Inpatient Psychoeducational Group Model for Gay Men and Lesbians With Alcohol and Drug Abuse Problems (From Chemical Dependency Treatment: Innovative Group Approaches, P 37-51, 1997, L. Donald McVinney, ed. -- See NCJ-170450)

• NCJ Number: 170452
• Author(s): J H Neisen
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Haworth Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC.

Annotation

This paper profiles a psychoeducational group model used at Pride Institute, a gay and lesbian affirmative inpatient chemical dependency treatment program.

Abstract

Psychoeducational groups are both didactic and experiential. The first goal of psychoeducational groups for gay men and lesbians is to provide information about what it means to be gay in today's society. The second goal of such groups is to facilitate the integration and personalization of the didactic materials through experiential means. The experiential aspects of psychoeducational groups may consist of small group discussions, large group discussions, question and answer sessions, personal reflections, "journaling," art projects, and role plays. The personalization of the gay/lesbian topics and identification of the emotional aspect of reclaiming one's sexuality and integrating one's sexual orientation provide the basis for therapy groups to further analyze the interrelatedness between loss of identity and addiction. Several examples of gay/lesbian focused psychoeducational groups used at the Pride Institute in Minneapolis are provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for other treatment programs in developing a culturally sensitive versus a culturally affirming treatment program. 1 table and 15 references