Therapeutic Issues of Adolescent Children of Alcoholics (AdCA) Groups

Adolescent children of alcoholics (AdCAs) exhibit a complex set of symptoms and patterns of clinical significance. Our group therapy treatment for AdCAs has evolved through the incorporation of a self-help group structure and group therapy practices, and appears to be useful in assisting these young individuals in their recovery from codependency issues.This work is a synthesis of the senior author's years of clinical experience counseling adolescent children of alcoholics (AdCAs) and adolescent substance abusers at a large urban high school for the severely emotionally disturbed. The senior author cofacilitates an AdCA weekly group, which was the primary source of data on which we have based our clinical observations and recommendations.