Are AA Meetings in Inpatient Care Run By Licensed Therapists?

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Nonprofessional Addiction Support

Generally, the organization does not consider itself to be a traditional treatment modality and, therefore, does not include professional treatment for addiction or substance abuse. In most cases, individuals who attend AA are all expected to help and support one another through their recoveries, as they are all going through it. This is one of the reasons why AA is a unique program and why many people turn to it.

However, in a rehab facility where treatment is largely based in professional help from doctors, nurses, and therapists as well as pharmacological and therapeutic treatment modalities officially sanctioned for this purpose, AA meetings may sometimes be handled differently.

AA as Part of Inpatient Rehab

Inpatient facilities are more likely to utilize licensed therapists for AA meetings.

There are many ways an AA program and its meetings may be managed in residential addiction treatment depending on the facility. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, some facilities may choose to continue with the nonprofessional aspect of AA meetings, “using older, more advanced residents to share experiences and to pass on knowledge and values to patients.”

Certain centers may also ask individuals who are used to running AA meetings outside of treatment to come to the facility and do so there. However, according to Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc., many rehab centers want to ensure that every personnel member is well trained, as these centers often have to meet certain regulations and requirements.

In this case, certain facilities might decide to have counselors run their AA meetings or instead have group meetings that use the 12 steps. Although this is not exactly in keeping with AA’s philosophies, it can be the right step for certain individuals and certain programs.

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How Do I Find Out What a Particular Facility Offers?

Ask! Just like you would ask about your payment plan and the other treatment options available to you at a particular facility, you can also ask if the medical staff has a specific way of managing AA meetings at the facility.

As stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Most drug addiction treatment programs encourage patients to participate in self-help group therapy during and after formal treatment,” so you can be assured that most facilities will have an answer for you about how their particular program works.

What to Know About the Types of AA Meetings

If you’ve decided to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, these meetings can provide an additional type of support in your recovery journey. Research indicates that attending AA meetings—specifically 12-step meetings—is associated with positive recovery outcomes.1 However, while 12-step meetings are perhaps the best known types of AA meetings, AA offers a variety of meeting types…

Seek Professional Rehab Now

Call 800-948-8417 Sponsored today to find rehab centers that will offer the options you require. In addition, we can help you find out how a certain facility uses AA (and other 12-step groups) in their program and how this could be beneficial to you. Call now.