Group Counseling Midterm

Front 1

Yalom's Therapeutic Factors

Back 1

- Instillation of Hope

- Universality

- Imparting of Information

- Altruism

- The Family Reenactment

- Self-Understanding

- Imitative Behavior

- Interpersonal Learning Input

- Group Cohesiveness/Cohesion

- Catharsis

- Existential Factors

Front 2

Purpose Statements for 4 Types of Groups

Back 2

Psychoeducational Groups: focus on teaching & learning

Counseling Groups: Address issues within the range of normal human problems (help, guide, assist); growth, development & prevention of problems

Psychotherapy Groups: provide treatment interventions for people who may be experiencing severe &/or chronic maladjustment

Task Work Groups: focus on achieving the task for which it was formed - promote efficiency & effectiveness of goal accomplishment

Front 3

The Use of Theory in Developing Groups

Back 3

Whether or not you choose to list the theoretical basis of the group in the purpose statement, the purpose of the group, member goals, leader roles, group processes & activities, and methods of outcome, evaluation should be guided by theory so that you are intentional with your practice. Whether or not theory is written into the purpose statement, you should discuss the theory & its implications for group goals and processes with the potential member & parents as appropriate (in the process of recruiting, screening & selecting members). Disclosure of the theoretical foundation for the group is part of informed consent

Front 4

What is Questioning?

Back 4

Eliciting info from clients regarding their thoughts, feelings or actions by asking open or closed questions

- Involves knowing what types of questions to ask and when to ask them. Tone & Timing are important

- Used frequently in the early stages of counseling

- Common Goal is to get the client to do their own questioning

Front 5

Reflecting

Back 5

A way of responding that demonstrates the client has been heard & understood while helping the client to think deeply about issues they brought up

Front 6

Reflecting Content

Back 6

Restating Information shared by the client. Knowing when & in what format to do so is important - broken down further into paraphrasing & summarizing

Front 7

Paraphrasing

Back 7

Capturing content of what the client says condensed into a short statement, saying it back to the client

- i.e.: sentence stems, repeating key words, capturing the essence of what the client says, using a check out

Front 8

Summarizing

Back 8

Illuminates the continuity of topics, establishes natural breaking points for topics.

Focuses on natural themes brought out during the counseling session.

- Wraps up what has been covered, using portions of their exact words

Front 9

Reflections of Feeling

Back 9

Verbalizing the feelings associated with what the client is saying

- Connects external events in their lives with internal feelings

- Use a sentence stem, attach a feelings label, add context, state a 'temporal' (at this time, in the past, etc) aspect, and use a check out

Front 10

Reflections of Meaning

Back 10

Helps clients understand their experiences and relate what they learn in counseling to their lives outside of counseling

Defined as the skill of verbalizing the implicit meanings that lie beneath a clients explicitly expressed thoughts and feelings.

Goes from story telling to meaning making

Sentence stem, repeating key words, capture deeper meaning of what the client says, use a check out.

Front 11

Focus on Emotions

Back 11

Focus on Client's overt/covert emotions or feelings associated with the situation

Front 12

Feedback

Back 12

The provision of factual information to a client about the client's behavior with the goal of helping them understand how he/she is viewed by others. It is an essential skill used by counselors to acknowledge client's positive behaviors & help clients recognize their negative behaviors & develop alt. methods of feeling, thinking & behaving

Front 13

Guidelines for Feedback

Back 13

1. Feedback giver should allow the recipient to decide when & how the feedback should be given

2. Feedback should be sensitively expressed, in tones of empathy, kindness, respect & acceptance

3. Feedback should be descriptive, not judgemental

- Feedback should be expressed in terms and language the receiver can relate to and understand

- Each instance of feedback should be about one specific behavior, describing the behavior, supporting the description with examples, and describing the impact of the behavior on others

- Corrective feedback should focus on behaviors receiver can change

- Feedback should focus on the immediate (here & now)

- Feedback should be given at a pace that enables the client to integrate one piece before receiving another

- Corrective feedback should include active advice on methods for effecting change

Front 14

What format might a leader use during the working focus of a session?

