Quick Guide for Clinicians - SAMHSA Store - Substance Abuse and ...

42 Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy• Perceive the effect of substance abuse ontheir lives• Notice meaningful inconsistencies amongthoughts, feelings, and behavior• Perceive discrepancies between stated goalsand what is actually being doneManagement of the GroupHandling ConflictConflict in group therapy is normal, healthy, andunavoidable. When it occurs, the therapist’s taskis to make the most of it as a learning opportunity.Conflict can present opportunities for group membersto find meaningful connections with eachother and within their own lives. In many cases,the observation that a conflict exists and that thegroup needs to pay attention to it actually makesgroup members feel safer.The therapist is not responsible, however, forresolving conflicts. Once the conflict is observed,the decision to explore it further is made basedon whether such inquiry would be productive forthe group as a whole.