Group Therapy Vs Closed Group Setting

The first time I personally experienced attending a group therapy was part of my course. Through this experience i can say that group therapy can be very powerful in healing a person emotionally and since the members were from the same class, where we all have similar goals. Group therapy helped all of us to establish meaningful and intimate relationship and we also recognised commanality of members needs and problems and to develop a sense of bonding and we became very close and we could also be there for each other during emotionally trying times.It also helped me to increase self-growth, self acceptance and self –confidence among oneself and group members. Group therapy is a powerful venue for growth and change. It also helped me in expressing my emotions in a healthy way.

Looking for new and more effective ways to treat the issues of their clients, counselors and therapists may often begin to consider leading a group therapy session. Group therapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist either treats or provides psychoeducational skills to a small, carefully planned target group of individuals in an effort to ameliorate the issues and dysfunctions of each individual in that particular group of patients together (Scheidlinger, 2004). In this group, therapists often utilize some of the psychotherapy theories such as Gestalt, transactional analysis, psychotherapy or psychodrama which they often use to treat clients individually.

Group therapy is an important method that is commonly used by psychiatric professionals in the treatment of many types of mental illnesses. They consist of three or more people and are targeted at promoting psychological development and change. There are three different types of groups. The task group works by using tasks, such as activities and techniques, designed to help clients work toward desired goals. In addition, midrange groups work by allowing clients to share their thoughts and feelings with others who have learned to cope with similar problems over a longer period of time. Lastly, process groups work by allowing clients to work on their communicating patterns, skills and methods (Fortinash & Holoday Worrett, 2008).

The process of running a group therapy session is a unique time to tests a person’s skills abilities when it comes to facilitating that group. This paper will mainly look at ways when it comes to my learning's of this class that I took ways; I will also show examples and skills to run a good group therapy session. This whole paper is a reflection of the many things that I took was on being an active group counselor facilitator.

Group counseling can be defined as a therapeutic and educational method to facilitate interpersonal problem solving processes among members, as they learn how to resolve difficult, but manageable problems of living and how to apply gains in the future (Stockton, 2010). A therapeutic group can be helpful for individuals especially if they are experiencing the same presenting issues. They can offer support and guidance from those who have experienced that issue in their past. It can also be comforting for others to speak to those who can relate to them.

Group therapy services as a vehicle for breaking down defense mechanisms of members as well as in as a means to enhance social skills, assist with positive personal interactions and explore new behavior patterns within a secure environment. Much of the success of group work centers on the group leader; those that are poorly trained may negatively affect client’s recovery. Also groups, however can be a difficult transition for clients with concurring disorders. Members with anxiety disorders often struggle within the group setting and may require changes within the treatment program to adhere to their

I learn that the advantage of a group therapy session entails cost efficiency, spectator effect, stimulation value, support and feedback. Counseling a group of client at one time is more cost effective versus counseling just one client. It takes two full working days for a counselor to see a dozen clients in an individual session, but for two hours in a single group session the same number of clients could be seen. Being a spectator permits others to learn by observation. The spectator personalize, internalize and adapt the content they observed into their own lives. The stimulation value is seen in group sessions as new ideas are passed around, sharing of experiences and spontaneous humor. Support is necessary in humans and these groups give an opportunity to receive and give the type of support one needs. Within time, psychological bonding and intimacy is formed to create a secondary family. Feedback in a counseling group provides honest, direct and constructive reactions to their behaviors. Group counseling is a weakness that I need to work on, because it requires self-confidence in which I lack. It requires being able to believe in yourself to facilitate a group in which everyone can benefit. I feel that I need to work on believing in my abilities and practicing these skills to get to an optimal

In regards to normalization; on attending a group session, patients felt a great sense of relief that others had similar problems. This helped them feel normal, reducing anxiety(Newbold, Hardy & Byng, 2013). In regards of feeling connected; Patients enjoyed having people to talk to who understood how they felt and somewhere to go to meet others with the same problem (Newbold, Hardy & Byng, 2013). In regards to group support; as the group sessions progressed, patients were able to give and receive support from each other as well as the therapist (Newbold, Hardy & Byng, 2013). In regards to the role of hope; being part of a group where people with the same problem got better brought hope for patients’ own recovery(Newbold, Hardy & Byng, 2013). Group interaction was not always positive, with some patients taking more opportunity to talk than others (Newbold, Hardy & Byng, 2013). And lastly, some suggestions were made on improving group-based work, including keeping the number of patients small enough for all to have the chance to contribute (Newbold, Hardy & Byng,

According to Burlingame, Fuhriman, & Mosier meta-analysis (2003), “group psychotherapy has evolved over the past century” and it is now consider an effective practice. As you mentioned group therapy is a safe, non-judgmental environment, which is liberating to its members. In addition, with group therapy, group members would not feel isolated, they would know that there are others with similar problems. A study in group therapy for anxious children showed, “effectiveness … for improving anxious children’s social, emotional, and family functioning” (Watson, Rich, Sanchez, O'Brien, & Alvord, 2014). With group therapy clients are able to try different ways of behavior and see how they are perceived. “Groups provide a sense of

Group therapy is used in several different settings today there are inpatient groups, outpatient groups, addiction groups, and grieving groups. There is most likely a group for anyone no matter what kind of assistance that they are in need of. Rothwell (2013) defines a group as a “human communication system composed of three or more individuals, interacting for the achievement of some common goals who influence and are influenced by each other.”(Arnold & Underman Boggs, 2016, p. 136) The purpose of group therapy is to add additional support to people and families that are in need of support,

In the past few years, community agencies have increasingly used groups since various groups have become a common feature of today's society. Some of the most common groups in today's society include groups for women, men, parent education, children, HIV/AIDS support, and those for reducing substance abuse. Due to the increased use of groups by communities, there are various approaches that have emerged including group counseling and group psychotherapy. Group counseling is a designed preventive and remedial approach to meet the needs of specific population in the society like women, men, the elderly, adolescents, and children. On the contrary, group psychotherapy is a re-education process of the present and past through conscious and unconscious awareness.

Group therapy is lead by a trained specialist that focuses on skill building and one’s interpersonal process. Group therapy has an associated fee, and only holds a certain number of sessions (Lewis, 2014). In Group therapy, clients help clients through listening, providing support to one another, making suggestions, and simply being there for people (Lewis, 2014). In group therapy, the therapist will present the client with some material that they can learn from, and then get the client to build their skills. An example of group therapy is AA (Lewis, 2014). The purpose of group therapy is to help the clients through the different stages of change and work towards recovery (Lewis, 2014).

First I want to start off with what the definition of group counseling is. According to Iowa State University group counseling is ?Group is a therapy format that approaches issues of personal growth through the use of interpersonal interaction ? to interact with others to identify and understand our maladaptive patterns and how to change them?.?Group therapy can also allow the members of the group to interact with one another and build relationships. In group therapy you can gain the skills and strategies to meet your personal goals. You can also get support and encourage from others. Group counseling is an effective way to help make a change in a person?s life. One of the main

In this paper, I will discuss my current thoughts and feelings about therapeutic work with groups. I will include my ideas about group dynamics, process, and theoretical influences on my thought process. The impact of my worldview will be considered when considering the development of my leadership style and a potential challenge related to this orientation. Finally, I will offer a specific plan that addresses this issues and continued training in group work.

After sharing and processing with the group, us leaders will make some general statements to the group regarding areas that certain group members agreed or felt differently about. The group members may confirm or deny these statements and make generalizations of their own to other clients in the group. We as leaders, encourage group members to make helpful suggestions and encouraging comments to one another. In addition, we will mention overall principles that the group learned through the group therapy session.