GROUP COUNSELLING-COUNSELLING-NAMITHA

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GROUP COUNSELLING

• Submitted by,
• Namitha.P.Thamby

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WHAT IS A GROUP ?

• A group is two or more people who have come
  together for the purpose of some designated
  interaction.
• There are seven categories of groups, based on
  their different goals.
• Therapy groups may be homogeneous or
  heterogeneous. Homogeneous groups, described
  above, have members with similar diagnostic
  backgrounds (for example, they may all suffer
  from depression). Heterogeneous groups contain a
  mix of individuals with different emotional
  problems. The number of group members typically
  ranges from five to 12.

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GROUP COUNSELLING

• Group counseling is a form of therapy, which
  posits that people benefit from shared
  experiences.
• Usually group counseling is focused on a
  particular issue, eg. Anger management, drug
  addictions etc
• While a therapist usually manages group
  counseling, contributions from other members in
  the group are considered valuable since all in a
  group share similar issues.

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• It attempts to counter this isolation by
  assembling people with similar issues to enforce
  that difficulties are not singular to one person.

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History

• Joseph Pratt, Alfred Adler, and Jacob Moreno,
  Cody Marsh and Trigant Burrow were the first to
  use group counseling.
• Early group efforts were similar to the
  traditional group guidance or psychological
  educational groups we see today.
• WWII The war and its effects ushered in a
  proliferation in the use of group therapy.

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• T-Groups This is a group experience whereby
  individuals come together to learn how to work in
  a group and to effect interpersonal change.
• The Human Potential Movement Began in the 1960s
  and founded on the belief that most people only
  use a small percentage of their capabilities but
  that within a group experience, they can
  recognize their full potential.
• Encounter Groups Designed to help normal
  individuals remove blocks that inhibited their
  functioning so that they could lead more
  fulfilling lives.

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• Marathon Groups An intensified encounter group
  that meets for a long period of time (e.g. 8
  hours or a whole weekend.)
• Personal Growth Groups These are any groups that
  promote the personal growth of the individual
  (e.g. Gestalt groups, T-groups, encounter
  groups).
• Task Groups A group that comes together to
  perform a task that has a concrete goal (e.g.
  community organizations, committees, planning
  groups, task force).
• Guidance/Psycho-educational Group Preventative
  and educational groups that help group members
  learn information about a particular topic or
  issue and might also help group members cope with
  that same issue (e.g. support group for a
  suicide, transition group to prepare students to
  enter high school etc.)

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• Counseling/Interpersonal Problem-Solving Groups
  These groups help participants resolve problems
  of living through interpersonal support and
  problem solving.
• Psychotherapy Groups These groups focus on
  personality reconstruction or remediation of
  deep-seated psychological problems.
• Support Groups These deal with special
  populations and deal with specific issues and
  offer support, comfort, and connectedness to
  others.
• Self-help Groups These have no formal or
  trained group leader. (e.g. Alcoholics Anonymous
  or Gamblers Anonymous

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Potential Group Problems

• Skip from topic to topic
• Try to dominate the discussion
• Be chit-chatty rather than personal and focused
• Attend sporadically
• Be shy and withdrawn
• Dislike other members
• Try to force others to speak

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• Get angry at the leader
• Get angry at each other
• Try to preach morals and religion to the group
• Be resistant because of forced attendance
• Stop attending the group

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GROUP COUNSELING SKILLS

• As with other groups, leaders of effective
  counseling groups need to employ a variety of
  interpersonal skills (Corey Corey, 1992). Among
  the most important of these are
• a) active listening, where leaders are sensitive
  to the language, tone, and nonverbal gestures
  surrounding members' messages
• b) linking, where leaders help members recognize
  their similarities
• c) blocking, where leaders keep unfocused members
  from disrupting the group by either redirecting
  them or preventing them from monopolizing
  conversations and
• d) summarizing, where leaders help members become
  aware of what has occurred and how the group and
  its members have changed.
• Empathy, personal warmth, courage, flexibility,
  inquiry, encouragement, and the ability to
  confront are vital skills too. Counseling group
  leaders must wear many hats in helping their
  groups make progress. The more skills within the
  counselors' repertoires the more effective they
  will ultimately become.

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12 therapeutic principles

• 1.Universality
• The recognition of shared experiences and
  feelings among group members and that these may
  be widespread or universal human concerns, serves
  to remove a group member's sense of isolation,
  validate their experiences, and raise self-esteem
• 2.Altruism
• The group is a place where members can help each
  other, and the experience of being able to give
  something to another person can lift the member's
  self esteem and help develop more adaptive coping
  styles and interpersonal skills.

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• 3.Instillation of hope
• In a mixed group that has members at various
  stages of development or recovery, a member can
  be inspired and encouraged by another member who
  has overcome the problems with which they are
  still struggling
• 4.Imparting information
• While this is not strictly speaking a
  psychotherapeutic process, members often report
  that it has been very helpful to learn factual
  information from other members in the group. For
  example, about their treatment or about access to
  services

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• 5.Corrective recapitulation of the primary family
  experience
• Members often unconsciously identify the group
  therapist and other group members with their own
  parents and siblings in a process that is a form
  of transference specific to group psychotherapy.
  The therapist's interpretations can help group
  members gain understanding of the impact of
  childhood experiences on their personality, and
  they may learn to avoid unconsciously repeating
  unhelpful past interactive patterns in
  present-day relationships.
• 6.Development of socializing techniques
• The group setting provides a safe and supportive
  environment for members to take risks by
  extending their repertoire of interpersonal
  behaviour and improving their social skills

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• 7. Imitative behaviour
• One way in which group members can develop social
  skills is through a modeling process, observing
  and imitating the therapist and other group
  members. For example, sharing personal feelings,
  showing concern, and supporting others.
• 8. Cohesiveness
• It has been suggested10 that this is the
  primary therapeutic factor from which all others
  flow. Humans are herd animals with an instinctive
  need to belong to groups, and personal
  development can only take place in an
  interpersonal context. A cohesive group is one in
  which all members feel a sense of belonging,
  acceptance, and validation.

