ABSTRACT
In this chapter, R4R therapists receive instruction on how to help members continue identifying and working through (mealtime and non-mealtime) points of tension and disconnections. They are given language for how to discuss the forces that keep us focused on the “I” and “You” at the expense of the “We in relationships. The R4R therapists receive guidance on how to help group members select points of tension/strategies for disconnection from the previous session and jointly discuss them, examining the related feelings and meanings and, eventually, identifying and practicing emotional and relational strategies to foster reconnection or new connection with self and others. Chapter 14 includes a handout outlining strategies that can empower and nourish the “We,” as well as a clinical vignette showing how the R4R therapist, with the help of group members, assisted a young adult and her parents negotiate her return to college. This work involved discussing disconnections and problem-solving strategies that moved the patient and family into better connection and positioned the patient for a successful return. The chapter ends with an outline of the specific steps the therapist took to foster mutuality, motivation, and continued recovery in this vignette. An outline of Session 10 main goals and handouts is provided.
