GROUP COUNSELING CHAPTER 9 Introduction to the Profession

GROUP COUNSELING CHAPTER 9 Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

THINK ABOUT: What is the purpose of and who is best served by group counseling? n What are ethical guidelines specific to group counseling? n What are key concepts of the group counseling process? n What are the stages of group counseling? n Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 2 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

OVERVIEW OF GROUP COUNSELING n The main purposes of group counseling are: n n n Increase clients’ knowledge of themselves and others. Provide members with interpersonal skills to help them interact with others. Give members a space and opportunities to practice new skills for interpersonal relations. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 3 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

IN-CLASS ACTIVITY In groups of 4 -5 people: n Create a list of client characteristics that would be appropriate for group therapy. n Create a list of client characteristics that would not be appropriate for group therapy. n Compare your lists – what are themes of each list? Class discussion of your lists. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 4 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES n n n What are advantages and disadvantages of group therapy instead of individual therapy? What are advantages and disadvantages of individual therapy instead of group therapy? When might it be good for a client to be in individual and group counseling simultaneously? Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 5 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

ETHICAL GUIDELINES n Ethical Guidelines of Group Therapy n n Screening for appropriateness of group therapy. Allowing the freedom to leave the group. Monitoring confidentiality among group members. Guarding against group members who are manipulative or abusive to each other. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 6 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP COUNSELING THEORIES n Psychodynamic Group Counseling n n What is transactional analysis? How does it pertain to group counseling? What is psychodrama? How does it assist clients’ process in group counseling? Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 7 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP COUNSELING THEORIES n Humanistic Group Counseling n n How might person-centered therapy theory apply to group counseling? (think back to our lecture on theories. Gestalt theory emphasizes one-to-one interactions (client-counselor or client-client) as well as facilitating group dyanmics. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 8 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP COUNSELING THEORIES n Cognitive-Behavioral Group Counseling n n n Cognitive-Behavioral theory applied to group equals task-oriented work. Counselor collaborates with clients to identify irrational beliefs and then teach/model new cognitions and behaviors. Group members can use the group to practice new cognitions and behaviors. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 9 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

FORMING A GROUP n n n What is the recommended number of clients to have in a group? Why is it important to prescreen clients for a group? Why is it beneficial to have two co-leaders in a group? When might it not be beneficial to have a co-leader? Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 10 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP STAGES Initial Exploratory Stage n n n Group members are strangers to each other. Counselors should spend the initial stage helping to build a group relationship. Counselors should help to model appropriate communication skills and to foster strong communication between group members. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 11 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP STAGES Transition Stage n n Members learn they need to explore more deeply. How would you describe the storming and norming phases of the transition stage? Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 12 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP STAGES Working Stage n n n Group members develop intimacy and cohesiveness. Group members challenge each other, which could introduce conflict. Counselors help group members to facilitate conflict, explore their own problems, and make behavioral changes. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 13 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

GROUP CHANGES Consolidation and Termination n Spending time terminating is a vital part of the group and is often neglected by inexperienced group counselors. n A variety of client feelings will come up around termination; effective group counselors will attend to these various feelings. Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 14 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

FUTURE TRENDS n n What are future trends in group counseling? What are special needs that are good topics for group work? Nugent & Jones, Introduction to the Profession of Counseling, 5 e. 15 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.