Who attended this meeting?
Men and women, in an inpatient hospital setting, with mental health diagnoses and nicotine and alcohol addictions attended this meeting. Most of them appeared to be wearing comfortable clothing and were not dressed up. (The clothing attire is due to hospital code because of safety concerns. The patients are not allowed to have their shoes, belts, strings, cell phones, or any of their belongings that could be considered dangerous.) The majority of the individuals were from the city of Lancaster and appeared to be 30-50 years old. There was also a combination of people who were there by choice, and others who were there because they had to attend. Since everyone present had a mental health condition and an addiction, my session was different than going to an AA or NA meeting where the individuals come and go as they please as you will be able to tell immediately.
(Some additional background information: the hospital breaks up the patients into 3 groups: A, B, and C. They are based on function and participation levels. The highest functioning group is "A" and the lowest is "C." The group I chose to write about was the "C" group because it was very different compared to the "A" group session and a typical AA meeting.)
(Some additional background information: the hospital breaks up the patients into 3 groups: A, B, and C. They are based on function and participation levels. The highest functioning group is "A" and the lowest is "C." The group I chose to write about was the "C" group because it was very different compared to the "A" group session and a typical AA meeting.)
Who ran the meeting and what was the format?
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What did you observe in the meeting as far as interactions?
There were very few
interactions. Everyone appeared to be in a bad mood and on edge. They rated
their happiness on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the happiest) and almost everyone said that they felt like a 2. There was little to no eye contact and most people spoke quietly. After being able to review the individuals' charts, I was able to see that the reasons why they were in the hospital. A few included visual/auditory hallucinations, paranoia, bipolar episodes, suicide attempts, depression, and anxiety. Also, in addition to the meeting I took part in, the patients have 2 other group sessions that they are supposed to attend each day they are in the hospital. The meeting I was in was the last one of the day.
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How involved were you?
I was involved. I told
everyone my name and participated in the activity. Certain questions I was unable to answer and participate in though because I do not have an addiction to alcohol or nicotine, but I tried to be as involved as possible through out the session.
Do you think it was helpful to the participants?
Yes, I think it was helpful. It focused on their addictions for some parts but other parts were more relaxed and allowed them to get their mind
off of their addiction. At the end of the session, everyone rated their happiness again and
it was at least 2 points higher, which was great to see. They also appeared more pleasurable at the end of the meeting.
How does this connect to information you have learned through assigned readings and in-class discussions?
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http://widowsvoice-sslf.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy.html
I found it really interesting to read about your experience. At my AA meeting, I found that many of the people seemed at ease and happy. They were very close knit and all seemed very trusting in each other. Many of them had been together for a few months. Were you able to get any idea as to how long they've been there? I felt like I stumbled upon a small family when I went to mine. I felt out of place at first but then felt more at ease by the time I was done.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I found your experience very interesting and hope it was a good learning experience for you!
Thanks! My recovery group meeting was in a mental health inpatient hospital, so there were many other conflicting reasons as to why they did not want to participate. The group I was with was also considered the "C" group which is the lowest functioning (whether it was due to their diagnosis or attitude). These individuals have been in the program from one day to 4 weeks. The week before that, I was with the "A" group and they were very communicative, and it felt like "a family," as you said. They were very willing to help anyone in the group and so supportive. So I could see very similar characteristics with the AA meeting you attended. The individuals in the "A" group acted completely differently than the group I wrote about, which is interesting and something definitely to consider.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised at how different Arielle's meeting was from the meeting that I attended. It sounds like the atmosphere and individuals participating in the group were somewhat different. My meeting was very laid back and almost everyone had something to say about the topic. I think that it is interesting that people in Arielle's meeting were less likely to discuss the topics. I also think that it is interesting that the leader of Arielle's group was more involved in the conversation, whereas the leader of the group I attended just let the participants discuss what they wanted to. Arielle did a great job summarizing the meeting she attended.
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