Support and therapy groups

DDA therapy group – Adult Children of Alcoholics

Growing up in a home with an alcohol problem leaves its mark: over-responsibility, vigilance, difficulty with closeness. In a DDA group you can see these patterns, understand them – and start living life your own way.

Signing up is free and without obligation – we'll get in touch when the group starts to form.

DDA syndrome – where does it come from and how does the group help?

DDA is the Polish abbreviation for “Adult Children of Alcoholics” – it describes people who grew up in a family with an alcohol problem (and, more broadly, in a dysfunctional family, even without alcohol in the background). A childhood of constant uncertainty teaches survival strategies: being over-responsible, suppressing emotions, pleasing others, controlling everything around you. In adulthood, the same strategies start to get in the way – in relationships, at work, in your relationship with yourself.

Group therapy is considered one of the most effective ways of working with DDA syndrome, because DDA difficulties arose in relationships – and relationships are where they heal best. The group offers an experience that was often missing in the family home: being listened to without judgement, being allowed to make mistakes, setting boundaries without losing acceptance.

The group is led by a psychotherapist experienced in working with people from dysfunctional families. The work takes place in a fixed, closed group – no one new joins during the cycle, which builds trust and safety.

Who is this group for?

  • ✓people who grew up in a family with an alcohol problem
  • ✓people from dysfunctional families – with violence, mental illness, emotional coldness
  • ✓people struggling with over-responsibility and finding it hard to rest
  • ✓people who find it hard to build close, safe relationships
  • ✓people experiencing chronic tension, vigilance and self-criticism

What will you gain?

  • ✓understanding how your childhood shaped your adult patterns
  • ✓experiencing safe, honest relationships in the group
  • ✓the ability to recognise and express your own needs
  • ✓setting boundaries without guilt
  • ✓the relief of discovering that “I’m not alone in this”

What does it look like in practice?

Formatin person (Gdańsk or Gdynia) or online
Group size6-10 people, closed group
Sessionsweekly, 90 minutes, a cycle of at least six months
Startonce the group is complete – people on the waiting list are invited first
Admissionfree, individual initial conversation with the facilitator

Join the waiting list

DDA therapy group – the group will start once enough people have signed up. Leave your contact details and when enrolment opens, we'll get in touch with you first.

The controller of the data you provide to join the waiting list will be Magdalena Raba, running a business under the business name RABA Magdalena Raba, ul. Konstantego Bergiela 4/10, 80-180 Gdańsk, NIP: 5833557278. How we process personal data: www.sztukaharmonii.pl/en/polityka-prywatnosci

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most important questions

How do you recognise DDA syndrome?▼

Typical symptoms of DDA include: excessive responsibility and difficulty resting, a strong inner critic, fear of rejection, difficulty recognising your own needs, being drawn to unavailable partners, feeling “different” and constant vigilance. You don’t need to have all of them – if some of them sound familiar, an initial conversation will help assess whether the group is a good form of help for you.

There was no alcohol in my home, but it was hard. Is the group for me?▼

Yes. Today people also speak more broadly of DDD – Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families. The survival mechanisms developed in a family marked by violence, illness, excessive control or emotional coldness are very similar to those from alcoholic families. The group covers both experiences.

I’m afraid to talk about my family in front of strangers. What is it like?▼

Nobody is forced to speak – everyone shares at their own pace, and the group is bound by confidentiality. Paradoxically, it is talking about difficult experiences among people who understand them from their own lives that participants most often name as the most healing part of the group.

Group or individual therapy – which to choose for DDA?▼

Both work, and often a combination or a sequence of the two works best. The group offers what a therapist’s office cannot: living relationships in which old patterns are triggered and can be corrected as they happen. If you have doubts, we will talk them through during the free initial conversation.

See also

Questions before you sign up?

Call us or join the list – before the group starts, we'll talk anyway during a free initial conversation.

Mon-Fri 8:00-22:00 · Sat-Sun 9:00-21:00