Back 14

- Discussion Groups/Dyads: breaking the larger group into smaller group/pairs to discuss topics

- Activities: conducting group-wide activities to help members better understand particular topics for the whole group

- Direct Teaching: Providing direct institution on particular topics for the whole group

- Rounds: Facilitating around-the-room discussion on particular topics

Front 15

Processing and closure of a group session

Back 15

Helps make meaning of their experiences during the working focus of the group & provide conclusion to a session

- Use open ended questions/rounds to help members ID their experiences & internalize what they've learned

- Leader ends with brief statement, occasional HW, states what next session will be, ends session on time

Front 16

Setting Goals

Back 16

The process of deciding upon the results that the group as a whole and the individual members want to achieve in the group

Front 17

Clarifying Personal Goals

Back 17

The process of helping members develop their individual goals while making sure each members' goals are related to the overall goals of the group

Front 18

Direct Teaching

Back 18

The transmittal of factual info from the leader to members that is related to the purpose of the group. Helps to begin w/clear statement of what will be taught, how it will be beneficial to the members and how it is related to the purpose of the group

Front 19

Building Group Cohesion

Back 19

Members have a sense of belonging to the group and feel valued and accepted by other members of the group

Front 20

Linking

Back 20

The skill of connecting group members to one another by pointing out commonalities

Front 21

Balancing Participation

Back 21

Leading so that all members participate in & benefit from the group. Leaders should work to get all members participate within the first session.

Front 22

Drawing Out

Back 22

The skill of encouraging members to speak in the group rather than remain silent.

Front 23

Using Rounds

Back 23

A skill which the leader poses a question and then asks the members to each take a turn in replying to the question - Most effective in balancing participation

Front 24

Cutting Off

Back 24

Skill in which the leader stops a member from talking, enables the leader to prevent dominance by one or more members

Front 25

Balancing The Quality of Participation

Back 25

All members should participate verbally in the group

Leader should set norm that participation needs to be balanced, emphasizing that both group cohesion & member participation during screening & early sessions

Leaders should monitor quality & quantity of convo

Participation: Equal + On Task

Front 26

Ethical Considerations (working w.co-leader)

Back 26

You are fully responsible for ethical and professional practice at all time

Front 27

Benefits (co-leading)

Back 27

Two heads are sometimes better than one, professional sharing, an experienced co-leader can help the beginning leader stand up to the group & oppose possible counter-therapeutic advice or directions, dividing the work, writing half the case notes

Front 28

Potential Problems (co-leading)

Back 28

Not knowing, liking each other, using different theoretical approaches, not having or making time to talk to each other about the group

Front 29

Planning Together

Back 29

Explore the quality of the match with your proposed co-leader, setting a tone of caring, respect and collaboration between co-leaders, planning your co-leading process, including collaboration times, roles in group, acquisition of supervision and process for paperwork completion

Front 30

Between Sessions

Back 30

Process the previous session, clarify goals for next session; discuss how you will help individual members work towards their goals during that session

Front 31

During Breaks

Back 31

Spend a few minutes checking in with your co-leader, consider how the first half went and consider changes for the last half of the group

Front 32

Monitoring

Back 32

The skill of observing and keeping track of all of the members of the group, particularly their participation in & reactions to the group process

Front 33

Scanning

Back 33

The skill of looking briefly at each group member to observe facials and body language while listening as a member or your co-leader speaks

Front 34

Co-Leader Communication

Back 34

- Check with one another, talk to each other to facilitate group process

- Readiness to move from one topic to next

- Adjust timing of group activities

- Possible changes in the direction of the group

- When leader roles need to be divided

Front 35

Flexibility

Back 35

The ability of leaders to be open and responsible to new info about the needs of the members and appropriately adjust the direction of discussions as the group progresses

- Respond to live action of group

- Allows leaders to be creative & spontaneous

Front 36

When flexibility may come into play

Back 36

Emergence of urgent topic

Change of Focus

Content vs. Process

Front 37

3 Levels of Mindfulness

Back 37

1. Intrapersonal - the way an individual member is responding to the group based on his/hers past

2. Interpersonal - the interactions of members with each other

3. The group as a whole

Front 38

How Would A Leader Monitor the 3 Levels of Group Process?

Back 38

- Rounds, in which all members respond to a question or direction from a leader, are ideal opportunities for monitoring at all levels

- Sometimes a leader may observe body language that indicates members are reacting to what is being said in the group, but it is not clear how to interpret the meaning of facial reactions/body language

--The leader can use a round in such a situation in order to get confirmation/clarification of the meaning of the facials/BL

Front 39

Group Work: Definition

Back 39

- All types of activities performed by organized groups

- A broad professional practice involving the application of knowledge & skill in group facilitation to assist an interdependent collection of people to reach their mutual goals, which may be intra, inter personal or work related. The goals of the group may include accomplishment of tasks related to work, education, personal development, personal and interpersonal problem solving or remediation of mental & emotional disorders

Front 40

Task/Work Groups

Back 40

“promote efficient and effective accomplishment of group tasks among

people who are gathered to accomplish group task goals.” Unlike other groups task/work groups do not focus on changing individuals.

