AnnaTruttier_u07a1_Group_Goal_Setting

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Unit 7 and Group Structure and Management Anna Truttier COUN5832 – Group Counseling Application in Clinical Mental Health Counseling May 28 th , 2023 Dr. Philip Daniels

Working with young adolescents that just lived through unbelievable tragedy cultivating a bereavement group experience for them is essential. A few objectives must be discovered for the group counselor, the members, and the group to be successful and cohesive. Throughout this paper defining, group goals and objectives will be established to see each member’s measurable outcome and success. Formatting the group that best posits the group for success and the leadership style and perspective that enhances all members' counseling experience. Group Goal and Objectives The adolescents presenting in group counseling have just undergone a significant loss. Experiencing the loss of a family member or friend during this period of life can profoundly affect a young person's social functioning, physical and mental health, and development (Palmer et al., 2016). Since adolescents are still developing, their experience of grief is completely different from people twice their age. According to Palmer et al. (2016), research demonstrates that the grief reactions of adolescents and young adults differ from those of adults. Youth who struggle to cope with a significant loss without support and guidance are likelier to experience tremendous grief and distress (Palmer et al., 2016). Moreover, that is why it is crucial and imperative that the bereavement group provide a supportive atmosphere that will benefit the participating adolescents. The counselor that facilitates the group counseling must be responsible for helping establish group goals for the members. The way that these goals are set is through collaboration with its members. These goals must be obtainable as well as measurable. The group is up for failure if these measurable goals are too extensive and cannot be measured. The hope of working with grieving adolescents is to help them find a balance between normalcy and grief. This adolescent stage is meant to be full of life, explorations, and self- discovery. To help achieve this, a few measurable goals need to be defined for the group; enhancing their ability to cope, helping build problem-solving and communication skills, and 2

helping build self-esteem. Formatting the group is the next step now that the measurable goals are established. Group Format To recruit potential members of this counseling group, the setting largely dictates the strategy for recruiting members (Berg et al., 2017). An excellent place to start would be creating welcoming and inviting brochures that can be passed out or hung up for those to visualize. Creating these brochures is the first impression that a potential member will see. This can be a make or break for someone choosing to participate. Part of being a counselor is referring their clients to other clinicians. Regarding group counseling, the same can be done in this modality. According to Berg et al. (2017), counselors in private practice may solicit from other practitioners in agencies, schools, or hospitals. Moreover, another way to recruit members is to establish relationships with local schools. Clinicians in private practice need to connect to their community. Having this connection can allow for the accessibility of resources for the children in these schools. An established rapport with the faculty can create a way to serve the children that need it the most through counseling services, particularly group modalities. A group leader ensures that the group receives the most from every session. Growth and progress need to happen throughout the experience. For this to happen, pre-group interviews must transpire. This step can be time-consuming but is appropriate for the group's success (Berg et al., 2017). When conducting these pre-interviews, it is essential that the adolescents are made to feel comfortable and like they are not being pressured. Asking them simple questions like “What things do you want to do in a group session” or “What are some hobbies that interest you” Asking open-ended questions can spark momentum for the member and the leader to establish a rapport. These questions already give a feel for the potential group member. According to Berg et 3

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al. (2017), pre-interview screenings can create stamina for the group and identify and work out potential problems that could interfere with the group's progress. Choosing members that are fit for a group counseling setting is not to alienate members it is to provide a communicative atmosphere for those that need it. Some potential members need one-on-one counseling services. To determine these variables making sure that the young members have maintained or maintained interpersonal relationships in their day-to-day and establishing whether a person has a relative absence of extreme pathologies is essential (Berg, 2017). These members could impede success so they would be referred to one-on-one counseling. The group size, the meetings' length, and the meeting duration are all crucial variables. Small group sizes allow for more one-on-one time and can help cultivate a more cohesive group. Group cohesion, one process variable, may be understood as how group members work together to meet the participants’ emotional needs or a common goal (Marziliano et al., 2018). Having a counseling group with eight adolescents is a productive number. This allows for enough room for diversity for kids to learn from one another. Time is a crucial construct when working with adolescents. Time is limited for maintaining their attention and momentum. Ensuring that the group sessions are short enough, forty-five-minute sessions are the allotted time. The duration of this specific counseling group will be ten weeks. There are reasons why group sessions are successful in aiding growth in individuals for it to be. Successful conducting of effective group counseling relies heavily on the preparation done by its leaders (Marziliano et al., 2018). Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Using theoretical approaches in group counseling is a blueprint of how the group leader sees the world and how they will instill change in the group. Being a group leader, one must use 4

empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard (Berg et al., 2017). Seeing and understanding these three will allow for a healthy, safe, and growth-driven climate. Trauma- Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the theoretical approach that would benefit this bereavement group. As stated above, adolescent grief is complex and can lead to other mental disturbances if not treated appropriately. Studies have found that adolescents suffer from higher rates of unresolved grief, posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, behavior problems, and a pessimistic outlook (O’Donnell et al., 2014). Using Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in counseling groups is a reputable way of acknowledging the child’s trauma. This niche form of CBT is used directly for children that have just experienced life- altering experiences, i.e., the death of a parent (Chen & Panebianco, 2018). Qualitative research to back up the efficacy of TF-CBT states that using this specific theory appeared to help children communicate their feelings related to the loss and normalize their grief experience. With this evidence, Trauma Focused CBT has demonstrated positive outcomes in reducing post-traumatic disorder symptoms. Facilitating TF-CBT in group counseling sessions can help target the goals the leader has established for their group’s success. TF-CBT can help adolescent members process their traumatic memories, overcome problematic thoughts and behaviors, and develop coping and interpersonal skills. Mastering these trauma responses can, in turn, help the members achieve the goals that were set for them members. The chosen target goals were enhancing their ability to cope, helping build problem- solving and communication skills, and helping build self-esteem. Teaching the members relaxation, affective modulation, and cognitive coping skills will be crucial (De Arellano et al., 2014). 5

TF-CBT uses exposure principles and cognitive-restructuring techniques specific to the traumatic experience (De Arellano et al., 2014). The group leaders introduce them in small increments to people, places, and things that remind them of the trauma, allowing their bodies and mind to acclimate to the reminders slowly. The gradual exposure reduces distress associated with these reminders and decreases trauma-related reactions (De Arellano et al., 2014). Moreover, reconfiguring a person’s frame of thinking about the trauma will also form more adaptive ways of dealing with and processing the trauma. Grounding the members in this technique can help them build their ability to cope and self-esteem. Cognitive restructuring involves identifying inaccurate and unhelpful thoughts and beliefs (for example, self-blame) associated with traumatic events and developing more adaptive ways of understanding and drawing conclusions about the trauma and the victim’s reactions (De Arellano et al., 2014). These techniques can also help implement better problem-solving skills and communication skills. Co-leading a counseling group with bereaved adolescents can be beneficial if done correctly. If properly executed, co-leaders can implore resources, increase their therapeutic reach, and give them a safe, family-like atmosphere. If not done correctly, co-leads can do more harm than intended. If co-leads have conflicting personalities and cannot complement each other’s techniques, this leaves an opportunity for the demise of the group’s success. According to Berg et al. (2017), selecting a proper partner with positive and negative attributes to co-leadership is imperative. In order to successfully find a co-lead, interview selected candidates to see if their approach compliments yours and are cooperative in working collaboratively together. The next step in group counseling is now that the proper therapeutic application has been determined, exploring the appropriate leadership styles. Democratic Leadership Style 6

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Leadership styles are an important and effective way of cultivating a successful counseling group. The counseling group's effectiveness depends on the therapeutic environment that the leader provides to its members. These critical roles and duties, providing the therapeutic setting, supporting the development of members, and contributing to the formation of the therapeutic power’s effectiveness, lead to a positive therapeutic relationship between the leader and its members (Co-Leader in Group Counseling: Roles, Process, and Relationships, n.d.). Children within this counseling group need the leadership styles of a Democratic leader. This type of leadership encourages the members to share their ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Implementing democratic leadership focuses on three domains: group structure, verbal interaction, and emotional climate. Having a democratic style can encourage the members to be more creative with each other, values each other’s input, ignites participation, and promotes learning from one another (Tucker et al., 2020). Democratic leadership structures their group around safety and understanding of how to interact within the group (Tucker et al., 2020). Using this method with children in this specific group can facilitate protection. It also helps them to be understood by their peers in a group as they discuss their emotions and feelings. Furthermore, structuring these behaviors can implement better cohesiveness within the group. According to Tucket et al. (2020), structuring behaviors such as setting explicit norms have been found to predict better group outcomes. The second domain of the democratic leadership style is verbal interaction. This domain includes the encouragement of positive interactions between the members. The Democratic leader sees the importance of structuring positive interactions that they choose to use self- disclosure in a way that encourages the members to participate and not feel so alone. Leader behaviors in this domain have been associated with more significant interpersonal gain in group counseling (Tucker et al., 2020). This domain of verbal interactions encourages conversations to 7

take place. Encouraging children, specifically in this counseling group, can be an important way of infusing catharsis. Moreover, the third domain consists of the emotional climate of the group. This domain leans on clients' therapeutic expressions and feelings (Tucker et al., 2020). The democratic leader encourages emotional support between members and the leader. Pressing this emotional support can bring the clients together and form a close bond. Specific research has demonstrated the importance of engagement and empathy when the leaders are more active and have a structure within the counseling group. Implementing a structure around these three domains shows the efficacy of using democratic leadership when counseling groups. Conclusion Instilling change and hope in adolescents that experienced tragedy will take many resources, including counseling groups. The paper discovered a few objectives for the group counselor, the members, and the group to be successful and cohesive. Defining groups, group goals, and objectives were established. These objectives were used to establish members’ measurable outcomes and success. Along with formatting the group that best positions the group for success, the leadership style and perspective enhance all members' counseling experience. 8

References Berg, R. C., Landreth, G. L., & Fall, K. A. (2017). Group counseling: Concepts and procedures. Taylor & Francis Group. Chen, C. Y., & Panebianco, A. (2018). Interventions for Young Bereaved Children: A Systematic Review and Implications for School Mental Health Providers. Child & Youth Care Forum, 47(2), 151-171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-017-9426-x Co-Leader in Group Counseling: Roles, Process, and Relationships. (n.d.). Journal of Family, Counseling, and Education, 6(71–76), 0000-0003-1634–1734. De Arellano, M. A., Lyman, D. R., Jobe-Shields, L., George, P., Dougherty, R. H., Daniels, A. S., Ghose, S. S., Huang, L., & Delphin-Rittmon, M. E. (2014). Trauma-focused cognitive- behavioral therapy for children and adolescents: assessing the evidence. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 65(5), 591–602. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201300255 Gerhart, J., Holman, K., Seymour, B., Dinges, B., & Ronan, G. F. (2015). Group Process as a Mechanism of Change in the Group Treatment of Anger and Aggression. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 65 (2), 180–208. 101521ijgp2015652180 Marziliano, A., Pessin, H., Rosenfeld, B., & Breitbart, W. (2018). Measuring Cohesion and Self- Disclosure in Psychotherapy Groups for Patients with Advanced Cancer: An Analysis of the Psychometric Properties of the Group Therapy Experience Scale. International journal of group psychotherapy , 68 (3), 407–427. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2018.1435284 O'Donnell, K., Dorsey, S., Gong, W., Ostermann, J., Whetten, R., Cohen, J. A., Itemba, D., Manongi, R., & Whetten, K. (2014). Treating maladaptive grief and posttraumatic stress symptoms in orphaned children in Tanzania: group-based trauma-focused cognitive- 9

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behavioral therapy. Journal of trauma (6), pp. 664–671. attic stress, 27https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.21970 Palmer, M., Saviet, M., & Tourish, J. (2016). Understanding and Supporting Grieving Adolescents and Young Adults. Pediatric Nursing, 42 (6), 275–281. http://library.capella.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com %2Fscholarly-journals%2Funderstanding-supporting-grieving-adolescents%2Fdocview %2F2303660959%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D27965 Tucker, J. R., Wade, N. G., Abraham, W. T., Bitman-Heinrichs, R. L., Cornish, M. A., & Post, B. C. (2020). Modeling cohesion change in group counseling: The role of client characteristics, group variables, and leader behaviors. Journal of Counseling Psychology , 67 (3), 371–385. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000403 10

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