Afrocentric Group Therapy Video Analysis

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Recommended: An essay about cultural diversity

The video on Afrocentric group therapy (Pack-Brown, Whittington-Clark, & Parker, 2002) illustrated a many essential considerations in running a (culturally) heterogeneous group. The video placed an emphasis on the importance of acknowledging cultural influences on our individual experiences. Furthermore, the Afrocentric approach perceives human psych from a collective view. Therefore, people’s individual experiences are interconnected and influence one another. The group leaders’ emphasis on the collective perspective was clearly demonstrated during group sessions and debriefs. They frequently discussed dynamic between group members. They also discussed how they are affected by group members and vice versa (Pack-Brown, Whittington-Clark, & Parker, 2002). Yalom (1995) prostrated that group is a microcosm of the real world, which group members live. Often their lives are played out in the group. Hence, in this diverse society, it is difficult to avoid multicultural issues in group therapy. It appears that one of strengths of the Afrocentric approach is that it brings cultural issues into the center of group discussions. The video (Pack-Brown, …show more content…

I noticed that the facilitator was very active in the group. It appeared that her active participation in the process was necessary to establish ground rules and cohesion. I do not often feel comfortable being active in a group setting. I do not consider myself shy but I have a habit of observing people first. I do not always actively engage with people who I do not know well. When an aggressive person like “Barbara” is present in a group setting, I tend to retrieve to myself trying to digest my internal experience. I would be able to engage after a while but not initially. My tendency is not necessarily helpful in a group such as the one on the video. Reflecting on my tendency, I notice that I would do better when there is a co-leader who can support

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