Noel shared his experience of working with couples where one or both has issues of addiction or co-dependency. Where one or both may be in formal recovery groups such as AA or where one or both is in denial of their need for support into recovery from addiction or co-dependency. What is the impact of denial, trauma, cross-addiction, co-dependent loss of the victim-caretaker role?

Exploring indirect and creative ways of approaching traumatic material in clients where direct talking approaches may be inappropriate or not possible.

Making meaning from a traumatic history or event is crucial in moving on and integrating the experience. As is reprocessing the emotional content to alleviate the stress of flashbacks, depression, anxiety, sleep problems and so on often associated with sever or multiple trauma.

How can we as psychotherapists engage with this process? This was the substance of the conversation with Noel McDermott. A psychotherapist who specialises in facilitating addicts into mutual aid programs.

Noel explored some of the evidence base for mutual aid, present his work in the main form of mutual aid ’12 Step’ (AA. NA. CoDA. Al-Anon. Al-Ateen. SLAA. OA. GA. UA etc). Looking at the dynamics of the steps, how they interface into psychotherapeutic practice.