aware – that a women-only programme addressing both substance misuse and
mental health problems using a CBT approach has been offered in the UK.
Women told us that they would not have felt safe to talk openly about their
problems in a mixed group: ‘…the confidentiality that the other women show to
all group members is amazing… if it was a mixed group… I can honestly say I
would not have been as open and honest as I was.’
Helping Groups to Grow is named in recognition of the importance of
enabling everyone to have the chance to change, develop and move forward. Key
to this is enabling self-help and mutual support – service users who have
completed the group programme can go on to become mentors to help others to
attend future programmes. We are also working in partnership with SMART
Recovery UK to train staff and service users as recovery champions and to deliver
peer support groups.
DDN
Kim Johnson is service coordinator of Pathways to Recovery at Helping Groups
to Grow
April 2012 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 17
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
Treatment|
Dual diagnosis
‘Programme facilitators report
that they experience leading
the programme as “a shared
journey” with the clients, and
although hard work –
emotionally and physically – at
times, it can bring about change
in a way often not seen in other
areas of everyday practice.’
‘ride up and over the wave’ of the craving, and group participants told us they
found this approach helpful when they felt overwhelmed by cravings. ‘Urge
surfing – a dreadful expression but no matter! – I have found this useful for
controlling my alcohol intake and (somewhat to my surprise) in some situations
when trying to control my other addiction (nicotine),’ reported one.
The coping strategy that – alongside urge surfing – received the most
positive feedback from group members is the opportunity to devise their own
‘flash cards’.
An effective relapse prevention tool in both substance misuse and mental
health practice, a personalised card with a motivational sentence, meaningful
photograph or picture of a specific goal helps people stay focused on their values
and plans for the future, and can help them return to their goals in the event of a
lapse. ‘I used coping strategies – [I] got [flash] cards out after a slip, which was
alcohol not drugs,’ reported one member. ‘The best thing was my motivation
cards,’ commented another.
Although sometimes reticent about joining a group, members tell us that the
experience of being with other people who share similar issues is a key part of
their recovery journey. The key working sessions were also felt to be essential, as
was the focus on mental health, which many saw as a unique aspect of the
programme. ‘Regarding the key working sessions; I cannot speak highly enough
of them,’ a service user commented. ‘Whilst I admit to having found them very
hard work at the outset, these sessions very rapidly clarified my understanding
of a particular concept and reinforced the learning of the group session.’ Another
spoke about ‘meeting people which made me think I am not on my own.’
Programme facilitators report that they experience leading the programme as
‘a shared journey’ with the clients, and although hard work – emotionally and
physically – at times, it can bring about change in a way often not seen in other
areas of everyday practice. When group members complete the programme, the
same assessment measures used in the brief assessment are repeated and they
receive an updated lifestyle balance profile comparing their initial scores with
the new outcomes in a visual format. This is a powerful motivator – it can be
difficult to notice things changing for the better, but a picture, scale or graph
presents improvements very clearly. The lifestyle profile of one group member
who felt they had never achieved much at school showed them and others that
they had ‘done well’, allowing them to experience positive recognition for the
first time in their lives.
*****
A women-only Pathways to Recovery programme is also now available, following
a successful pilot programme in partnership with local women’s services in 2011.
This is a particularly exciting development, and the first time – as far as we are