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• 9. Existential factors
• Learning that one has to take responsibility for
  one's own life and the consequences of one's
  decisions.
• 10. Catharsis
• Catharsis is the experience of relief from
  emotional distress through the free and
  uninhibited expression of emotion. When members
  tell their story to a supportive audience, they
  can obtain relief from chronic feelings of shame
  and guilt.
• 11. Interpersonal learning
• Group members achieve a greater level
  of self-awareness through the process of
  interacting with others in the group, who give
  feedback on the member's behaviour and impact on
  others.

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• 12. Self-understanding
• This factor overlaps with interpersonal learning
  but refers to the achievement of greater levels
  of insight into the genesis of one's problems and
  the unconscious motivations that underlie one's
  behaviour.

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Stages of Groups

• Stage One (Orientation/Forming) Group members
  become oriented to the group and to each other.
• Stage Two (Transition/Storming) Anxiety and
  ambiguity become prevalent as group members
  struggle to define themselves and group norms.
  This stage is often characterized by conflict.
• Stage Three (Cohesiveness/Norming) A therapeutic
  alliance forms between group members. Trust
  between members has been established.
• Stage Four (Working/Performing) Group members
  experiment with new ideas, behaviors or ways of
  thinking. Egalitarianism develops.
• Stage Five (Adjourning/Terminating) This is the
  time when the group disbands.

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The Beginning Stage

• The beginning stage is the time period used for
  introductions and for discussions of such topics
  as the purpose of the group, what may happen,
  fears, ground rules, comfort levels, and the
  content of the group.
• The beginning stage may last part of the first
  session, the entire first session, or the first
  couple of sessions.

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The Working Stage

• The middle or working stage is the stage of the
  group when members focus on the purpose.
• In this stage, members learn new material,
  thoroughly discuss various topics, complete
  tasks, or engage in personal sharing and
  therapeutic work.

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The Closing Stage

• The closing or ending stage is devoted to ending
  the group.
• During this period, members share what they have
  learned, how they have changed, and how they plan
  to use what they have learned.
• Members say goodbye and deal with the ending of
  the group.

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There are 16 therapeutic forces a group leader
should attend to

• Clarity of purpose for both the leader and the
  members
• Relevance of purpose for the members
• Size of the group
• Length of each session
• Frequency of meetings
• Adequacy of the setting
• Time of day for both the leader and the members
• The leaders attitude
• Closed or open group

• Voluntary or involuntary membership
• Members level of goodwill
• Members level of commitment
• Level of trust among members
• Members attitudes towards the leader
• The leaders attitudes towards the members
• The leaders experience and readiness to deal
  with groups

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Leadership Styles

• Authoritarian Leader centered.
• Democratic Participant centered.
• Laissez-Faire No designated leadership

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Leadership Functions

• Emotional Stimulation Challenging, confronting,
  modeling self-disclosure etc.
• Caring Showing support, praise, warmth,
  acceptance etc.
• Meaning Attribution Explaining, clarifying,
  interpreting etc.
• Executive Function Setting limits, providing
  rules, managing time etc.

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Group Leadership Techniques

• Facilitating communication Giving constructive
  feedback, preventing members from engaging in
  negative behaviors (gossiping, storytelling etc.)
• Group Processing Making comments on group
  process to keep the group therapeutic and
  attending to group dynamics.
• Directing the Focus on the Here and Now Keeping
  the focus on right now and not going back to
  dwell on the past.

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• Experimentation Helping members try out new
  attitudes and behaviors.
• Universalizing Helping members realize they are
  not alone in their problem(s).
• Linking Connecting various feelings and
  concerns expressed by group members to present a
  common theme or universalizing aspect.

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Concerns in Group Work

• Group Size Varies from 3-4 members to several
  hundred depending upon the group (e.g.
  psychotherapeutic or task group). Group
  counseling and psychotherapy generally work best
  with 6-8 members.
• Participant Selection Screening is needed with
  counseling and psychotherapy groups. Some people
  are not well suited for group work.
• Length and Duration of Sessions Individual
  sessions are usually 50 minutes, group sessions
  range from 1-2 hours. Session duration can be
  only once or in some cases might last for years
  (e.g. open-ended psychotherapy group).
• Ethics Confidentiality is hard to guarantee due
  to the number of participants.
• Group Evaluation Outcome measurements are
  difficult to obtain.

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Advantages of Groups

• It provides a social atmosphere that is similar
  to the real world.
• Members can test out and practice new behaviors.
• Members can practice new interpersonal skills.
• They are cost effective.
• Groups help members see that they are not the
  only one who has that particular problem or
  issue.
• Groups provide members with support.

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Disadvantages of Groups

• Less individualized attention from the counselor.
• Confidentiality is more difficult to maintain.
• There are concerns with conformity and peer
  pressure.
• Not everyone can be in a group (e.g. those with
  issues too severe or those with poor
  interpersonal skills.)
• Scapegoating may occur.
• Group leaders are not always properly trained

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Thank you.