SUPPORT GROUP PAPER ASSIGNMENT 1
Support Group Paper Assignment
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Author Note
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
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SUPPORT GROUP PAPER ASSIGNMENT 2
Abstract
Forsyth (2018) tells us that groups come in all different shapes and sizes with many
different purposes and each one is important for different reasons. This paper explores a specific
Alcoholic Anonymous group which includes detailed information on their content process, their
location, setting, and when their meetings were held. In addition, the process that the leaders
followed during the meetings is also discussed. Additionally, an overview of each meeting is
given in detail with the topics and themes used for the meetings as well as how the leaders were
able to incorporate them into their session. The types of leadership style that the leaders used
along with their use of different skills during the meetings will also be discussed in detail.
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Meeting Content and Process
Hope for Today is the name of the Alcoholic Anonymous group that I attended. The first
meeting I attended was held on Saturday September 7, 2024. The meeting is a 12-step support
program solely for women. This meeting is located in a small town in rural Pennsylvania. This
group had two leaders; both having suffered with the addiction to alcohol for many years. One
leader has been in recovery for almost 25 years while the other leader has been in recovery for 11
years.
This group ranged in attendance each week. The lowest attended meeting had eight in
attendance and the highest attended meeting had 14 in attendance. Forsyth (2018) tells us that
groups can come in different arrangements which includes having just two or three people to
being a group with large crowds. Those that attended these meetings ranged in ages from people
in their young twenties and people in their late sixties. They came together from different
backgrounds and cultures but all with the same purpose for attending. Each meeting started at
10:00 AM and lasted until approximately 11:15 AM.
I was very nervous to attend my first meeting, but those nerves had quickly subsided
when I was quickly approached by one of the leaders and she expressed how happy she was that
I was there. Soon after arriving, the other leader started the meeting off. The meeting began
with the leader playing a song which is entitled “Let it Be” by the Beatles. Those in attendance
sang along with the chorus of the song. A sense of calm had taken over the room during this
song, and I had felt at peace being there in their presence. When the song was over, the leader
led the group in repeating the words “Let it be”.
The other leader than led the group in prayer. Once this was over, the leader introduced
myself to the group and told them the purpose of my attendance and then let everyone else take a
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turn telling me their names and how long they have been sober. I was asked if I am an addict as
well which I had to tell them that I was not but that I knew several people that were and that I
would love to gain insight to be able to better help them. The content of the four meetings all
focused on the topic of forgiveness. Both leaders took time to explain how forgiveness is such
an important aspect to a person’s sobriety.
At the first meeting I attended, the meeting was focused on getting forgiveness from your
Higher Power. The second meeting discussed the important topic of forgiving others. At the
third meeting, the topic was on the seeking forgiveness from others and the last meeting was on
the importance of forgiving one own self. The topic for each meeting was presented to the group
at the beginning of each meeting from one of the leaders. Once the topic was disclosed, the
leader took a minute to read a small excerpt about the topic from literature they stated was from
Alcoholics Anonymous.
Once the reading was finished, the leader of the meeting talked about her own experience
with that type of forgiveness and disclosed the role that it had played in her own sobriety. After
this was done, the leader then opened the group up for discussion on that specific topic of
forgiveness for attendees to talk about their own personal experiences. During this time, I was
reminded of what Forsyth (2018) said on the topic which is that forgiveness is a voluntary letting
go of wrong doings and no longer feeling the need to punish others.
The first meeting’s topic was on that of forgiveness by a Higher Power. The leader talked
about the importance of feeling forgiven by God or which ever Higher Power the person believes
in. At this time, there were many of the members that shared how they felt relief when they
accepted that God had forgiven them for their past wrong doings which included their addiction
to alcohol. One lady had shared about how badly she felt when she had seriously injured her
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child by drinking and driving but that she found forgiveness from God and that God’s love has
given her the ability to be able to forgive herself. At this time, the entire group fell quiet. But
before the quietness turned to awkwardness, one of the leaders took that opportunity to use the
skill of linking to ask if anyone else had ever hurt someone else due to their drinking. This
enabled the group to resume talking.
The second meeting was focused on the topic of forgiving other people. Being able to
forgive others is imperative on one’s individual path to recovery. This is because forgiving
others enables the addict to let go of negative feelings towards others. By freeing themselves
from negative feelings, they will have more energy to focus on enjoying their own sobriety. The
group began sharing on this topic and it was obvious that the group was interacting well with one
another. This was evident because many members were nodding their heads, smiling, and even
making comments in support of the person sharing. By doing this, they were following the idea
of catharsis. Forsyth (2019) tells us that catharsis is when members share information about
themselves which expresses their trust in the group members.
The third meeting’s topic was on getting forgiveness from other people. Once the topic
was discussed, the leader spoke about how important this type of forgiveness is and how it is
what three of their 12 steps talks about which is making amends with others. Group members
took turns going around talking about their own experiences and/or fears that go with making
amends towards people. This topic seemed to be rather emotional for those in attendance. Many
of the women talked and some even cried while talking about the guilt they felt when they
realized how they put their addiction ahead of their children and/or other family members. Some
of them talked about how their children went without basic necessities just so they could keep
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drinking. They also spoke about now that they are sober how they have been working on trying
to make amends and rebuild their relationships.
The last meeting that I attended, the topic was on learning how to forgive one own self.
