Give me 12 steps

Man, I was so thankful to be a part of this meeting. It was such a human experience. Everyone removed their mask; Mr. Dunbar would be proud.

Anyway, here are the points that need to be stamped and addressed.

The role of the facilitator was hands-off. The two of them just assigned each member a portion to read-I was asked to read the preamble- set up a tentative skeleton for the flow of the group, and let that bird go! 

There was only one case of a different personality. One of the guys there, Mark, was not bashful about telling me that the 12-step members did not like us being there. The group leader responded by saying that I was welcome and that they were glad I was there. He encouraged inclusion by modeling the inclusion himself. I understood where Mark was coming from, though; I hadn't walked a mile in anyone's shoes but my own, and admittedly, mine were an arctic shade of white when juxtaposed with the others. Who was I to judge them? Mark had a point, but I assured him I had no gavel, only an open mind. Plot twist: Mark and I ended up hugging at the end and getting along really well. I think through our conversation I earned his welcome. Humility goes a long way.

The environment can impact the session in a myriad of ways. The first, second, and third of which are the personnel. Every group member's comments, actions, and body languages are interdependent on the others. Similarly, the group facilitator serves as a model and a guide for the flow of the group.

Was the group therapeutic? Of course! For everyone there-including me. Each person there was willing to spill their soul to everyone. As I said before, the whole session was just so human. Each person revealed who they were below the surface. They felt they had nothing to lose by doing so, and, in fact, they knew that this would help them grow. I think I, and we as a culture, would benefit from our own venture into vulnerability. 

In regards to what type of group this was, I believe it to be a population group. This population is made up of individuals battling with and/or recovering from addiction. I believe this is true because being from the same population is integral to success of the group. No one, I mean no one, wants to listen to me speak about addiction when I have none to speak of. People do, however, want to be with others who are on the same journey and encountering similar obstacles. Without the synergy created from this, I believe the group could not be nearly as successful.

 

Research Article Summary Thoughts

Article Summary (The boring stuff)

This article titled: "The short term effect of a group drumming intervention on aggressive
behavior among adolescent girls diagnosed with conduct disorder" utilized a experimental, randomized pre-test post-test control group design to look at the effect of drumming on aggressive behavior. The instrument used to measure the change in aggression was a self-rated measure called the Aggression Scale (AS)39. The participants of this study were 26 girls between 13 and 18 years old who were previously diagnosed with a conduct disorder. 13 of the girls were given the drumming intervention while the other 13 continued with their daily regular program. 10 drumming sessions were spread over the course of three weeks. Each girl was given a set of African Djembe drums for the duration of each drum session. After the drumming intervention, the median aggression score for the girls in the experimental group decreased from 20 to 7.

My thoughts on the study (The, hopefully, less-boring stuff)

So, from a researcher standpoint, the sample size was small, there could be other reasons why their aggression decreased (they enjoyed spending time with peers, etc.,) yada yada. So, technically, there isn't much concrete evidence here to speak of...

BUT- yes I started this sentence with a conjunction- I think that the decrease in aggression could be due to the drumming AND the socialization, AKA group therapy. This is interesting for a couple reasons: first, it shows the effectiveness of music as an emotional outlet. This is something I experience every time I pick up my guitar or sing a note. This aptitude for being an emotional outlet is not exclusive to music however; any leisure occupation has this same potential. Conveying the importance of leisure to a third-party payer may be a cumbersome process, but choosing to ignore a client's leisure pursuits and interests is a far more grave concern. Second, as illustrated by every 12-step program since Noah took Mr. and Mrs. Goat off the ark, there is strength in numbers! The synergy created by individuals working toward a common goal, in my opinion, just can't be matched by individual therapy. We are relational beings; it's the fabric of each of us. We should allow that to augment every aspect of our lives-including and especially our therapeutic practices.

References

Elize, J. R., Rialda, H., Cornel M, v. R., Monique B, C., Carina, v. M., Lucinda, P., & ... Tarina, B. (2016). The short term effect of a group drumming intervention on aggressive behaviour among adolescent girls diagnosed with conduct disorder. South African Journal Of Occupational Therapy, (2), 16. doi:10.17159/2310-3833/2016/v46n2a4