Early Education Group

The goal of Early Education Group is to educate clients on the different types of alcohol/drug use, abuse and addiction, providing accurate information on the psychological, physical and social effects of use.  The format of the group is psycho-educational focusing on allowing clients to acquire a broader understanding of the disease of addiction and ways to prevent progression.

The typical client is of adult age referred primarily by probation, DYFS or parole to address the early stages of drug/alcohol use and the consequences that it can lead to.  The Early Education Group is a minimum of eight sessions in length as long as the random urine screen and alcohol swabs provided return negative for all illicit substances.  If the results return positive, group sessions are increased and the level of care is reevaluated.

The materials that are used in Early Education Group include: handouts, pens and videos.

Topics of discussion are: use, abuse, and addiction, physiological effects of substances, denial, HIV education, consequences, stages of recovery, treatment options, following direction, and introduction to AA/NA concepts.