Reflective Essay: The Role Of Communication In Support Groups

We have not required group attendance on this unit for the last couple of months, but we do turn off the television and inform them that not participating in groups has to be documented in the record of care. Most of those that decline group activities are those that would be most likely to disrupt the groups, so it has worked well so far. I am concerned about how we can safely navigate the patient doors being unlocked all day with the setup of our units.

The Cokesbury United Methodist Church grief support group follows a thirteen-week curriculum from GriefShare, however, new members can join in at any time as each week has a “self-contained” lesson. The topic for the week I attendee focused on the “why” of losing a loved one. Through following this curriculum, the group seeks to equip members with “essentials to recover from the hurt of grief and loss.” (GriefShare, n.d.) The group focuses on helping members rebuild their lives after they experience tremendous loss and grief through facing the challenge together. (GriefShare, n.d.)

Communication is very important in order to express needs and emotions. There are two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal, both of which are important in understanding and supporting someone.

Support groups bring together people facing similar issues, whether that's illness, relationship problems or major life changes. Members of support groups often share experiences and advice. It can be helpful just getting to talk with other people who are in the same boat. While not everyone wants or needs support beyond that offered by family and friends, you may find it helpful to turn to others outside your immediate circle. A support group can help you cope better and feel less isolated as you make connections with others facing similar challenges. A support group shouldn't replace your standard medical care, but it can be a valuable resource to help you cope (Staff, 2013).

When analyzing the photos logos, I broke the image down into its foreground and background and noted how each obvious and subliminal element added to the depth and understanding of the over all message. Then I analyzed in one group the Ethos/Pathos and explained how finding the image on BuzzFeed helped us understand the intended audience therefore leading us to the correct understanding of the photo. The photograph breaks many down many stereotypes of your cliché geriatric couple and shines a whole new light on what it means to be

Group therapy for me was a very new concept. My understanding towards group therapy was that every one share their concern issues and goup members discuss about that issue and get different perspectives about how to deal with that issue by building cohession and trust among the members. According to zander (1968) a group is a collection of individuals who have relation to one another that make them interdependent to some significant degree. , Group therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time.Generally, the counselling group has a speific focus, which may be educational, vocational, social or

In this reflective essay I will provide an analysis of the counselling session I conducted and recorded. This will include a summary of the session. I will also describe the micro and advanced counselling skills utalised, as well as a critical evaluation of their effectiveness. A discussion of my application of these skills, as well as areas of possible improvement will supported by reference to relevant literature.

I have attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the past; I would attend the meetings with family or friends as their support. My earliest experience was around the age of thirteen when I attended the meeting in support of my father. To this day, I don’t forget the story the speaker told us. I listened to a man who spoke of the suffering alcohol and drugs caused his family. He told us about the day he died alone at home with his two young children. The oldest child was seven years old and was able to call for assistance. The story left me in tears, understanding how his children must feel with the death of their father an everyday threat. Walking into the AA meeting for my assignment, I never expected to feel nervous. One thing that I didn’t account for was the fact that this time I would be alone. The fear that I felt wasn’t of the people that were going to be there, it was more the fear of being an outsider. I couldn’t just state that I was there to support a loved one. I didn’t expect that I would feel as though I wouldn’t be welcomed. However, as I walked into the dated brick building, I was immediately greeted with kindness and my nerves were put at ease.

The forth picture represents hope. I chose hope under the symbol of God because when people are in crisis they tend to hope to God for their safety, and for them to be okay. As humans we pay our respects to one another, hoping that God can grant that wish. We also have hope in God that they would guide us to the right dirction in life. We hope since we trust them. They would never leave us or cast us away.

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

Although communication involves interaction between people, the person you are interacting with does not always need to be physically there with you. Think about something you have seen on the television, a song you have heard on the radio today, or a story you have read in a magazine or a newspaper – the person who is communicating with you is not there, but is still communicating with you, though different methods.

The image shows a woman surrounded by people, all of which are wearing grief stricken expressions - they are mourning a loss. Adversity is displayed through courage and resilience, and the woman in the centre of the photo is facing upwards, perhaps in a display of defiance, as if she will not completely give in to the mourning that is going on around her, acting defiantly in the face of death.

In the grief support group I co-lead with a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and supervised by a Master of Social Work I learned how to facilitate a meeting. The LPCC taught me the person-centered approach and the social worker taught me to monitor client’s progression of goals. She allowed me to take lead, to link members together by similarities they share, and to give members homework. The LPCC believed in self-disclosure, she demonstrated this for me in a fantastic manner the social worker I was with did as well. Teaching me that it is great to self-disclose when appropriate and when it will benefit the progression of the group or for them to feel comfortable trusting the leader. In my group sessions I did not deem self-disclosure appropriate to use. How I will translate this is to be aware of my clients, to ask them what goals they hope to achieve, and for them to keep journals of progress. I will create a safe atmosphere for clients to speak, provide affirmation, and help clients set and maintain goals.

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.

Effective group communications come in forms of verbal and non-verbal techniques. Essential parts of the entire group’s contribution are that the group contains full participating members, the group is diverse, and that the diversity is recognized and respected (Hartley, 1997). In the videos viewed, three were evaluated on the effective and ineffective communication skills of the participants and suggestions made on how they could improve. The videos are titled, “Planning a Playground”, “Helping Annie”, and "The Politics of Sociology.