Alongside individual therapy, peer therapy, and group therapy, group therapy is an important therapeutic approach that aids in helping individuals cope with addictions and handling other psychological disorders. Group therapy refers to a treatment plan to help two or more individuals recover or manage various psychological conditions. Group therapy is an effective approach that results in a high recovery rate. It is an evidence-based practice that assists individuals to keep off drugs and regain control of themselves. Various approaches can be taken in group therapy; the most conventional ones are support, psycho-educational, interpersonal, and trauma-focused therapy. This paper identifies and analyzes the psychotherapeutic approach used in Levy's case, alternative approaches, and explains whether I can use it.
Psychotherapeutic Approach
After watching the seven videos regarding Levy’s alcohol addiction problem and the therapy sessions, I have identified that the therapist uses interpersonal therapy techniques to help military veterans with their addiction. Interpersonal group therapy is a technique where about six people meet with a therapist to help resolve their psychological issues and behavior, like an addiction. According to Mahon (2017), interpersonal group therapy increases patient engagement. The therapist asked the veterans several questions to understand how they were coping with life after leaving Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The therapists use these questions to create a free and interactive environment in the session. This session focused on interpersonal interaction through conversations where every individual narrated how they have been affected; they also shared their emotions and feelings to develop similarities and differences in their experiences. For example, one member instructs Levy to stop mouthing so much as he experiences the same problem. Through the interactions, the veterans understood that they were not alone in facing addiction and traumatic experiences. Additionally, the group had six members and therapists, which makes it interpersonal group therapy.
Interpersonal Group Therapy and Rationale
If I were the counselor, I would use the interpersonal group psychotherapy if I were this group's counselor. My rationale for using this technique is that it provides a better healing environment. Interpersonal group therapy involves more than six individuals; this number of participants encourage interaction. Proper interaction between the group members and the therapists helps in providing a safe and supporting environment. Participants can freely express their feelings and emotions and connect with others to increase self-awareness (Morgan & Winterowd, 2002) . Additionally, by sharing personal experiences, the veterans understand that others are experiencing similar problems. They can guide each other to overcome difficult situations. Finally, according to (6 Group Therapy, 2005) interactional group therapy would enable the members to gain more freedom, agency, and develop other meaningful relationships with the group members, which aids in promoting growth.
Alternative Option
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used as an alternative to interpersonal group therapy. This approach helps people change their behaviors, such as addiction, by first understanding factors that influence their feelings and decision making (Cherry, 2020) . According to David et al. (2018), it is an evidence-based technique that is very effective in addiction treatment. This approach is effective in the short-term and helps individuals cope with their daily problems. When applying this technique, individuals are advised on how and why to transform their destructive and negative behavior and helping them to avoid negative thoughts that results in bad behavior or emotions (Fenn & Byrne, 2013) . The reason for choosing this technique is that cognitive behavior therapy works through manipulating human cognitive processes. Cognitive processes are essential in how individuals feel and behave. For instance, the war veterans experience recurring thoughts regarding what they saw at war. By applying this approach, the veterans can learn to avoid and control these thoughts and emotions that accompany them. Therefore, this approach will be essential in helping veterans avoid maladaptive behavior, such as addiction.
Conclusion
Therapy is essential for helping individuals cope with different issues like addiction. The paper's main aim was to identify the therapeutic approach employed in the seven videos, determine whether I would use it, and explain alternative therapies for individuals with addiction. According to my analysis, the interpersonal group therapy technique was applied since it involved six individuals who were actively engaged in sharing their problems with a registered therapist. I would apply this technique due to its effectiveness that results from group interaction. An alternative approach for this technique is a cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on altering behavior by influencing an individual's psychological patterns. This is an effective technique for dealing with addiction.
References
6 Group Leadership, Concepts, and Techniques. (2005). In Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy (Vol. Treatment Improvement Protocol). Rockville: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64211/
Cherry, K. (2020, June 13). What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? (P. Rachel Goldman, Ed.) Very Well Mind . Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-behavior-therapy-2795747
David, D., Cristea, I., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is the Current Gold Standard of Psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9 (4). https://dx.doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpsyt.2018.00004
Fenn, K., & Byrne, M. (2013). The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. SAGE Journals, 6 (9), 579-585. https://doi.org/10.1177/1755738012471029
Mahon, L. (2017). The Interpersonal Model of Group Psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 67 (1), 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2016.1218286
Morgan, R. D., & Winterowd, C. L. (2002). Interpersonal Process-Oriented Group Psychotherapy with Offender Populations. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 46 (4), 466-482. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X02464008
