Group psychotherapy of substance abuse in the era of managed mental health care

The changes in health-care financing that have taken place over the last decade have spurred interest in finding innovative ways of delivering services at manageable cost levels. It comes as no surprise that increased interest and research have focused on group therapies as a major vehicle for reaching large numbers of people in need of psychological care that is brief, effective, and cost-efficient. More specifically, practitioners in the field of substance abuse have long recognized the value of group experiences as an integral part of the recovery and rehabilitative process. The influence of managed care to contain costs has added new incentives to expand the existing knowledge base in group treatment of addictions to comply with reduced funding and time constraints.