67th Annual Conference

Thursday, February 25

Afternoon Workshops

2:30 - 5:00 P.M.

Workshop 31

Who Says I Have to Stop Drinking: Harm Reduction Groups, Dual Disorders, and Ambivalence

Chair:                

Jeannie Little, LCSW, CGP, Executive Director, Harm Reduction Therapy Center, San Francisco

Harm Reduction Therapy groups welcome active drug users and drinkers. This paradigm integrates cognitive-behavioral interventions for addiction with psychodynamic treatment. It is ideally suited for people whose complex relationship with drugs makes achieving abstinence difficult. Participants will learn how harm reduction groups work with ambivalence and the stages of change in group.

demonstration-didactic-sharing of work experiences-experiential

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Understand the relationship between mental and emotional illnesses and drug and alcohol use.
2. Appreciate the central role of ambivalence in behavior change.
3. Understand the role of countertransference in creating the drug treatment system in the United States.
4. Manage countertransference when working with drug users.
5. Learn how to work with diverse drug users in a group (from those who are using chaotically to those who are abstinent).
 

Course References:

Denning, Patt (2000). Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. New York: Guilford.

Denning, P, Little, J, and Glickman, A (2004). Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol. New York: Guilford.

Little, Jeannie (2006). Harm Reduction Therapy Groups: Engaging Drinkers and Drug Users in a Process of Change. Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery. V1.

Spotnitz, Hyman (1957). The borderline schizophrenic in group psychotherapy: The importance of individualization. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 7: 25-34.