communities and the society at large. It eventually leads to extreme personal financial stress and entails a huge social cost. Social-psychological consequences of drug use incorporate a myriad of problems that include, but are not limited to deterioration of family ties, impaired parenting skills, incidence of depression and other mental disorders, low self-esteem, alienation of people, and difficulties in performance in job and studies (Schimmenti et al., 2022; Wogen, J., & Restrepo, 2020). Such problems which appear as woven patterns are obstacles that add to the complexity of recovery for people with such conditions, and therefore their needs for the comprehensive support services and interventions in the framework of social work become very paramount. Psychosocial Concerns or Themes One of the primary psychosocial issues that may engage substance abuse treatment clients who are enrolled in the Healthy Parenting in Sobriety Group is the dynamics of family. The abusing family member would not only have distorted family relationships, roles and interactions but also the level of conflict and instability within the family unit would be high. Leza et al. (2021) described the interruption of family functioning that may occur when a family member is abusing drugs, such as poor communication, emotional detachment, and role reversals. This turmoil affects how parents may not be able to maintain secure discipline, cement emotional support, or meet their children's needs as they are caught in a whirlwind of addiction. The social work interventions in a group setting can be given to the family dysfunction by providing a supportive platform for the participants to share and discuss their families experiences, getting the effective communication strategies lessons as well as the building healthy coping mechanisms of the family dysfunction to improve family functioning and parent-child relationships. Another psychosocial difficulty for clients with substance abuse therapies is parenting. The abuse of drugs and substances can immensely compromise an individual's ability to perform his or her duties of parenting adequately. Trucco (2020) states that parents’ drug or alcohol use influences their parenting skills, including uneven discipline, ineffective decision-making and limited emotional availability. These obstacles go beyond the personal welfare of the recovering person and give a lasting impact on the growth and welfare of their children too. The social work interventions in the group can be oriented to parenting skills enhancement, to mental education especially child development and effective teaching techniques, and to addressing issues which underlie parenting difficulties. Through the empowerment of group members to cultivate caring and nourishing parenting practices, the group can therefore help individuals send their children positive messages while at the same time, they achieve their journey to sobriety. Furthermore, relapse prevention can be a vital psychological factor for the clients of the group who take substance abuse treatment program. Occurrence of relapse is one of the major problems found in the recovery of an individual. Not only can it have a devastating impact on him/her but also on the entire family. Moon and Lee (2020) have emphasized in their research, triggers of relapses, coping strategies, and lifestyle changes should be addressed in order to avoid relapses and sustain the process for years to come. Social workers of the group can narrow in on providing relapse prevention strategies which are individualized, improving coping skills and creating social support networks to combat the possibility of relapse. Through the group intervention that touches on relapse prevention, participants can equip themselves with the practical tactics and strategies to cope with the temptations, cravings, and stay sober for the recovery to be sustained. Past Group Treatment Interventions The prior group therapy treatments for clients suffering from substance abuse utilized different therapeutic techniques that were targeting various aspects of addiction recovery. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has become more consummate in group settings for people who need to discover and change maladaptive thought processes and behaviors that pertain to substance use problems. Research has supported the efficacy of the CBT methods in promoting success among participants in maintaining abstinence and improvement of coping skills. Through teaching them how to identify and challenge cognitive distortions as well as providing practical coping techniques, CBT helps recovering individuals acquire the skills they need to deal with cravings, avoid relapse triggers, and surmount situations that could trigger relapse in their recovery process (Zamboni et al., 2021). Other known technique is motivational interviewing (MI) which is widely used by group interventions for the clients who are substance abusers. It is the client-centered approach, one that is supported by the research, that will help to better understand the individual’s ambivalence related to substance misuse and their openness to recovery. MI can be characterized by the use of empathic listening, reflective questions, and working together to set goals centered on clients' personal reasons for change and the steps they must take for recovery. MI promotes achievement of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy resulting in such patients escaping barriers and achieving recovery (Bischof et al., 20...