Motivation For Maintenance, Part I

Developing Discrepancy from “Wishful” Decision-making

George DuWors, MSW, LCSW, BCD

This one-day workshop starts by demonstrating that physical relapse universally starts with one of two attitudes. Today we focus on the “wishful” (“One won’t hurt,” etc.) decision that denies experience, painful consequences, and the disease itself. Our first exercise, “Exhaustion of the Obvious,” develops the four generic discrepancies between the client’s thinking/perception and a typical self-ideal. Each of these discrepancies implies maintenance tasks well beyond the “action” stage of change. As a group we develop a menu of ways to perform this maintenance. “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” connects the relapser to his/her own decision, revealing the particular discrepancy called “disownership.” Finally, the left-hand branches of the “Motivation for Maintenance Decision Tree” summarize and integrate our day’s work. Added bonus: how spirituality relieves at least two discrepancies of this kind of relapse.

Objectives: The Participants will be able to:

  1. Elicit “wishful thinking” from clients who have relapsed.
  2. Develop any of four generic motivational discrepancies from such thinking.
  3. Develop maintenance plans based on the client’s own experience of discrepancy.
  4. Integrate Motivational Enhancement, Twelve Step, and other maintenance menus.

Target Audience: Anyone frustrated by clients not getting connection between the ongoing work of recovery and continued abstinence.

Content Level: Core to advanced (some experience preferable)

Methods: Combines over thirty PowerPoint slides with matching workbooks to make entire workshop both interactive and portable. Role-play, small group brainstorms, sharing dyads.

Instructor: George DuWors,MSW,LCSW,BCD is a seasoned addictions specialist, who has led workshops across North America and in the United Kingdom. He is the author of White Knuckles and Wishful Thinking, Learning From the Moment of Relapse in Alcoholism and Other Addictions ( Hogrefe and Huber: Seattle, 2000)

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