Sexual Health in Drug and Alcohol Treatment: Group Facilitator’s Manual

“”Braun-Harvey’s manual deserves to become widely adopted at treatment centers across the United States and beyond. His approach offers an effective method for mitigating the shame that binds people to their addictions. In doing so, it may help pave the way to protracted recovery.””–Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery

“”The curriculum…provides a vision for chemical dependency treatment I have attempted to address for many years. This looks like an approach that finally meets this need.””

–Eli Coleman, PhD
Director of the Program in Human Sexuality
University of Minnesota

“”In this new evidence-based curriculum…Doug Braun-Harvey challenges our attitudes and beliefs, as well as our traditional ways of providing treatment….This material on sexual health can help to provide a missing piece for many recovering addicts.””

–Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW
Author, Women and Addiction: A Gender-Responsive Approach

For men and women in addiction recovery, sexual behavior linked with drug or alcohol use is too often the primary reason for relapse. When sexuality is not directly and positively addressed in drug and alcohol treatment, it can result in treatment failure or relapse.

This group facilitator’s guide introduces a pioneering, evidence-based curriculum, designed to integrate concepts of sexual health, current sex research, and recent developments in relapse prevention research. With this guide, group facilitators can offer clients a positive and safe forum within which to understand and change their sex/drug- linked behaviors.

Key Features: Requires no specialized training, and can be integrated into a wide variety of treatment programs with all types of clientele Contains lesson plans on dating and relationships, spirituality and sexuality, non-consensual sex, out-of-control sexual behavior, and more Complete with suggested group activities, guided discussions, questions, role- plays, and more Has been proven to improve client retention and decrease sexual behavioral problems “

Douglas Braun-Harvey, LMFT, CGP, CST, is a sexual health author, trainer, and psychotherapist who bridges sexual and mental health and facilitates organizational change. In 2013, Doug Braun-Harvey cofounded The Harvey Institute, an international education, training, consulting, and supervision service for improving health care through integration of sexual health.