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GROUPS IN COUNSELING:Humanistic Groups, Gestalt Groups

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Theory and Practice of Counseling - PSY632
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Lesson 39
GROUPS IN COUNSELING
Theoretical Approaches
Psychoanalytic Group Counseling
·
Members of group often free associate to each other without therapist, report dreams analyze
resistance and transference of feelings towards therapist and other group members. Gives
improved levels of self-expression and to the development of heightened social skills.
·
Focus is still on free association, transference of resistance and working through.
·
The experience gives deeper analytic experience as individual learns anxiety tolerance in group.
·
Wolf's groups consist of eight to ten members (equal males and female) met for ninety minutes
thrice a week.
·
Counselor tells the clients that it's a problem of self understanding, learning what unconscious
motives excite us to behave.
·
Goals of counseling are increased satisfaction with one's self and greater improvement in social
behavior.
·
Finally one may experience all sorts of positive and negative attitudes about one another. Authority
and intimacy may develop within a group.
Transactional Analysis
·
Goal of TA therapy is to help people to relate to others as adults.
·
Developed by Eric Berne (1961)
·
Different aspects of group members' interactions are analyzed in TA.
·
Analysis focus is on three chief ego states within each person: Child, Adult, and Parent. People
sometimes try to act toward others as if they are that person's parent or child, which creates
problems in human interactions.
·
Other aspect of emphasis is games.
·
TA is swift-moving, action oriented approach.
Humanistic Groups
Sensitivity groups and encounter groups are two types of group therapy derived from the humanistic
approach.
Gestalt Groups
·
Oriented towards experience of the individual patient.
·
Bits of role playing.
·
Reporting the dreams is also important.
·
Dialogue between patients is emphasized.
·
Hot seat approach ­patients are asked to experience their feelings and behavior to lose their minds
and find their senses.
Other members may be asked to participate.
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Behavioral Groups
Behavior groups are used to conduct desensitization sessions, model interpersonal skills, or use cognitive
restructuring interventions in groups. Groups are usually time limited with same clients and clients learn
assertiveness and self expression.
Rating of Theory Strength at Three Group Levels (Ward, 1982)
Below is illustrated a model for the more effective use of theory in group work as well as the theory
strengths of various approaches:.
Theory
Individual Inter-personal Group
Freud
Strong
Weak
Weak
Perls
Strong
Weak
Weak
Behavioral Strong
Weak
Weak
Ellis
Strong
Medium
Weak
Berne
Strong
Strong
Weak
Rogers
Strong
Medium
Medium
Issues in Groups
·
Selection and preparation of group members
·
Group size and duration
Groups consist of five to ten patients; Sessions are at least once a week for 90 minutes to
o
two hours.
·
Open versus closed groups
Open group admits new members but closed group doesn't.
o
·
Confidentiality
·
Physical structure
Counselor sees all group members concurrently on individual basis or only at group
o
therapy meetings. Some counselors use heterogeneous group while others use
homogeneous. People are often seated in circle, or around table. Both heterogeneous and
homogeneous groups are suggested.
·
Co-leaders
Co-leaders are usually beneficial when new counselors organize groups. They can have
o
some experienced co-leader. They are also beneficial when there are more than 10 people
in the group. Usually group leaders sit opposite to each other.
·
Self-disclosure
Self-disclosure is dependent on mutual trust.
o
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Feedback
Feedback is the most important and abused part. The appropriate timing of feedback is at
o
the end of a session or before termination. The feedback should be clear, concise and
concrete it shall be beneficial for the receiver and not serve the needs of the giver.
·
Follow-up
Follow-up is appropriate after 3 months according to Corey.
o
Stages of Groups
·
Forming
Foundation is laid down in the forming stage. It is similar to infancy period, when infant is
o
dependent and faces anxiety.
·
Storming
Like adolescence, group members seek to establish themselves in group hierarchy
o
·
Norming
It refers to the period of group cohesion. It is similar to young adulthood, when people
o
have survived the storm.
·
Performing
Like adults, people perform productively at this stage.
o
·
Adjourning/ Mourning
This is the good-bye time when members feel either fulfilled or bitter.
o
The Curative Factors
Yalom(1975) specified a set of curative factors in a group setting:
·
Imparting information.
Information giving occurs through didactic instruction. Psychoeducation occurs explicitly through
therapist but also comes from other members
Instruction from members: not the content that is relevant but the process
·
Instilling hope.
Hope is required to keep the client in counseling and faith in the treatment. This is therapeutically
effective and can be given as pre-group orientation.
·
Universality.
Clients initially feel unique, however, group approach allows them to learn that others have similar
problems; "top secret task"
·
Altruism.
