What Happens in an Adult Treatment Group
If group work is part of your plan, here is how the adult group runs and what it asks of the people in it.
The adult group, formally the Adult Sexual Behavior Treatment Group, serves people 18 and older who are working on problematic sexual behavior. Expect structure, professionalism and no judgment, and expect no adolescents: the youth group is entirely separate. A session lasts 45 to 60 minutes and moves between guided discussion, educational materials and practical exercises. Members work on harmful patterns, triggers, urges, boundaries and relapse prevention, and every member is expected to attend consistently, participate and complete assigned work.
Who Attends
Who the Adult Group Is For
The group is for adults 18 and older with problematic sexual behavior who are ready to be held accountable and to put in the work. Whether you join, and whether group stands alone or pairs with individual sessions, is decided at your assessment based on your needs and any program requirements.
Adolescents are never part of it: teens 13 to 17 attend a separate youth group. Adults whose concern is anger are not placed here either; they are seen in individual sessions instead.
How Adults Join the Group
Free Consultation
Ask what group involves during a free 20 to 30 minute conversation, before you decide anything.
Assessment
Over 1 to 2 hours, your history and concerns are reviewed, and the practice recommends whether group belongs in your plan.
Your Plan
If group is recommended, your plan shows whether it stands alone or runs alongside individual sessions.
Group Sessions
You attend regularly and do the assigned work, and the plan, including group, is revisited as progress is reviewed.
What Members Work On
Group time centers on these areas:
- Identifying harmful sexual behavior patterns
- Understanding offense cycles and the steps that come before a harmful choice
- Recognizing triggers and managing urges
- Setting and keeping healthy boundaries
- Building empathy for people harmed
- Cognitive restructuring, which means noticing and challenging the thinking that supports harmful behavior
- Relapse prevention
How Group Sessions Are Run
Each session draws on three tools. Guided discussions keep the conversation focused on the topic at hand. Educational materials explain the ideas being covered. Practical exercises turn those ideas into skills members can use outside of group.
The tone is professional and nonjudgmental, and it is not soft. Members are held accountable for their actions and are expected to speak honestly. They are also treated with respect. The practice keeps both standards in place, because honest work needs both.
What Is Expected of Every Member
Program expectations are reviewed at your assessment, and each member is expected to:
- Attend consistently, and cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead when something cannot be avoided
- Participate in discussions and exercises instead of sitting through them
- Complete assigned work between sessions
- Follow the group guidelines
- Respect other members and what they share
Questions About Joining the Group
Does group replace individual sessions?
It can, or it can be added to them. The assessment recommends individual sessions, group, or both, depending on your needs and any program requirements.
Are teenagers ever in the adult group?
No. Membership is limited to adults 18 and older, and teens have a youth group of their own. The two are never combined.
Will group attendance satisfy my court requirement?
That is for your court or program to decide. Information about your participation goes to them only with your signed consent, and the limits the law sets are explained in writing at the start.
When does the group meet?
Ask about current group times during your free 20 to 30 minute consultation. Placement in group is settled at the assessment.
Keep Reading
- Adult GroupThe service page for adults 18 and older in group treatment.
- Sexual Offense TreatmentHow group fits alongside assessment and individual sessions.
- Are Youth and Adults in the Same Group?Why the two groups are always kept apart.
- Group or Individual Sessions?How group compares with one-on-one sessions.
- Sexual Offense Treatment for AdultsThe wider picture of adult treatment, individual sessions included.
Ask About the Adult Group
Use a free 20 to 30 minute consultation to ask how the group works and whether it may fit your plan. Call (405) 205-6314 and ask to talk about group.
Free 20 to 30 minute consultation. Monday through Friday, by appointment.