A.A. and therapy have different responsibilities
A.A. meets alcoholics in a world where therapy, professional counseling, and other forms of care are available while keeping its own primary purpose. This is how primary purpose, nonprofessional status, sponsorship, the limits of A.A., and cooperation without affiliation define A.A.’s relationship to therapy.
A.A. members share experience with recovery from alcoholism. Therapists provide professional care. The official A.A.W.S. material shows why either or both may be needed, without confusing one role for the other.
A.A.’s responsibility begins with alcoholism
Tradition Five gives every A.A. group one primary purpose
: carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. (The Twelve Traditions)
A.A. offers its program of recovery from alcoholism. Its primary purpose is not to provide psychotherapy, assess mental health conditions, or replace the professional care a person may need.
A.A. remains nonprofessional
Tradition Eight says Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional.
(The Twelve Traditions)
This describes the way A.A. members carry the message: one alcoholic shares recovery experience with another without turning that help into professional practice. A.A. membership does not make someone a therapist.
A.A. names experience, not a professional credential
A.A. explains its qualification for helping other alcoholics by saying we have stopped drinking ourselves.
(How can A.A. help me with my drinking problem?)
The qualification A.A. identifies is lived experience with alcoholism and recovery. It is not education, licensure, diagnosis, or clinical training, and it does not authorize an A.A. member to provide therapy.
A.A. members share recovery experience
A.A.W.S. says, Members share their experiences in recovery from alcoholism on a one-to-one basis.
(If You Are a Professional)
Meetings and sponsorship offer identification, shared experience, the Twelve Steps, and support for sobriety. Those are A.A. functions. They do not become psychotherapy because the conversation is personal or confidential.
Sponsor and sponsored meet as equals
The official sponsorship pamphlet says sponsor and sponsored meet as equals.
(Questions and Answers on Sponsorship)
A sponsor shares experience with the A.A. program on a continuing, individual basis. The relationship is not the professional relationship between a therapist and client, and the sponsor does not hold clinical authority over the sponsored member.
A.A. does not present itself as therapy
A.A. states the distinction directly: We are not professional therapists.
(How can A.A. help me with my drinking problem?)
A.A. members can listen and share what helped them recover from alcoholism. They do not provide therapy in their capacity as A.A. members, and an A.A. meeting or sponsorship relationship does not replace professional counseling.
A.A. does not diagnose or provide clinical treatment
A.A.W.S. says A.A. does not make medical or psychological diagnoses or prognoses.
(If You Are a Professional)
Assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, counseling methods, and other clinical services belong to qualified professionals. A.A. stays within its responsibility for carrying the message of recovery from alcoholism.
Professional counseling may also be needed
A.A.W.S. recognizes that some alcoholics may also require professional counseling or medical treatment.
(A.A. can support professionals)
Using therapy does not contradict participation in A.A. A therapist can address needs that fall outside A.A.’s purpose while the member continues using meetings, sponsorship, and the A.A. program for recovery from alcoholism.
Sponsors stay within the A.A. role
A sponsor in Conference-approved A.A. literature describes carrying the A.A. message while not acting as doctors or therapists.
(A.A. for Alcoholics with Mental Health Issues – and Their Sponsors)
A sponsor can share A.A. experience, work the Steps, and encourage sobriety. The therapist remains responsible for professional care. Keeping those responsibilities distinct protects both relationships and avoids treating personal A.A. experience as clinical advice.
A.A. and therapists cooperate without affiliation
A.A.W.S. names its relationship with the professional community as cooperation but not affiliation.
(If You Are a Professional)
A therapist can tell a client how to find A.A. and can learn about A.A. through open meetings and official information. A.A. can make meetings and recovery experience available. The therapist does not direct A.A., and A.A. does not become part of the therapist’s practice or treatment program.