A Group Intervention for Young Children in Addictive Families

It is estimated that six and a half million children under the age of eighteen live with an alcoholic parent. These children are at risk for emotional, behavioral and cognitive disorders. Despite the general acceptance that addiction is a family problem, the limited number of interventions from a children's perspective remains noteworthy. This article explores the value of a psychoeducation group for latency-age children from addictive families. It gives particular attention to the concepts that have proved valuable in working with these children in an outpatient setting and how these may counteract the risk factors of growing up in an alcoholic family.