By Scott Giacomucci, MSS, LCSW, CTTS, CET III, TSI AL

Many argue that addiction is preceded by a sense of psychosocial dislocation, experiences of relational trauma, attachment ruptures, or neglect. The lived experience of drug addiction is incredibly isolat- ing and likely to disrupt relationships with one’s closest attachmentgures. Most agree that one’s social experiences-relationships, fam-ily, groups, and community-signi cantly impact the chances of recov- ery after addiction. Sociometry, the study of groups and interperson- al dynamics within groups, is uniquely effective in providing clients with corrective relational experiences in addiction treatment groups. This article outlines multiple experiential sociometry tools that hold the potential to cultivate safety, explore similarities between group members, establish group cohesion, and assess the group based on chosen criteria. These action-based sociometric processes, in addition to two safety structures from the Therapeutic Spiral Mod- el (TSM) of psychodrama, are outlined with facilitation guidelines and clinical vignettes depicting their utilization at Mirmont Treatment Center. These strength-based group structures can be adapted with different criteria, different populations, and used in any type of group setting.