Working with Groups

1. Working with Groups Chapter 12 Group work: The Treatment of Choice Group work: Better than one-on-one?

2. Group Work: A Key Human Services Modality • Value of Group work • Many problems are “interpersonally rooted” • Natural laboratory for interpersonal skills learning- help forming and maintain intimate relationships • Provides a sense of community-unique healing qualities (acceptance) • Universal human themes are discovered and explored together (exposing fallacies of uniqueness and abnormality) • Can be brief and cost-effective • Provides a feedback, learning from one another, support and challenge

3. Group Types and Stages • Psychoeducational groups focuses on the gradual development members’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills. The goal of these groups is to prevent an array of educational deficits and psychological problems. • Counseling groups focus on interpersonal concerns and address conscious thoughts, feelings, and behavior. These groups aim at helping participants resolve problems in living or dealing with developmental concerns.

4. Process and Skills • Intervene effectively when encountering defensiveness and conflict (self monitoring and share reactions without blame or criticism) • Be respectful and honest • Be courageous (don’t retreat from conflict) • Support and challenge- personal reactions not criticism

5. Working with a Co-leader • Two minds are better than one • Working chemistry and strengths: choice of a co-leader is critical How to get the most from a group experience • Twenty- one great guidelines on p.346-348 • Building trust • Commitment to goals • Flexible agenda • And more…

6. Working in the Community Chapter 13

7. Multiple Roles of Community Workers • Helpers need to be able to assume nontraditional roles if they hope to make an impact on social systems. These roles include: • Advocate • Change agent • Consultant • Adviser • Facilitator of indigenous support and/or healing systems

8. Community Intervention • The community approach involves four facets • 1. Direct Client Services -- Outreach approach • 2. Indirect Client Services -- Client advocacy • 3. Direct Community Services – Preventive education • 4. Indirect Community Services – Changing the social environment

9. Crisis Intervention • Crisis is a perception of an event that is intolerable and exceeds the person’s capacity for coping. • Crisis intervention is an approach aimed at minimizing psychological impairment and promoting psychological health.

10. Crisis Intervention • Developmental crisis pertains to some predictable lifespan problem at a particular stage of life. • Situational crisis is brought about by an unexpected event such as sexual assault, discovery of a serious illness in oneself or a loved one, the breakup of an intimate relationship, a serious financial setback, or a natural disaster, such as earthquakes and hurricanes. First-order intervention Second-order intervention

11. First Priorities…The Process of Crisis Intervention • Restoring equilibrium and coping • The most brilliant intervener is… fully present • Assess: First and/or second order (safety, immediate help) • Allowing/helping them to tell their story

12. Story telling: Allowing/Helping…The Process of Crisis Intervention Helping Opportunity Action/Follow up Facts- “What happened?” Thoughts- “How will you cope with this? Who could you talk to?” Thoughts- “What were you thinking?” Symptoms- Physically, what were you going through? Feelings- What was the worst part of this for you?