The Agenda Constructed For The Student Veteran Group

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

Veterans are heroes in the eyes of many citizens of the United States. There are over 20 million veterans that have risked their lives at young ages to help give the nation a fear free life. They serve and protect the land for their children, spouses, parents, family, and neighbors. Yet they are not treated with the love and respect they truly deserve. The veterans took a devastating loss when the “House Appropriations Subcommittee marked up the 2016 Veterans Affairs funding bill, and slashed more than $1.4 billion from the presidents requested budget for America’s Veterans” ( ask mrs. Pyle 8). Today, the veterans are treated worse than prisoners who have committed murder or rape. While these criminals have a safe and warm place to stay,

Association for Specialists in Group Work (2007). Best practice guidelines 2007 revision. Retrieved from http://asgw.org/pdf/Best_Practices.pdf

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ mission statement is to fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans. The department attempts to fulfill its mission through its Core Values. These values are captured in the acronym “I CARE”. It stands for Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. The department has a presidential cabinet secretary and is responsible for overseeing all veterans’ affairs on behalf of the United States government. The department has three administrations: Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Health Administration and National Cemetery Administration which

Basic Demographics (age, gender, socio demographic status, etc): This section should include much detail about every client/participant in the interaction,

In this paper I will identify the need for the group that was chosen. Part of the discussion will concentrate on the three key values used in the group approach with this population. The other will address models and theories of group practice, and the approach used by this group. The paper will also look at the key challenges or obstacles in group interventions with this population. Using the worksheet planning guide for social work group’s eight headings will be discussed. Briefly the readings from the course syllabus will be used in the development plan and incorporated in the paper will be the plans for an initial group session. Based on the skills inventory three critical skills will be addressed. Lastly a critique of a proposed group will be conducted.

The intended purpose of this study was to describe and understand the identity development of student veterans as they transitioned from active duty service members to students at a higher educational institution. This study was “phenomenological” in nature and focused on seven individual, veteran, full time students completing their first undergraduate degree at CU Denver. Despite the increased number of student veterans on campus, there remains a continued lack of understanding regarding this section of the student population at colleges across the United States and as I learned, here at CU Denver as well. It is important that campus administrators have a solid understanding of student veterans’ needs and experiences in order to better assist them while they are here at CU Denver. In my study I concentrated on the actual experiences of seven student veterans attending college full time. This method was chosen because of its in-depth interview nature and the focus on participants’ lived experiences and worldviews. Veterans have detailed life experiences that are often not understood by non-veterans so in explaining some of my findings we civilians could have problems relating or understanding. Because of the time limitations involved in this project, interviewing a larger number of participants was not feasible, especially considering the attention to detail required for personal, one-on-one discussions. Furthermore, since the study focused on student veteran identity

Group work has been a cornerstone of the social work profession and requires a variety of facilitator skills and awareness of group processes. The SSLDTM Group Program for People with Difficulties in Social Situations (Socialwork1914, 2017) provides an excellent example of a psycho-educational group co-facilitated by two female social workers, Jane and Karen. After viewing the 6th session of this 8-week program, I began to understand how the concepts of group formation/development, interpersonal dynamics, and leadership styles contribute to successful group work outcomes.

The purpose for the this interaction was to complete the Veteran’s psychosocial assessment and sign him up for classes.

Included were MSW and BSW students. Racial minorities totaled one-third of the sample. Anonymity and confidentiality was sustained by numbers being assigned to each mailing and a control register was used for non-respondents to receive one additional mailing. Out of 1,500 questionnaires mailed 26 were returned undeliverable. Out of the remaining questionnaires 667 were returned out of which 71 did not meet the criteria due to the student having not started their field practicum or no longer being enrolled in a social work program. There were 595 questionnaires generated which gave a response rate of 40.36% for the study (Criss, 2010).

At the beginning of the group, the facilitator asked the clients to identify group norms. The clients identified these group norms and wrote them on the white board; raise your hand, no crosstalk or side conversations, stay awake, be respectful of peers/facilitator and property, keep things discussed in group confidential and be willing to participate and offer support when needed. The group facilitator followed the Seeking Safety session format which is explained in the Seeking Safety: A treatment manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse written by Lisa M. Najavits. The session format includes four steps; 1) check-in, 2) quotation, 3) relate the topic to patients’ lives and 4) check-out (Najavits, n.d., p. 147-169).

A brief assessment of group processes experienced during preparation and presentation of the three cases: What worked well, what you can improve?

Going into facilitating the, “A Call to Action” group, I was a bit nervous. I was not sure I had the ability to facilitate well, along with the fact that I did not have the best experience in my own SOWK 287 group. I found that I was not perfect, but I had some skills and I had been given the resources to aid in my development of my group work skills. On top of that, I was also able to learn from my co-facilitators and the group we led. Beginning at the first group meeting, there was an effort to understanding the group process and members. I was able to use the skills learned and being taught in my social work classes, as well as from my past experiences. Each new week we seemed to have an increasingly better grasp on the weekly schedule, but there were always lessons being learned.

Question 3: Group work skills: Reviewing group work skills allowed the writer to understand the reason why these leadership skills are key in supporting members and creating cohesion. The writer plans to use these skills in the current field placement. Some skills, such as requesting information, and partializing can also be used in individual sessions and when working with families. The hope is to continue practicing the skills to master them. The writer will continue seeking consultation and feedback from the field instructor and group co-workers. Finally, the writer will observe group workers to continue obtaining additional group skills to use in social work practice. The following are vital leadership skills that all group workers should practice: