Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession: Eighth Edition

Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession
Eighth Edition
Chapter 9
Groups in Counseling
Copyright © 2018, 2013, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives
9.1 Explore the place of groups in counseling
9.2 Compare and contrast the four major types of groups
counselors use: psychoeducational, task/work,
psychotherapy, and counseling
9.3 Discuss stages of and issues in groups
9.4 Describe qualities of effective group leaders
Counseling Groups (1 of 2)
• Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW),
division of the ACA, chartered in 1974
• Participating in group counseling can provide members
with social relationships, emotional bonds and potential for
enlightenment
Brief History of Groups (1 of 2)
• Pioneers in the world of group counseling:
– Joseph Hersey Pratt - credited with the first
counseling group, 1905
– Jacob L. Moreno - introduced the term group
psychotherapy in 1920s
– Kurt Lewin - field theory concepts in 1930s and ‘40s
made way for further group counseling development
– Fritz Perls - took a Gestalt approach to groups
Brief History of Groups (2 of 2)
– W. Edwards Deming - conceptualized and
implemented quality work groups to improve group
process
– William Schultz and Jack Gibb - emphasized
humanistic approach to T-groups
– Carl Rogers - devised the basic encounter group in
1960s
Types of Groups (1 of 2)
• Psychodrama - members enact unrehearsed role-plays
with group leader serving as director; other group
members as actors in the protagonist’s play, give feedback
to the protagonist as members of the audience, or do both
• T-Groups - T = training; emphasis is on how the group
operates and on how the individual functions within the
group
• Encounter - intended for normally functioning people who
wanted to change/grow, with primary emphasis on
individual expression and recognizing affect
Types of Groups (2 of 2)
• Group Marathons - extended, one-session group
experience that breaks down defensive barriers individuals
may use. Lasts for a minimum of 24 hours.
• Self-Help/Support:
– Support - organized by professional helping
organization/individual
– Self-Help - originate spontaneously and stress
autonomy and internal group resources
Misperceptions and Realities about Groups
• Prevalent myths about groups:
– They are artificial and unreal
– They are second-rate structures for dealing with
problems
– They force people to lose identity by breaking down
psychological defenses
– They require people to become emotional
– They are touchy-feely, confrontational, hostile and
brainwashing
• In well-run groups, none of these myths are true.
The Place of Groups in Counseling (1 of 2)
• Group - two or more people interacting together to achieve
a goal for their mutual benefit
• Therapeutic factors within groups:
– Instillation of hope
– Universality
– Imparting of information
– Altruism
The Place of Groups in Counseling (2 of 2)
– Corrective recapitulation of the primary family group
– Development of socializing techniques
– Imitative behavior/modeling
– Interpersonal learning
– Group cohesiveness
– Catharsis
– Existential factors
Benefits and Drawbacks of Groups
• Benefits:
– Groups can help individuals with a variety of problems
– Groups can be beneficial for: elementary through high
school students; promoting career development; adult
women; adult men; dealing with stressors; adolescent
offenders; and many more
• Drawbacks:
– Groupthink mentality: stereotypical, defensive, stale
thought processes become the norm
– Individuals may not be dealt with in-depth enough
– Individuals may try to use groups as an escape
Various Group Forms
• Psychoeducational Groups
• Counseling Groups
• Psychotherapy Groups
• Task/Work Groups
Psychoeducational Groups
• Sometimes known as guidance groups or educational
groups
• They are preventative and instructional
• Purpose is to teach group participants how to deal with a
potential threat, a developmental life event, or an
immediate life crisis
• Often used in schools, hospitals, mental health centers,
social services agencies, and universities
Counseling Groups (2 of 2)
• Sometimes known as interpersonal problem-solving
groups
– Help participants to resolve usual yet difficult problems
of living through interpersonal support and problem-
solving
– Also help teach members problem-solving skills to
better handle future problems
• Group counseling stresses the affective involvement of
participants
• Counseling groups and psychoeducational groups may
overlap
Psychotherapy Groups
• Sometimes known as personality reconstruction groups
• Help individual members remediate in-depth psychological
problems
• Often take place in inpatient facilities (e.g., psychiatric
hospitals, residential mental health facilities)
• Not suitable for: individuals with depression; incessant
talkers; individuals with paranoid, schizoid, or sociopathic
personalities; individuals who are suicidal; and individuals
with narcissistic personality disorder
Task/Work Groups (1 of 2)
• Help members apply the principles and processes of group
dynamics to improve practices and accomplish identified
work goals
• Run best when the following factors are in place:
– Purpose is clear to all participants
– Process and content are balanced
– Time is taken for culture building and learning about
each other
Task/Work Groups (2 of 2)
– Members exchange feedback
– Leaders attend to here-and now
– Leaders and members take time to reflect
• Focus group: consists of 8 to 12 individuals who discuss a
particular topic of interest for 1-2 hours under the direction
of a group moderator
Theoretical Approaches in Conducting
Groups
• Implementation of theoretical approaches differ with groups
because of group dynamics - the interaction of members within
a group
• Factors for group leaders to consider when deciding on a
theoretical approach to take:
– Do I need a theoretical base for conducting the group?
– What uses will the theory best serve?
– What criteria will be employed in the selection process?
• Counselors should also consider personal experience,
consensus of experts, prestige, and a verified body of
knowledge
Stages in Groups
• Forming - foundation and expectation are laid out; members
show anxiety, dependency, and talk about nonproblematic
issues.
• Storming - turmoil and conflict occur; members seek to
establish selves in hierarchy of the group.
• Norming - group generates enthusiasm and cohesion and
decides on goals and ways of working together.
• Performing/working - group is productive; members are
involved with each other and individual and collective goals
• Mourning/termination - group comes to an end, members say
good-bye to one another and the group experience; members
feel fulfilled or bitter
Issues in Groups (1 of 2)
• Selection and preparation of group members -
pregroup training and pregroup interview are helpful to
formation of the group
• Group size and duration - determined by purpose and
preference
• Open-ended vs. closed groups - open-ended groups
admit new members after having started and closed do not
• Confidentiality - what has been said within group setting
will not be revealed outside
Issues in Groups (2 of 2)
• Physical structure - room or setting in which group is
assembled
• Co-leaders - two leaders may be beneficial to some
groups
• Self-disclosure - dependent on trust between members
• Feedback - members respond to verbal messages and
nonverbal behaviors of others
• Follow-up - keeping in touch with members after the
group has terminated
Qualities of Effective Group Leaders
• Four leadership qualities have a positive effect on the
outcome of groups (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005):
– Caring - the more the better
– Meaning attribution - clarifying, explaining, providing
cognitive framework for change
– Emotional stimulation - activity, challenging, risk
taking, self-disclosure
– Executive function - developing norms, structuring,
suggesting procedures
Future of Group Work
• Groups are becoming more theory-driven, such as solution
focused counseling and brief therapy groups
• Research into the potential of conducting online groups is
underway (Kozlowski & Holmes, 2014).
• Groups are becoming more preventative
• Groups are being used internationally
• Groups are headed toward more diversity in theory and in
practice
Copyright

Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession: Eighth Edition

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession: Eighth Edition

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession

You might also like