One of the leaders talked about how those struggling with addiction are likely to have many
different feelings about shame and/or guilt. The leader talked about how this can cause people to
start relapsing by using alcohol as a coping mechanism to attempt to stop feeling those negative
emotions. Due to this, it was discussed that self-forgiveness is so important so that a person does
not return to using alcohol to cope with feeling those ways. Guilt and shame are considered to
be closely correlated with a person relapsing (Webb et al., 2013). The group took turns talking
about how difficult it was or still is for each to find a way to forgive oneself.
Leadership Styles and Skills
Leadership within a group setting is of utmost importance. Forsyth (2019) tells us that
“Group dynamics are the influential interpersonal processes that take place in groups, and one of
the most influential of these processes is leadership” (p. 268). I found that one of the most
important things that the two leaders of this group did was find a way to relate to each person
that was in attendance. In addition, the leaders ensured that the meeting felt like an inviting
place and that the members felt welcomed at the meeting from the moment that they entered.
These two leaders used the skill of active listening at all four meetings and asked many
clarifying questions to help everyone in attendance understand the things that were being said.
They were able to sense when things were a bit off and was able to easily bring the group back
together by asking questions. There were three different occasions where one of the leaders had
to use the skill of cutting off when a member was taking up a lot of time talking but they did so
in such a nice way.
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Both leaders have years of experience with living with addiction. They both made
themselves available both before and after the meetings to talk with group members needing
additional help. It was evident that these two leaders have a sense enthusiasm to help others with
their addiction and that is a large part of what makes a leader great at what they do (Jacobs et al.,
2016).
Throughout my four meetings that I attended, I noticed that the leaders used the leader-
directed approach. They led the discussion about forgiveness and then opened the meeting for
others to talk. This seemed to work well for this group. All members seemed willing to
participate in sharing which showed the member felts comfortable within the group.
Group Dynamics
The atmosphere within this group meeting was very welcoming and warm. While
attending, I met people who had attended alcoholic anonymous for many years and others that
were attending their first ever meeting. No matter if the person was new there or a person that
had been attending a long time, it felt as though they were all accepted by each other. There was
a great sense of group cohesion. The amount of sharing that was done by these members
provided a rather intimate and accepting atmosphere.
Forsyth (2019) tells us that it is common for group members to exchange advice and that
collective helping of each other is an important part of support groups. At these meetings,
members were often being asked for guidance from other members in attendance. If someone
had a question and/or a concern, someone else within the group would often volunteer to give
advice. I did not witness any conflicts among members which showed there being a good
understanding among those there.
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These meetings fell within the performance stage of group therapy. This is because the
majority of those there were secure within the roles they had, they were able to openly
communicate, and they had either achieved their goals or were on their path of achieving them.
It was clear that group norms were already established. It was also clear that collaboration was
being done effortlessly. Member’s success stories were often shared which included how people
were able to save their jobs and/or marriages as well as people having overcame grief. Even
those that had reached the final step within their sobriety were still attending these meetings to
show their support for those still battling with their addiction. This showed the power this
program has to effectively change peoples’ lives for the better.
Application and Conclusion
When I first saw that we would need to attend four group sessions I was nervous about
attending as I had no idea what to expect. With living in a small rural community in
Pennsylvania, I assumed that we would not have available to us the same types of support groups
that you would find in larger areas. I was surprised to see that there are many different support
groups available locally that provide resources and help when needed for those suffering from
different issues such like alcohol addiction.
I found that the support group that I chose to attend was such a supportive environment
and the members certainly look out for one another. Krentzman and Glass (2021) states that
within rural communities, things such as self-reliance, positive attitudes, social support from
friends, as well as resilience is most often found in the addict community. Now that I have
attended these meetings at Hope for Today, I want even more to be able to help people who are
struggling with issues. What I was able to witness at these meetings was such a great level of
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support and an expression of love for one another. I was able to see firsthand the passion that
lies within these ladies to heal from the past and blossom into a person that they can be proud of.
I believe that each of the meetings were so significant to those in attendance. It is hard to
find any fault within the group. However, if there was something that I would recommend
changing, it is that I would encourage a bit more community engagement. Community
engagement could include things such as providing resources that members could be able to
integrate in their daily lives if they were in need of help and their sponsor was not immediately
available.
This Alcoholic Anonymous group was such a kind and loving environment that I was
reminded of the Bible verse of Ephesians 4:32 (KJV). This verse states that “And be ye kind one
to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven
you.” This program believes in a higher power and does incorporate Biblical principles into
each of their meetings. This gives the members opportunities to grow and heal with help from
their Higher Power.
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References
Forsyth, D. (2019). Group Dynamics (7th ed.). Cengage.
Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C.J., Masson, R.L., & Harvill, R.L., (2016). Group counseling:
Strategies and skills (8th ed.). Cengage.
King James Version (2020). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org
Krentzman, A. R., & Glass, L. K. (2021). Gossip and addiction recovery in rural communities.
Qualitative Health Research., 31(14), 2571–2584.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732321104110
Webb, J. R., Hirsch, J. K., Conway-Williams, E., & Brewer, K. G. (2013). Forgiveness and
alcohol problems: Indirect associations involving mental health and social support.
Addiction Research & Theory, 21(2), 141-153. doi:10.3109/16066359.2012.703267
