My Involvement In The Group Therapy Class

To refer to last week’s reaction paper, my involvement in the group therapy class has helped me believe that silence can influence a client’s willingness to speak. Last week’s assignment I asked what a counselor should do if the client is quiet and reserved. However, this question reminded me of my experience in my group therapy class and how we all dealt with silence. For instance, my group was not as talkative, and most of the times we sat in silence. We would often rely on our professor to break the silence with a question or reflection. However, as the semester went by, she decided to let us stare awkwardly at each other and wait. I do not know how long the silence lasted, but it felt like hours. The awkwardness of just sitting there made …show more content…
I do like how directive the approach is, but I would not be able to focus my theoretical orientation solely on reinforcements and punishments without looking at any cognitive processes. However, I do like how this type of therapy is structured. In other words, my perception of this principle may be wrong, but it seems like the therapist always has a “game plan.” For example, there is always a goal to each step, and it could be easily met by introducing something from the environment or removing something away. The goal is to reach the top of the ladder, if something works you move up, if it does not you move down, but regardless you are moving. The reason this approach does not fit well with me is because I often want to look at the cognitive processes that influence a behavior rather than just focus on the physicality of the situation. I believe this perspective only touches the surface of problems which results in a limited fix. I am not surprised that the recidivism rate is high for many behaviors using behavioral therapy because there is always a deeper reason for things. I would possibly consider using the systematic desensitization technique alongside cognitive behavioral therapy because treatment goals would emphasize on both the behavior and the reason behind the …show more content…
I do believe systematic desensitization in combination of the thought process behind it works to some degree. I get extremely anxious when I must talk in public or even to strangers. I would get extremely sick and would often miss out on events and opportunities. For example, I would stay home rather than go with my friends or refuse to take a course if it required a heavy-weighted presentation at the end of the semester. However, as much as I hate it, I know that if I expose myself to these kinds of situations, over time, my anxiety would lessen. For the past year or so I have taken advantage of some opportunities (not all) but enough to be able to say that I do not get as anxious to the same extent as I did before. I do believe exposure could work in a situation like this, but I am not sure if I would be able to direct this type of approach in a clinical setting. Thus, I do appreciate some of the techniques that stem from behavioral