Reflections on Person-Centered Group Therapy from Clients in Opioid Treatment

ABSTRACT

Opioid misuse and opioid related deaths continue to affect families and communities across the United States. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) combines the use of medications and counseling to treat the whole person. While MAT shows promise over counseling-only approaches, there is little research or guidance on how to implement counseling with the medication. The following qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of ten clients in a MAT program that utilized group therapy with the medication buprenorphine. The findings showed that clients valued the Camaraderie and Feedback they received in group and even times of Discomfort were important.

KEYWORDS:

• Opioid use disorder
• medication-assisted treatment
• buprenorphine
• group therapy

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by funding from the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors.

Notes on contributors

Dana Ripley

Dana Ripley was a doctoral candidate in the Department of Counselor Education and Supervision at Virginia Tech.

Laura E. Welfare

Laura E. Welfare, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Supervision at Virginia Tech.