Exam 1 Review–Group Counseling – Flashcards
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Characteristics of counseling groups Structured or not?
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It is the leader's job to structure the group activities, maintain a favorable climate, facilitate interactions, provide alternatives to behaviors, and encourage translation from insight to action. If leadership style involves little structure, there is higher level of anxiety because of the ambiguity of the situation; there will be more hesitation and requests for direction
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What is group counseling?
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Counseling group are found in schools, colleges, mental institutes, and churches to focus on the interpersonal processes and problem solving strategies that stress conscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Group is designed for prevention, development, and remediation.
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What do groups do?
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They deal with conscious problems, not aimed at personality changes; geared toward the resolution of a specific short term issue.
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What issues do groups focus on?
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Focus is determined by the members, who are well functioning individuals, and group is characterized by growth orientation.
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Difference between group counseling and group therapy?
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Counseling groups focus on interpersonal process and problem-solving strategies that stress conscious thoughts, feelings, and behavior Pyschotherapy groups help individual group members remediate psychological problems and interpersonal problems of living.
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active listening
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Pay full attention to others as they communicate - absorbing the content, noting gestures and subtle changes in voice or expression, and sensing underlying messages
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clarification
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a skill that can be valuably applied during the initial stages of a group. Focusing on key underlying issues and sorting out confusing and conflicting feelings
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summarizing
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after several members have expressed an interest in working on a particular personal problem, the leader might point out common elements that connect these members.
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support
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Can be therapeutic or counterproductive. Common mistake - offering support before a participant has had an opportunity to fully experience a conflict or some painful feelings
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blocking
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Group leaders have the responsibility to block certain activites of group members, such as questioning, probing, gossiping, invading another's privacy, breaking confidences, and so forth
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Coleaders: Advantages
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o Chance of burnout reduced o One leader can pay attention to those members while the other leader scans the room o Coleader peer supervision is clearly beneficial o When one of the leaders is affected by a group member to the degree of countertransference o Difference in power and privilege based on culture....
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Coleaders: Disadvantages
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o Problems can occur when you rarely meet with each other o Competition and rivalry o Coleaders do not have a relationship built on trust and respect o One leader may side with members against the other leader o Coleaders are involved in an intimate relationship
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Mistakes of Coleaders
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o Not sitting across from one another or making too much eye contact o Not communicating the plan to one another o Talking too much or being competitive o Asserting power over coleader o Trying to be right o Taking turns instead of working together o Letting the coleader do all of the work
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What do you do to make a good ethical decision?
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Follow a Code of Ethics o Talk to colleagues o Know the rules and regulations o Consult with supervisor o Use resources o Research o Screen candidates o Only counsel those you are trained to help
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Group members' rights
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Informed consent - Process of presenting basic info about group treatment to individuals to enable them to make rational decisions about whether to enter and how to participate in a group Involuntary Membership - Much effort needs to be directed toward clearly and fully informing members of the nature and goals of the group, procedures that will be used, the rights of members to decline certain activities Freedom to Withdraw from a Group - Procedures for leaving the group need to be explained to all members during the initial group session
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Psychological risks of participating in groups
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Misuse of Power Self-disclosure Maintaining confidentiality Scapegoating -Ex. Individual may be singled out. Others may gang up on member. Confrontation -a valuable tool in any group, can be misused in a destructive manner
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Confidentiality in groups
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Minor Groups - good practice to obtain written permission from parent
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Confidentiality for groups
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• Leaders can only ensure confidentiality on their part, not on the part of others in the group • Group leaders must become familiar with the local and state laws • Describe at the outset the roles and responsibilities of all parties and the limits of confidentiality • Inform members that ABSOLUTE confidentiality in groups is not possible • Leaders need to help member understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality • Managed care - once plans are written and insurance granted, confidentiality is no longer in the control of the leader or agency • It is wise to ask participants to sign a contract in which they agree not to discuss or write about what transpires in the sessions or talk about who was present
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Using Techniques in Groups
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Foundation? Based on theoretical orientation
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Informed consent of members ASGW best practices guidelines
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Some suggestions for increasing your level of competence as a group leader: • Keep current through continuing education and professional development activities. • Be open to seeking personal counseling if you recognize problems that could impair your ability to facilitate a group. • Be willing to seek consultation and supervision as needed.
