Psychotherapy Vs Group Therapy

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.

Each person is unique with different gifts, abilities, and struggles. Counselors are committed to walk with individuals on their journeys to growth and healing without judgement.

The Self-Inventory test for chapter one is a series of questions that ask about how one views Counselors as a person and a professional. Some of these questions were simple to answer because there is already a strong opinion towards the context. Others, however, were much trickier to answer. Mainly because I have not thought about the certain circumstance that was presented before.

When one thinks of a counselor, what ideas come to mind? To advise, to instruct, to counsel? My reaction to counseling in my early days in the profession was to receive guidance from a professional when I did not have the answers myself or when I felt “stuck” with a problem in my personal life that I felt I could not solve. What did I wish to get from seeing a counselor? The question depends on what aspect you are seeking guidance or counsel in your life. The question changed when I began to pursue a career in counseling. The question became “Why do I want to be a counselor? Who do I want to serve? What

It is my belief, a school counselor must have the personality characteristics of an effective counselor and have a personal approach to treatment. Personal characteristics of an effective counselor are as follows: making life oriented choices, being authentic, sincere, and honest with students at all times. Other characteristics consist of appreciating the influence of different cultures and being passionate with students as they are counseled. Having the respect for others, regardless of culture, race, and ethnicity are also characteristics of being a great counselor. Being authentic, honest, and sincere helps build a great rapport with students, parents, and co-workers. Students need someone to be passionate and show genuine concern when helping them through their educational journey. Each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It should be a counselor’s desire along with teaching staff to help students meet their needs to their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites shared ideas.

The counselor should have good listening skills, seek understanding by asking open-ended questions and being attentive to what the person is trying to convey. The counselor should be aware of his or her own body language and to use encouragers, such as nodding their head during the conversation. In many cases, if the counselor takes this extra step to have a positive working alliance successful job placement will be achieved. The working alliance can be developed through the counselor expressing warmth, respect, and show interest in the client (McCarthy, 2014, p.

They have to be worthy to talk to people and have listening skills. Listening skills are positive skills to have while taking on this job. They have to have an outgoing personality to be a counselor because they are around different types of people all day and have to get along with them and become closer to their patients every time. (“Working Conditions”, 1). Employees are paid hourly about a median amount.

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.

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

These counselors must have knowledge in psychology, sociology, therapy, and teaching. Some basic skills needed include listening to others, asking good questions, and talking to other. The abilities need are straightforward; they are communicative by speaking, listen to what people say, notice a problem and understand how to solve it, and pay attention without getting distracted. A person who wants to be one of these specific types of counselor must have an interest in teaching, helping others, and talking. The type of personality that is best for this job is one that has self-control, concern for others, cooperation, and integrity.

Group counseling not only allows for members to learn from their therapist, it also allows for them to learn from personal experiences of other members and to gain insights and ideas on the issues they are confronting. Group counseling also helps in improving social skills among the members as they are able to interact freely in and out of the group. This way members can be more confident and open to interactions during the sessions. Group therapy influences growth and change to those involved. Also, it increases their self-awareness and enables them to gain sustenance from each other. Group counseling is also favorable to the therapist as they are able to gain faster and more efficient results for their members by counseling them simultaneously rather than one at a time. Jacobs, Mason, Harvill and Schimmel (2012) describe group counseling

A counselor should be very observant and able to interpret non-verbal communication for example if the patient looks angry, and then find out the cause of his/her anger first. An effective counselor should provide non-possessive warmth in a counseling environment. Smile and show concern and acceptance by showing comfort, empathy, and understanding to the patient.

Due to their divergent focus, group counseling and group psychotherapy also differ in relation to their goals. Since group