Patients receive altruism through giving.
·
Interpersonal learning.
Is one of the primary mechanisms of change.
·
Development of Socializing Techniques: present in all groups but the nature of the skills and the process
of teaching varies
·
Imitative behavior.
Therapists model certain behaviors; is also possible through role playing
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Corrective recapitulation of the family group.
Group resembles a family; members will interact with others in modes that are reminiscent of the
way they once acted with siblings and parents; fixed roles are explored and challenged in the group.
Corrective recapitulation of primary family in group context can help clients understand and
resolve problems related to family. Corrective emotional experience: expose patient under favorable
conditions to emotional situations that he/she could not handle in the past
·
Catharsis.
A necessary but not sufficient condition for therapeutic change; the feelings behind the catharsis
are more relevant.
·
Group cohesiveness.
Refers to condition of members feeling warmth and comfort in the group, belonging, valuing the
group and feeling they are valued and unconditionally supported and accepted by other members.
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION:Counseling Journals, Definitions of Counseling
  2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND COUNSELING & PSYCHOTHERAPY
  3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1900-1909:Frank Parson, Psychopathic Hospitals
  4. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:Recent Trends in Counseling
  5. GOALS & ACTIVITIES GOALS OF COUNSELING:Facilitating Behavior Change
  6. ETHICAL & LEGAL ISSUES IN COUNSELING:Development of Codes
  7. ETHICAL & LEGAL ISSUES IN COUNSELING:Keeping Relationships Professional
  8. EFFECTIVE COUNSELOR:Personal Characteristics Model
  9. EFFECTIVE COUNSELOR:Humanism, People Orientation, Intellectual Curiosity
  10. EFFECTIVE COUNSELOR:Cultural Bias in Theory and Practice, Stress and Burnout
  11. COUNSELING SKILLS:Microskills, Body Language & Movement, Paralinguistics
  12. COUNSELING SKILLS COUNSELOR’S NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION:Use of Space
  13. COUNSELING SKILLS HINTS TO MAINTAIN CONGRUENCE:
  14. LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING SKILLS:Barriers to an Accepting Attitude
  15. LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING SKILLS:Suggestive Questions,
  16. LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING SKILLS:Tips for Paraphrasing, Summarizing Skills
  17. INFLUENCING SKILLS:Basic Listening Sequence (BLS), Interpretation/ Reframing
  18. FOCUSING & CHALLENGING SKILLS:Focused and Selective Attention, Family focus
  19. COUNSELING PROCESS:Link to the Previous Lecture
  20. COUNSELING PROCESS:The Initial Session, Counselor-initiated, Advice Giving
  21. COUNSELING PROCESS:Transference & Counter-transference
  22. THEORY IN THE PRACTICE OF COUNSELING:Timing of Termination
  23. PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACHES TO COUNSELING:View of Human Nature
  24. CLASSICAL PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH:Psychic Determination, Anxiety
  25. NEO-FREUDIANS:Strengths, Weaknesses, NEO-FREUDIANS, Family Constellation
  26. NEO-FREUDIANS:Task setting, Composition of Personality, The Shadow
  27. NEO-FREUDIANS:Ten Neurotic Needs, Modes of Experiencing
  28. CLIENT-CENTERED APPROACH:Background of his approach, Techniques
  29. GESTALT THERAPY:Fritz Perls, Causes of Human Difficulties
  30. GESTALT THERAPY:Role of the Counselor, Assessment
  31. EXISTENTIAL THERAPY:Rollo May, Role of Counselor, Logotherapy
  32. COGNITIVE APPROACHES TO COUNSELING:Stress-Inoculation Therapy
  33. COGNITIVE APPROACHES TO COUNSELING:Role of the Counselor
  34. TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS:Eric Berne, The child ego state, Transactional Analysis
  35. BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES:Respondent Learning, Social Learning Theory
  36. BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES:Use of reinforcers, Maintenance, Extinction
  37. REALITY THERAPY:Role of the Counselor, Strengths, Limitations
  38. GROUPS IN COUNSELING:Major benefits, Traditional & Historical Groups
  39. GROUPS IN COUNSELING:Humanistic Groups, Gestalt Groups
  40. MARRIAGE & FAMILY COUNSELING:Systems Theory, Postwar changes
  41. MARRIAGE & FAMILY COUNSELING:Concepts Related to Circular Causality
  42. CAREER COUNSELING:Situational Approaches, Decision Theory
  43. COMMUNITY COUNSELING & CONSULTING:Community Counseling
  44. DIAGNOSIS & ASSESSMENT:Assessment Techniques, Observation
  45. FINAL OVERVIEW:Ethical issues, Influencing skills, Counseling Approaches