Description
The student will attend a traditional 12-step meeting or other non-traditional self-help
arena. Please do not attend a group that is led by a professional facilitator. One
place to locate 12-step meetings is by looking on the Internet. Papers where only a
video of a meeting is watched will not be accepted. You may attend an online
interactive meeting. For virtual recovery resources see here:
www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/virtual-recover…
• Be sure to attend an OPEN meeting where visitors are welcome. Those who are
able to honestly identify as having been in the process of addiction are welcome to
go to a CLOSED meeting.
• Try to go alone. If you do find the need to carpool, do not sit in the meeting with your
friend. Be aware of how you are feeling, your thoughts, and the dynamics of the
group. Please do not take notes or write during the meeting as anonymity is a strong
value within self-help meetings and is adhered to by participants.
• Compare at least 5 academic references and class content to your experience and
throughout the paper to make academic sense of your observations.
The student will write a 4-page (not counting cover and reference pages – or more if
needed) paper that addresses the following issues. PLEASE USE ALL HEADINGS (or a
version of the heading) AS LISTED BELOW.
1) Meeting Description
Briefly describe the meeting, including location, time of day, and composition of
the group (including sociocultural aspects such as gender, class, race, etc.).
(.5 pages)
2) Meeting Stories
Describe a story that was told at the meeting. Organize the story with all the
headings of the Jellinek chart, using both the downward spiral and the process of
recovery. (Sometimes people are not comprehensive about all the stages. It is up
to you to meet this requirement. Sometimes people talk with the person
afterwards. Sometimes people make up the missing parts.) Explain the hallmarks
of each phase and support your explanation with academic information. Compare
academic references and class content to your experience. (1.5 pages)
3) Therapeutic Modality
From a theoretical point of view, how do the 12 steps communities or self-help
groups work as a therapeutic modality?
4) Personal Experience Reflection Describe your personal experience of the meeting. What dynamics resonated with you? What dynamics discouraged you? What is your personal opinion about the usefulness of 12 step or other self-help groups for people with addictions? And give a rationale for your opinion.