Date of Award

Summer 8-22-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Laura River

Second Advisor

Kim Gorgens

Third Advisor

Oren Shibi

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Emerging adulthood, Substance misuse, Motivational interviewing, Semi-structured interpersonal process group, Harm reduction, Treatment manual, College counseling

Abstract

This paper presents Sober Curious, an original treatment manual for an eight-session, semi-structured interpersonal process group for emerging adults ages 18–25 with mild-to-moderate substance misuse concerns. This group is designed for university counseling centers and outpatient treatment settings, particularly for individuals who experience substance-related distress, impairment, risk, or ambivalence but may not identify with abstinence-based recovery or formal diagnostic substance use disorder (SUD) language. The manual is grounded in epidemiological data, established substance use treatment guidelines, meta-analytic findings on group psychotherapy and substance use interventions, and the developmental theory of emerging adulthood. Key intervention elements include motivational interviewing (MI) to enhance engagement, Yalom-informed interpersonal process mechanisms to address relational triggers, and harm reduction strategies that support goals beyond abstinence. The manual offers structured session objectives, facilitator prompts, cultural and safety considerations, brief fidelity reflection procedures, and suggested outcome measures. Strengths include a developmentally tailored, flexible approach; limitations include the need for further empirical testing. The manual serves as a practical resource for clinicians looking for an evidence-informed, replicable group format for emerging adults managing concerns with substance misuse. Future work should focus on pilot testing in university counseling centers and community outpatient settings, standardized outcome assessment, and enhanced facilitator training.

Copyright Date

6-30-2026

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Annalise G. Floody

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

60 pgs

File Size

496 KB

Download



Share

COinS