# Group Therapy for Addiction | Sierra Recovery > Group therapy is the core of the Sierra Recovery programme in Spain, where people recover alongside others through facilitated group psychoeducation. [Home](/) / [Therapies](/therapies/) / Group therapy Therapies # Group therapy for addiction: the structure the whole programme runs on At Sierra, recovery does not happen mainly in a one-to-one room. Most of the working day is spent in facilitated group sessions, where people in addiction learn about it together, practise new ways of coping and hold one another to account. Clinically reviewed by[Nerea Encinas Sánchez](/clinical-team/)Director of the centre, MSc General Health PsychologyRegistered psychologist, COPAO AO13857 Checked for accuracy on 28 July 2026. Next review due July 2027. This page is general information about our programme and is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. Group therapy is the core of treatment at Sierra, not an add-on to it. The residential programme is built around group psychoeducation that runs through the day, where people work on the same difficulty alongside others who understand it, guided by facilitators who keep the sessions safe and focused. ## Why the programme is built around group work Sitting with other people who are working on the same thing does something individual sessions cannot. It ends the isolation that addiction thrives on, it lets you learn from experiences that are not your own, and it makes patterns visible: things you would defend in a private conversation are harder to hide when others in the room recognise them from their own lives. That honesty, offered without shame, is where a lot of the change happens. Our clinical model is adapted from PROMIS Clinics in the UK, which has been treating addiction since 1986, and our methodology is the Regulation Model. In that model, a substance or behaviour is understood as a learned way of managing an internal state that felt unbearable. Group work is how we surface those states in the open and rehearse steadier ways of meeting them, session after session, over the 28 days. ## What group psychoeducation involves Psychoeducation simply means learning how addiction works, and then learning to see it operating in yourself. Across the programme the group sessions move through a few kinds of work: - Understanding addiction. How dependence forms, what drives craving, and how relapse builds long before the first drink or use. Shared knowledge that helps people make clearer decisions. - Building coping skills. Practical tools for managing cravings, difficult feelings and the relationships that recovery has to survive back home. - Process and reflection. Safer, facilitated space to look at past experiences, trauma and the emotions underneath the using, and to repair how you relate to other people. - Peer support. Time simply to be understood by others on the same road, which is often where motivation is refuelled. Group work sits alongside individual sessions and holistic therapies. The programme also offers yoga, mindfulness, art and equine therapy, so the learning done in the group is grounded in the body and in nature, not left as talk alone. ## Recovering alongside others, not alone Addiction is isolating, and the pull to withdraw is strong exactly when connection matters most. A group is a corrective to that. People arrive believing their situation is uniquely shameful and leave having heard versions of it from the person next to them. That sense of belonging is not a soft extra; it is part of what keeps people in recovery once they go home. Because detox is completed before admission, people arrive medically stable and able to take part fully from the first day, and qualified nurses are part of the team throughout the stay. Sierra is a registered health centre in Humilladero, near Málaga; it is not a hospital or a detox unit, and our director, Nerea Encinas Sánchez, will tell you honestly before you travel if a more intensive setting is the safer choice. ## Starting the programme Group therapy is part of the single residential programme, published at £9,900 for 28 days, with no referral fees. You can see exactly what a place includes on our [pricing page](/pricing/), or begin with a confidential assessment through [admissions](/admissions/), so we can understand your situation and confirm we are the right setting before anyone commits to travel. ## Questions people ask What is the purpose of group therapy for addiction? Group therapy gives people in addiction a facilitated, confidential space to share experiences, learn how dependence works and pick up practical coping tools together. It reduces the isolation that addiction feeds on, builds accountability and creates a sense of belonging that helps people stay in recovery after they go home. How is group therapy different from individual therapy? Individual therapy focuses solely on your own situation with one clinician. Group therapy lets you learn from other people working on the same difficulty, hear patterns you might defend in private reflected back honestly, and feel less alone. At Sierra the two work together: group sessions run through the day and are complemented by individual work. Is group therapy the main part of the Sierra programme? Yes. The residential programme is built around group psychoeducation that runs through the working day, complemented by individual sessions and holistic therapies such as yoga, mindfulness, art and equine therapy. The clinical model is adapted from PROMIS Clinics in the UK and follows the Regulation Model. Will I have to speak in front of the group? Sessions are facilitated to stay safe and supportive, and you take part at a pace that is right for you. Much of the value early on comes simply from listening and recognising your own experience in others. Over time most people find the group becomes the place they feel most understood. Does the group therapy programme include detox? No. Detox is completed elsewhere before admission, so you arrive medically stable and able to take part fully from the first day, with qualified nurses on the team throughout your stay. Sierra is a registered health centre, not a hospital or detox unit. + ## Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, English-speaking clinicians who know the programme and the people in it. Callback within 24 hours. Step 1 of 3 Confidential, and no obligation Registered health centre. Authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331. ### Related pages [Our therapies](/therapies/)[Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[The Regulation Model](/the-regulation-model/)[Mental health & dual diagnosis](/mental-health-and-dual-diagnosis/)[Family programme](/family-programme/)[Admissions](/admissions/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/group-therapy-for-addiction/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/group-therapy-for-addiction/