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Informed consent of members ASGW best practices guidelines
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The qualifications of the leader to lead a particular group Competence as a group facilitator: o Knowledge competencies: course work is essential o Skills competencies: Specific group facilitation skills are required for effectively intervening o Core specialization in group work: task facilitation groups; psycho educational groups, counseling groups; psychotherapy groups
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Essence of informed consent
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Process of presenting basic info about group treatment to individuals to enable them to make rational decisions about whether to enter and how to participate in a group o It should give information on: --nature of the group --goal of the group --structure of the sessions --what is expected of them if they join --what they can expect from you as a leader
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One thing that can be said about psychological risks
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There are always risks, and you cannot guarantee success and that it will all be okay. --Members may feel pressure to disclose --Confidentiality may be broken --Scapegoating may occur --Confrontation may be done in an uncaring manner --Group leaders may not have competencies to deal with some difficulties that arise in a group
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Ethical use of techniques
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o What do you do when one technique is not working? CHANGE IT! o If a client does not want to talk? You can't force him.
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Ethical use of techniques
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o Guidelines: --You should have a rationale for techniques used --Introduce techniques in a timely, sensitive manner --Give members a choice—invite them to experiment with some behavior --Techniques should be appropriate to member's cultural values --Techniques are best developed in response to what is happening in the here-and-now
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• Why is it helpful to prepare and plan (for presentation)?
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...
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Clinical Group Work
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Use same fundamental tools
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Purpose of preliminary screening?
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o Coleader - screen together so both can interview each of the potential group members o Coleader/Leader - Sense of how this member might be in the group situation o Look for evidence that the group will be beneficial to the candidate o How motivated is this person to change? o Is this a choice of the individual or someone else? o Why this particular type of group? o Does this person understand what the purposes of the group are? o Are there any indications that group counseling is contraindicated for this person at this time?
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Recruiting Group Members
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Importance of how I do things: --A professional disclosure statement—informed consent --A statement of the goals and purposes of the group --Expectations for group participation including voluntary and involuntary membership --Policies and procedures governing mandated groups (where relevant) --The rights and responsibilities of both group members and the group leader --Documentation procedures and disclosure of information to others --Implications of out of group contact or involvement among members --Procedures for consultation between group leader(s) and group member(s) --Techniques and procedures that may be used --Education, training, and qualifications of the group leader --Fees and time parameters --A realistic statement of what services can and cannot be provided within a particular group structure --Potential consequences of group participation (personal risks involved in the group)
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Pregroup sessions for candidates
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Initial stage of group: • Participants test the atmosphere and get acquainted • Risk taking is low; exploration tentative • Members are concerned with whether they aree included or excluded • Central issue is trust vs. mistrust • There are periods of silence • Members are deciding how much they will disclose --Positively affects both early therapeutic processes and later client improvement. --Provides an excellent way to prepare members and to get them acquainted with one another/provides member with more information to decided to commit or not/discuss group rules and issues
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What happens? (Goals of pregroup)
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--Strive to create an alliance with group members, so they can become collaborators in their own change process --Describe how a therapy group helps members enhance their interpersonal relationships --Give members guidelines about how to get the most from group therapy --Anticipate frustrations and disappointment, including predicting stumbling blocks participants are likely to encounter --Talk about attendance and the duration of the group --Instill faith in group therapy --Discuss ground rules such as confidentiality and subgrouping
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Types of people who prevent group from being successful?