-

> Types of tasking groups: volunteer groups, mission groups, task forces, committees, planning groups, community organizations, discussion groups, and learning groups

Front 41

Psychoeducational Groups

Back 41

Originally developed for use in educational settings, specifically public schools, Ex. Educational groups and guidance groups. They emphasize using education methods to acquire information and develop related meaning and skills. They are able to function on multiple levels and with a wide variety of clients. They can be preventive, growth oriented, or remedial in their purpose and focus. Are able to function on multiple levels with a wide variety of clients. They stress growth through knowledge. The focus is on transmitting, discussing, and integrating factual knowledge.

They are increasingly being used in various settings outside of schools: Hospitals, mental health agencies, correctional institutions, social service agencies, universities.

- Psychoeducational groups also include:

Discussion groups, Guided group interactions, Recovery groups, Support groups, Orientation groups, Educational groups, Student centered

learning groups

Front 42

Counseling Groups

Back 42

– are preventative, growth oriented, and remedial. Are generally considered

to be a treatment mode that is equal in effectiveness to individual counseling. Are also referred to as interpersonal problem solving

groups. The focus is on a person’s behavior and development or change within the group and through the help of the group. They emphasize group dynamics and interpersonal relationships. They are ideal for individuals experiencing usual, but often difficult, problems of living.

Front 43

Psychotherapy Groups

Back 43

is sometimes simply called group psychotherapy or group therapy.

Address personal and interpersonal problems of living…among people who may be experiencing severe and/or chronic maladjustment. Are remedial in nature and emphasize helping people with serious psychological problems of long duration by confronting them with their unconscious conflicts so that they may be resolved. The leader of the group should be an expert in one of the mental health disciplines and has specialized training and expertise in dealing with people who

have major emotional problems. Leaders of psychotherapy groups most often operate from a theoretical position

Front 44

Group Content

Back 44

Information with a purpose of the group - involves the actual words, ideas, and information exchanged within the group as well as the purpose of the group; what you know.

Front 45

Group Process

Back 45

Interactions & relationships among members within the group - the interaction of group members with one another, often in some meaningful way

Front 46

7 Types of Group Processes

Back 46

Contagion, Conflict, Anxiety, Consensual Validation, Universality, Family Reenactment, Installation of Hope

Front 47

Member Roles

Back 47

Facilitative/Building Role: adds functioning of a group in a positive & constructive way

Maintenance Role: contributes to the social-emotional bonding of members & the group's overall well being

Blocking Role - Anti-group role (aggressor, blocker, dominator, etc)

Front 48

What is group storming?

Back 48

This is where members start to compete with others to find their place in the group. It is a time of conflict and anxiety, when the group moves from primary tension (awkwardness about being in the strange situation) to secondary tension (Intragroup conflict). Concern for power is also

prevalent during storming.

Front 49

Peer relationships during norming

Back 49

Group members start to have an outlook and attitude. They get a positive attitude toward others; they feel newfound sense of belonging and groupness. They learn insight and feel accepted and they take needed actions. They also expect to be successful. Peer integrations are maintained through identification, here-and-now,

experiences, hope, cooperation, and cohesion.

Front 50

What are ways group leader can close a group session?

Back 50

> Time limit for the group – a number of meeting times that are announced in advance

> Capping – easing out of emotional interaction and into cognitive reflection

> They can also bring a group to its final ending by using appropriate skills and call the groups attention to what needs to be done to terminate. Ex. What was helpful? What did you learn from the group? What are they taking with them from the group that will be helpful in other

experiences?

> Summarizing Group

> Assessing member growth and change

> Rehearsal

> Saying Goodbye

Front 51

Handling the closing of the group correctly

Back 51

> One sign that is my be being closed wrong is by closing abruptly and issues about ending are not

processed, then the group is being closed improperly

> Another sign is when members are left with a number of unresolved issues.

Front 52

In many non developmental groups, which are often formed on a non voluntary basis, a group leader often encounters resistance and reluctance. Describe different approaches a counselor might take in order to deal with this resistance and reluctance.

Back 52

􀁸 Meet with these adolescents individually before the group starts.

􀁸 Work with the resistance that uncooperative adolescents bring rather than fighting it.

􀁸 Respond to adolescents’ sarcasm or silence with honest, firm, and caring statements.

Front 53

Outright Disruptiveness

Back 53

Outright disruptiveness is common for adolescents. It can range from yelling at other members to attempting to pick a fight. Ways to combat this behavior include going over the group rules, so that the behavior does not occur because members are informed or warned of consequences.

Having the group leader talk to the person who is being disruptive. Allowing group members to

discuss the situation and decide what to do with the disruptive group member.

Front 54

Inappropriate risk taking

Back 54

When group members share something too soon or reveal something inappropriate. This is not unusual for adolescents, especially those who have a limited awareness of themselves or others. In these cases, structured group exercises that help individuals understand themselves better in relation to others may be helpful.

> Reviewing group rules, talking privately to person involved, cutting off the person’s behavior, or redirecting the group as a whole may be appropriate strategies for handling the situation.