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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Real Life Portrait Of Recovery In Group Therapy

Breaking the cycle: Children of alcoholics: MyFoxBOSTON.com


In honor of National Children of Alcoholics Week, "Together We Heal" is being offered as a free e-book download!

This insightful book follows several ACOAs through their group therapy sessions with author Szifra Birke. You may benefit from their breakthroughs and growth and find connections to your own life.

From the book:

"The people in this book began meeting for group therapy after they learned about how alcoholism and codependency continued to impact their lives—years, even decades, after they had left home. Even if you didn’t grow up in an alcoholic home, you will undoubtedly share many common feelings. Dysfunctional family patterns and unresolved issues that we continue into adulthood are not reserved for families of alcoholics only."


The American Group Psychotherapy Association Journal says:

The volume takes the reader on an in-depth voyage through 15 meetings of a typical ACOA (adult children of alcoholics) group, and introduces us to several real-life patients of the therapist Szifra Birke. The book is coauthored by a patient in this group, and the perspective alternates between that of patient to therapist.

Unlike many self-help books in the addictions field, which offer primarily an educational view of the various roles and dilemmas that ACOAs face, this book allows us to see first-hand those roles played out in a group, and also allows us to see the impact of the group process in altering these roles, which are initially rigid and confining. These roles, such as the scapegoat, the mascot, the family hero and others, are described by the patients themselves as they recall their painful family histories in a benign, somewhat structured environment.


Szifra Birke holds a Master’s Degree from Purdue University and a BA in psychology from Boston University. She is a licensed mental health counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist.

This limited time download offer ends Feb. 20, 2011.

Here is the download link: "Together We Heal" Free Download

Check out the Orange County ACA website at: Orange County Adult Children

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

To make sure that more people can take advantage of the free PDF offer, the free download is now available until midnight EST on Wednesday, February 23!

Go Learning said...

Nice info, thank for this post

Lana Gramlich said...

It seems like most (if not all) of the support/recovery groups available for ACOAs use A.A.'s "12 Steps." As an atheist, this isn't going to work for me. Does anyone know of ANY resources that DON'T rely on the 12 Steps?

orange county adult children said...

There are other programs but ACA doesn't require belief in any particular religious dogma or deity. There is even an agnostic version of the 12 steps: http://members.cox.net/orangecountyadultchildren/agnostic12steps.html

I think most recovery groups have some aspect of group support and group sharing. For some people, the help they get from the group IS their Higher Power.

Lana Gramlich said...

Thanks for the info. :)