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Those resistant to change and those who breech the group norms Examples of problematic styles of behaving: o Silence o Monopolistic behavior o Storytelling o Giving advice o Questioning o Dependency o Intellectualizing
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Select and screen group members
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o How do you inform participants who were NOT selected to be in the group? --Honest, direct, respectful, and sensitive and that helps those who are not being accepted to remain open to other options. --Offer support needed in dealing with their reactions to not being in the group, and suggesting alternatives to group participation
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Length of group
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--Children and adolescents - more frequently and shorter period to suit their attention span --Well functioning adults - 2 hour weekly --Lower functioning members (impatient) - daily for 45 minutes --High functioning members (impatient) - several times a week 90 minutes --College - 15 weeks, length of a semester --High School - same as college
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Group Size
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--Elementary school children might be 3-4 --Adolescents aged children might be 6-8 --Adult aged might be 8 --Depends on age of clients, experience of the leader, type of group, and problems to be explored
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Appropriate topics for pregroup of first meetings
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o Members' expectations o Clarify the goals and objectives o Impart information about the group process o Answer members' questions
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How to ensure confidentiality in group
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o Leaders cannot ensure confidentiality in the group! o Leaders can: --Teach members what confidentiality is --Define the parameters, limitations of confidentiality --Talk to members about consequences of breeched confidentiality --Remind members at various points in the group of the importance of maintain confidentiality
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Advantages of group counseling over other types of strategies
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o Group setting offers support for new behavior and encourages experimentation o Group is a microcosm of the real world—allows us to see how we relate to others o Group setting provides an optimal arena for members to discover how they are perceived and experienced by others o Groups help members see that they are not alone in their concerns
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Coleader issues in pregroup and planning
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o Division of responsibility—How to achieve a balance of sharing responsibility with members? o Degree of structuring—Creating a structure that will enable members to make the maximum use of group process o Opening group sessions—How to best open a group and help members gain focus? o Closing group sessions—How to best bring a session to closure without closing down further work later on?
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Building trust in the group
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o Carefully attending and genuine listening o Empathy o Genuineness and self-disclosure o Respect o Caring confrontation
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• Persistent feelings in group experience o How should a member handle this?
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Express, explore
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Resistance during initial stage of counseling
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o Dealing with resistance: --Don't label all hesitations as a sign of resistance --Respect resistance—Realize that member resistance may be serving a function --Invite members to explore the meaning of what appears to be resistance --Describe behavior of members—avoid making too many interpretations --Approach resistance with interest, understanding, and compassion
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Resistance during initial stage of counseling
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o Group leader interventions: --Avoid responding with sarcasm --State your observations and hunches in a tentative way --Demonstrate sensitivity to a member's culture --Avoid taking member's behavior in an overly personal way --Encourage members to explore a resistance—don't demand they give up a particular "restive" behavior.
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Attitudes of leaders
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I assume positive actions and attitudes HELP the group and negative actions and attitudes HARM the group.
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Feelings/behaviors/reactions in initial stage of group
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Common fears experienced by group members: --Anxiety over being accepted or rejected --Concern about the judgment of others --Afraid of appearing stupid --Concerns about not fitting into the group --Not knowing what is expected --Concern over communicating feelings and thoughts effectively
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Norms
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o Shared beliefs about experienced behaviors aimed at making groups function effectively. --Implicit norms: develop because of preconceived ideas about what takes place in the group; may be due to modeling of the leader. Example: hostile language—one uses it, they all use it. --Explicit norms: common in many groups
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Examples of Norms
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--Members are expected to show up on time and attend regularly. --Members should be personal and share meaningful aspects of themselves, communicating actively with others in the group --Give feedback to others in the group --Bring personal problems and concerns which one will talk about --Provide therapeutic support --Provide members with encouragement to look at themselves --Group can participate in exploring personal problems or problem solving --Members can be taught norms of listening without thinking of quick rebuttal or becoming overly defensive.
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Central process taking place during early stages?
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Orientation and exploration
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• Negative reactions during early stages
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o What do we do with this? --Openly confront and deal with it!
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• What types of leader attitudes and actions help develop trust?
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o Carefully attending and genuine listening o Empathy o Genuineness and self-disclosure o Respect o Caring confrontation
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• Congruence—know a different term but with same meaning
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Genuineness
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Opening session o What should that look like?
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Ask all members to participate in a check-in process by briefly stating what they want from the session • Hear what members remember from the last session in a quick go-round • Provides a basis for identifying emerging themes Give members an opportunity to share what they have done in the way of practice outside the group since the previous session. • Go over homework assignments Ask members is they have any afterthoughts or unresolved feelings about the previous session. Begin some sessions by letting the group know what you have been thinking during the week about how the group is progressing. In an open group (in which membership changes from week to week), introduce new members.
