Interpersonal Skills Group Analysis

At one point in a person life, they will participated in a group whether it is part of a specific committee, therapy, or social group. In recent years, there has been a rise in counseling within a group forum veering from the tradition individual counseling. Therapists, physiologist, and counselors believe that form of counseling is beneficial to both counselor and client. This allows the counselor to help several clients at once rather than one at a time decreasing their strenuous workload and demanding work hours. This form of counseling integrate individual that share similar issues, struggles, and experiences into one forum. This not only allows the clients to learn from the therapist but from their fellow group members. The group experience

I learned two significant things about group counseling in this course. The first thing that I learned is the importance of setting up a treatment plan. The intention is to follow the client from their entrance into the program until the client is discharged. In this process the clients’ problems are identified through various assessments and as each problem is addressed, it is checked off of the list. Once all of the problems are checked off of the list, the client is considered as having completed the plan. This plan is especially important because it evokes thoughtful conversation between the client and the counselor and is the best method to gain information from the client regarding the help they want to receive. The second most significant thing that I learned about group counseling is how to design a group from start to finish. From pre group design, planning the goals of the group and determining the members to setting up the environment and structuring the sessions, each step adds its own important components to designing group counseling.

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.

Purpose of the group counseling varies from group to group. It can be therapeutic, educational, or helping people to make fundamental changes in their way of thinking, feeling and behaving (Corey, 2004, p. 7). Group counseling/therapy has the advantage of being more effective than individual therapy because, it more closely stimulates social interactions and interpersonal communication patterns than does individual counseling (Kottler, 2004, p. 260). The techniques and strategies use in group counseling are to help resolve members’ interpersonal conflict, promote greater self-awareness and insight, and help them work to eliminate their self-defeating

The power of support groups, especially when peer run can have a sign cant impact on the individual. It is vital to realize that “Compared to recent group members, longstanding group members used less medication and treatment services, had higher levels of well-being and less neurotic distress” (Solomon, 2009). Many of them also became leaders of the groups. Many times while I have personally sat in on our Hope and Recovery Group (Peer Lead), I have seen a massive shift in many of the people in our group. The socialization of each individual is profound! Many of the group members never said a word for months and now they are vibrant, full of zeal and vivaciousness. An interesting point that is brought up by Ley is the statement that “People

As I observed the N.A. group, I compared Hepworth 's, Direct Social Work Practice, five stages of group development. The Preaffiliation stage involves observation and feeling out the environment of the group; members may be hesitant to speak or test out certain behaviors to see reactions from other members of the group or the facilitator (Hepworth, Rooney, Rooney, & Strom-Gottfried, 2017, 2013). Returning group members greeted each other with hugs, handshakes, pat on the back, while newcomers sat quietly observing others. The facilitator provided an introduction and instructions for participation. Each member was instructed to introduce the first name, state "I am an addict" and take turns reading from the

Rapport is built from a trusting, honest, and authentic relationship, which strengthens the therapeutic bond in order to reach goals and maintain treatment. Moreover, the use of verbal encouragement and reflection of feelings is helpful for strengthening the alliance (Sharpley, Tabary-Collins, Bates, Lee, & Fairne, 2000). Additionally, rapport is associated with better positive client outcomes due to the therapist-client interaction and is more important than the type of treatment being applied (Sharpley, et.al., 2000). An example, of when to employ these methods is when clients are at high risk to include complicated disorders such as borderline personality disorders. Many times a clinician will have to work with clients that are going through a lot of pain, traumatic moments, death, personal doubts, and professional risks that will require using the above methods to build rapport and overcome barriers (Geller & Greenberg,

Community-based support group observation and reaction paper is the first assignment that has to be completed for my class Social Work with Groups. In this assignment, I will discuss how I located the support group of my choice, what I was able to observe in the group session, and feelings or reactions I had during the process. This assignment will give a look into my first experience attending a real-life support group session from the other side of the coin. On this occasion, I was able to experience it from the point of view of a group member and not a facilitator which is definitely a shift in roles. Being able to go through this experience gives me the opportunity to experience a session firsthand and be able to observe and identify

The population I chose for this treatment group is the homeless population with a focus on life skills; more specifically with barriers to employment. The general population puts unrealistic expectations upon the homeless rather than meeting them with empathy and realistic support. Having a support group for the homeless population to talk to one another is beneficial in numerous ways. The group members can share tips and tricks, can validate one another, can build a sense of belonging and camaraderie, and the group could provide a safe outlet to learn, on their own terms, basic life skills to improve the populations day to day struggles.

On September 24, 2016 I had the pleasure of observing a group of individuals in an open, informal group setting sponsored through NAMI of Northern Virginia. The group was organized through Nami, and is called “Peer Recovery Group”. The group ranged in various ages from 18 through mid-50. Normally this group has a group of 6 to 12 members. The group session duration was approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. The group is a peer support group for people diagnosed with mental health diagnosis such as: depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and mild schizophrenia, and cognitive impairments. The members of the group are strictly voluntary, as no group member is court ordered or mandated to attend. Group selection process is not required because the group is open and informal. The Model theory for this group focuses on small talk and surface issues. The peer support group is not considered psychotherapy or lead by a licensed professional. The facilitators in the group are volunteers and have no formal degrees or background in mental health. They are chosen by other, facilitators of Nami then trained by Nami to become group facilitators. The groups are designed to share experiences and to provide support to one another.

Researchers have the opportunity to support a breadth of populations by guiding practitioners in the optimal construction and delivery of group therapy” (p. 196).

Further research topics include public interactions, and treatment for mental illnesses. Some mental illnesses require accommodations in pubic interactions in order to not overwhelm them. Therefore, an important topic would be to research how the public should interact with different types of mental illnesses in order to maintain healthy relationships that are vital for recovery or coping with the illness. Furthermore, researching treatments for mental illnesses would provide insight on ways for the mentally ill to cope with their illness besides relying solely on medication. Modifying the way people interact with the mentally ill would create positive relationships and help reduce the stigma.

Group counseling may be adverted to as a course of counseling, which takes a group of people coming together under one or more trained therapists, who simultaneously facilitate them and promote them to help one another to overcome their challenges. The group members are usually peers who may not necessarily face the same problem, but their problems may be linked. According to Jacobs, Masson, Harvill and Schimmel (2012), all members in a counseling group wish and desire personal growth. This kind of therapy has been employed over the years and it has produced excellent results in the lives of the group members.

Residential Treatment 4 hours and 1 hour spent with onsite superviser Richard Turnham {Week 4}.Today I had the pleasure of observing Christine during group discussions. The members in the group introduced themselves one by one. They also stated their reasonings for being in 12 and 12. Additionally, they revealed their drug of choice and some shared their length of addictions. Christy and I participated as well. Furthermore, the guys in the group expressed their feelings and shared their concerns. According to my studies, group therapy is a collaborative form of healing and is an effective tool and very therapeutic to members who have psychological and emotional issues that range from anxiety and depression, to also addiction and abuse. Thus,

A report on the interpersonal skills of listening, questioning and feedback and the benefits of these in the engineering field