Creative Approaches to Shame and Guilt: Helping the Adult Child of an Alcoholic

Shame and guilt are feeling experiences which powerfully affect adult children of alcoholics. Definitions of shame and guilt are provided, and several concrete methods described for the treatment of each in adult children from chemically dependent families. These techniques include those which enlarge the client's perspective, use resistive energy to move toward change, lead to greater self-acceptance on the part of the client, and permit experimentation between therapist and client to locate a solution which is balanced and individualized for the client.