The working stages of group therapy as a predictor of aftercare attendance

The purpose of this study was to determine if greater frequency in a working stage of interactive group therapy for chemically dependent clients is a manipulable factor predictive of at least 6 months of aftercare attendance.

Data was collected on 103 consecutive admissions to the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center outpatient office.

Following each group therapy session perceived group stage was rated and recorded by the staff psychologist for each client based on their behavior in that group session. Reliability of the rating was assessed by comparing the psychologist's rating with the rating of this writer and one other staff counselor who each rated 30 separate groups independently.

Thirty-seven clients successfully completed primary treatment and were referred for one year of aftercare. Attendance at aftercare was recorded in each client's medical record.

The 37 clients were divided into two groups based on their participation in less than 10 working groups or equal to or greater than 10 groups in a working stage. The number 10 was chosen after determining the median and the mean number of working groups participated in by those 37 clients. A chi square test revealed no significant difference in aftercare attendance between the two groups.