Group Cognitive Therapy for Addictions

Purchase: amazon.com (hardcover) | amazon.com (Kindle) | barnesandnoble.com | Publisher Website

Wenzel, A., Liese, B. S., Beck, A. T., & Friedman-Wheeler, D. G. (2012). Group Cognitive Therapy for Addictions. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

This pragmatic guide provides a clear-cut framework for helping patients with addictions prevent relapse and improve their quality of life. The cognitive therapy addictions group is grounded in decades of research, and it incorporates proven cognitive and behavioral treatment strategies while harnessing the power of cohesiveness and support among group members. Clinicians are taken step-by-step through establishing groups and working with group members to meet their individual goals.

Praise for Group Cognitive Therapy for Addictions

This very welcome book expands the domain of cognitive therapy. Building on the empirical literature, the authors adapt cognitive therapy for conducting open therapy groups with clients who have a variety of addictive disorders. The extensive emphasis on—and many examples of—cognitive case conceptualization is particularly helpful.

— Mark B. Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP, and Linda Carter Sobell, Ph.D., ABPP, Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University


This book describes what a cognitive model of addiction looks like and presents a clear rationale for an open-ended group. Clients are encouraged to discuss their challenges, with a strong focus on achievable changes that they can implement. The cognitive model guides rather than drives the discussion…An admirably clear call to skillful practice.

–Stephen Rollnick, Ph.D., Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Cardiff University


Although the group format has become one of the most widely used modalities for treating substance use disorders, books that offer scientifically based, practical guidance for leading these groups are rare. This book presents a comprehensive cognitive model of addiction and provides a fresh approach to extending cognitive interventions to a group setting. Rather than creating a ‘cookbook,’ the authors have maintained a nice balance between the process of group therapy and the application of specific techniques.

— Mary Marden Velasquez, Ph.D., Director, Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin