Irvin D. Yalom, author of the book The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, has vast knowledge and experience with group therapy and, in this book, imparted it to neophyte counselors in a logical and detailed format. The author carefully explained the therapeutic value of a group, the factors necessary to facilitate change, and the role of the therapist. The author emphasized the here-and-now focus, and how group members create a social microcosm of their life within the therapy group. Yalom advised on practical matters, like the selection of clients and the creation of the group. He then carefully explored the stages that groups move through and some problem members could encounter. On earth, God uses various religious leaders as instruments of His love and guidance—chaplains, counselors, pastors, and lay leaders. It is through these instruments that Jesus tells the grieving that it’s OK to cry. God is with you and will protect you. He is your counsel in your storm. We are not orphans. Instead, as Christians we belong to the family of Christ, who will comfort the afflicted. African American families have special challenges. In his novel When All Is Said and Done, author Robert Hill explored the large portion of women and adolescents who, through the years, have had to work inside and outside the home long before careers for women was ever established and became more acceptable and adaptable in society. Although Hill’s characters are Jewish, his story resonates on how necessary and extraordinarily versatile historical family roles are in African American families. Langston Hughes’s special poem, Mother to Son, likewise captures the voice of an African American mother’s struggles as she challenges her son to face life’... ... middle of paper ... ...in how African Americans handle the death process. They note that racism has an effect on bereavement and that the coping of each African American family is a personally unique cultural experience. The authors provide a clear guide to using a holistic approach when it comes to dealing with grief, loss, and emotional setbacks. They provide moving, real-life stories that reveal the unique role of faith in coping with racism and grief. The book Counseling in African-American Communities discussed how the gospel brings liberty to men, woman, and children bearing every conceivable sin and affliction. Psychology can provide a tool for applying the power of the gospel in practical ways. By combining the truth of the Bible with psychological principles, Christian counselors, pastors, and church leaders can meet the various needs of our communities with life-changing effect.
Dr. Irvin Yalom presents a simulation of a group therapy with some individuals who play different roles of patients in long-term therapy sessions. He provides this film to help students and therapists to master the significant principles of doing group therapy. According to him, to pick up members it is important to see them individually and determine who will be successful in the context of a particular group. Inclusion does not guarantee success. Clients will fail if they are unable to participate in the primary task of the group. Certain personalities have strong influences on counter group forces, and this point must be considered. For example, the film presents the group's task, which is examining their interpersonal behavior. In addition,
Similarly, inferiority feelings may be challenged to offset the negative concepts and values that form the roots of social and emotional issues. Group therapy can facilitate the social context in which the participants may develop the sense of belonging and community. Some of the beneficial dynamics of the group are the identification between group members’ behavior, participants can benefit from others group members’ feedback, ability to help other and receive support from others members. The group enables the possibility of trying new behaviors and encourages the other students to take action over their lives. There are four stages in group therapy that correspond to four goals in counseling: first establishing and maintaining interconnected relationships with another student of the group; the therapy is based on the idea of equality between members, mutual respect, and identical involvement. The introduction of self-rule bases from the counselor, who is the mediator, is important. Both, students and counselor work together in the process to explore and look for positive change during the sessions (Corey,
“Today as we experience the early part of the 21st century, the church remains at the center of community life, attending to the social, spiritual, and psychological needs of scores of African Americans. No other institution has claimed the loyalty and attention of African Americans as has the church” (Lee, 2006, p. 114). An overwhelming majority of African Americans rely solely on their faith and trust in a higher being in times of difficulty and crisis regardless of the nature or extent of the situation. “In traditional African societies, religion/spirituality permeated human existence. An individual’s entire life was spiritual phenomenon. Spirituality was an integral part of a unity principle in which humans, animals, plants, and natural phenomena were interrelated in a natural order with God being the driving force” (Lee, 2006, p. 58). While there is nothing that makes this belief or set of beliefs completely wrong, such practice limits their resources and excludes all other avenues of assistance. Group counseling is one of th...
As a student, practice is crucial to learn group therapy techniques. In order to achieve these practices, I attended 2 support groups of the same topic. Observation and attendance constructs an idea of how group therapy works. Attending this group was important because of the profoundness of its meaning and experiences I have witnessed.
This article closely examines different ethical, legal, and treatment issues that arise in school group counseling. The author starts by looking at some of the psychological issues that effect school aged children. He also suggest some appropriate topics to offer group counseling on such as a divorce group, a drug and alcohol abuse group, or a physical abuse group. The article goes on to explain several different types of group intervention such as educational guidance groups, counseling groups, and therapy groups. Five different stages of groups; forming stage, storming stage, norming stage, and the performing stage are broken down into 4 subset stages for clearer explanation. After addressing the group types and stages, legal and ethical issues such as consent, confidentiality, notification, member selection, choosing group topics, dangerous behavior, parental disclosure, dual relationships, counseling/progress notes, and boundaries are explored.
According to Wright (2014), grief is a necessary process filled with pain and anguish (p.81). The perspective of showing sympathy to individuals experiencing grief is one observed by many in the human service profession. Sympathy is a normal response shown to those grieving. Scripture discusses grief in many verses, for example Psalm 56:8 “You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle” and Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (New International Version).
Over the course of this semester I’ve learned more than I ever thought possible about group therapy. Our class started out like a small child, not knowing much about the life of group work even though groups are what shaped us into the people we are today. The article written by Aronson (2004), points out how much we grow into the people we are because of group interaction. At a young age we shape our self-image, self-esteem, the separation of family, and many more by participating in groups. This article left the biggest impact on me throughout the semester, ideas reviled by the author made a great deal of sense and related to our class work. Since most of our current mannerisms and personalities were once molded by group interaction, it makes sense to use group therapy as a treatment option. This article has stuck with me throughout the course and will probably do so throughout my life.
During this time, African Americans were becoming more culturally and politically evolved. They begin to produce novels, poems and plays. A recurring theme of the time was blatant racial pride and the developing idea that through intellect and creation of literature, art, and music they could challenge the pervading racism and promote free-thinking politics. The art and music that was produced was an imitation of life which they had endured. During this time, life had created the canvas of hate which African Americans used to create an artistic portrayal of their history. It was during this time that Langston Hughes penned his famous poem “Mother to Son” (Hughes,
Group therapy can offer the essential support acquired from others within the group who are experiencing similar, if not the same, struggles as his or her peers. When someone is on the other side of the equation, for instance, it can be quite difficult to comprehend the extent to which an individual is willing to go and the manner in which he or she explains the urge to indulge. Therefore, for relatable factors, those within the group could find comfort in knowing that he or she is not alone and make those much needed, healthy connections emerging from the group. Once connections are made and therapeutic relationships are established, which can take some time, the encouraging support with a sense of empathetic understanding should emerge and the seemingly alienation from the world can begin to diminish. It is the positive nourishment deriving from successful group counseling that can offer enrichment to his or her stagnated growth that effectively leads to the blooming expansion of his or her life once again (Van Wormer & Davis, 2013).
This analysis allowed me to apply group work concepts to an actual group therapy session. Although I was not the facilitator, I began to think more like a group worker. I was able to identify a significant moment, analyze it, and think more about what the group needed in the moment.
Essay 1: What is group cohesion? Why is it essential to conducting successful group therapy? What measures can a group therapist apply to encourage the development of group cohesion?
There are many different techniques and approaches to group counseling. The approach that I found to be the most interesting is the existential approach. “The existential perspective holds that we define ourselves by our choices” (Corey & Corey, 2014, p.114). This approach can be successful in therapy because it allows one to oversee one’s future. In this paper, I’m going to generally discuss the existential approach to therapy and where it can be used.
Group therapy is used as a common technique to help overcome denial, isolation, and the difficulties of dysfunctional interpersonal relationships. As with all treatment techniques, there is the issue of efficacy. Group therapy can be used in many ways to help people with a variety of concerns. There are advantages and some disadvantages of group therapy. There are different types of group therapy structures. The referral process of group therapy is important because in some cases, a referral is required to join a structured group therapy session. There are different stages in group therapy. The stages provide knowledge of how transition occurs in each of the stages. Depending
This group will be a psycho- educational group; it is a specific type of group therapy that focuses on educating students about ways that they can cope with problems they are dealing with such as Bullying. Psycho-educational is commonly utilized in comprehensive school counseling programs. It is suitable for individuals who may have some information shortfall in some areas. Consequently, the focus is to teach, discuss, orient, and cause an examination of member attitudes, values, beliefs, ideas and opinions. Group work has merit and is beneficial in many setting especially schools, it’s not only time saving for a school counselor but also therapeutic for the students. Many students that need therapeutic intervention are unlikely to receive
This is where and how new information is learned (Clark, 2015). Three group concepts that have impacted me to such an extent that I will change the way I approach group therapy in the future is the role of group members that are monopolizer’s or silent, how these types of group members impede group growth was also learned, and an understanding of group formation on a deeper level was also achieved (Gladding, 2012).