Chapter 17
Group Counseling with Children
CHAPTEROVERVIEW
Children and adults function as members of groups in their daily activities - in the family, the classroom, the work setting, or the peer group. Many counselors believe that group interventions are more natural than individual counseling for working with people. this chapter provides an overview of group counseling, some suggestions for further training, and techniques for use by those trained in group counseling skills.
CHAPTEROBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, the student will be able to:
- Give an overview of group counseling.
- Describe psychoeducational groups, counseling groups, and group therapy.
- Discuss several different theoretical orientations of group counseling.
- Describe skills and personal characteristics of effective group leaders.
- Discuss different classifications of counseling groups.
- Explain the process of group counseling.
- Understand specific procedures and techniques that facilitate constructive client change in groups.
- Outline the phases for group crisis counseling.
CHAPTERSUMMARY
This chapter presents an overview of group counseling with suggestions for those who already possess the knowledge and skills to conduct groups or who intend to pursue further training.
A group, according to Gladding, consists of at least two individuals who interdependently meet together, are aware of belonging to the group, and are striving toward achievement of agreed-upon goals. The primary goal of group work with children is to provide opportunities to increase the knowledge and skills in order to help them make choices and successfully complete them. Psycho-educationgroups emphasize using educational methods to obtain information and develop meaning and skills. They may focus on such topics as attitudes, beliefs, working together, communicating, and building friendship skills, and often lead to improved skills and self-esteem. Counselinggroups are also growth oriented, with members generally including children who are experiencing some stress in their lives. Group interactions may revolve around concerns with interpersonal relationships, social skills, study skills, values, problem solving, or making decisions. They may also be designed for children who are facing transitions such as divorce of parents, a death, or school problems. Group therapy deals with unconscious motivations with the goal of changing personality. These groups focus on remediation and treatment of those who are severely disturbed or who are exhibiting socially deviant behavior. Schools can provide special opportunities for group work for both prevention and intervention.
Group counseling methods are often adapted from theoretical approaches to counseling. Adlerian, reality therapy, behavioral, rational-emotive-behavioral therapy, transactional analysis, and Gestalt therapy are examples of theories of counseling that have been readily applied to group counseling. The relationship skills emphasized by person-centered counselors are highly applicable, as the therapeutic relationship is an essential ingredient in individual and group work.
Other important skills of the effective group leader have been included as identified by the Association for Specialists in Group Work and by several notable authorities. The important personal characteristics of group facilitators according to Corey are presence, personal power, courage, willingness to confront oneself, sincerity and authenticity, sense of identity, belief in group process and enthusiasm for it, inventiveness, and creativity.
Besides the counseling skills and techniques used for individual counseling, the group counselor has the additional tasks of directing communication traffic, facilitating the group process, blocking harmful group behaviors, connecting ideas, obtaining a consensus, moderating discussion, summarizing, and supporting children who need encouragement and reinforcement. Group leaders should be clear about the purpose of the group and must know the theory from which they are working.
When planning a group, an important first step is deciding on the group focus. Counselors will decide the logistics of a group based on the type of group being held. Just as topics may be determined by the needs of the school and/or community, the topics, resources and activities may be predicated on the age of the participants. Greenberg classified groups as the following:
- Remedial groups - involving typical student problems (Ex., study skills, listening skills, and overcoming test anxiety)
- Support groups - dealing with more personal problems, allowing children to realize others face similar challenges in issues (Ex., parental divorce, stopping a habit or being new to a school)
- Preventive groups - focusing on avoiding difficulties (Ex., problem-solving, anger management, and handling stress)
Bergin discussed these three types of groups for children and adolescents:
- Developmental groups - helping children meet their challenges in the process of growing (Ex., personal identity, relationships, emotional and behavioral development, academic achievement, and career planning)
- Problem-centered groups – Often focusing on the here-and-now experience and more open-ended with topics determined by the concern of the group participants at the time of the meeting (Ex., for elementary students: relationships, conflicts with authority figures, peer groups; for adolescents: dating, sexual matters, and balancing commitments)
- Topic-specific groups focus on the needs of young people who have a serious situational difficulty (Ex., grief and loss, divorce and separation, suicide, and teen parenting)
Counselors make selections of the group members based on a number of considerations, including their theoretical orientations, whether they desire a heterogeneous or homogeneous group, a child’s appropriateness for group due to his or her behaviors, and gender balance issues. Suggestions are given for recruiting members. Screening interviews can be helpful in efforts to determine if a child can contribute to and benefit from a group. The number of children selected for a group depends on age, maturity, and attention span, with a maximum recommended number of children being eight. Group setting involves additional important considerations when forming a group.
Several authors have explained different group stages and most include a movement through stages of beginning, transition, working and leaving. These stages are discussed, with some characteristics and leader functions noted. The initial stage includes orientation and exploration. During the transition stage challenge and resistance occur. The third stage is the working stage in which cohesion and productivity are evident. The final stage is consolidation and termination. By the end, the leader should make arrangements for some follow-up and evaluation of the group process.
Additional detail is included regarding the process. Part of the first session is used to clarify some ground rules and other guidelines for the group. Building cohesiveness and trust are of particular importance. Suggestions are given for leadership of the second session. As the leader models facilitative behaviors, group members begin to participate in the helping process and become more effective helpers for one another. The group process closely follows the format for individual counseling. Establishing a relationship, defining the problem, exploring previous solutions, looking at alternatives, setting a goal, trying new behaviors, and reporting and evaluating results are the parts of that process. The group process can be guided by questions about accomplishments, responses, changes and leader effectiveness.
The role of group counselors varies with different aged children. Suggestions regarding topics and guidelines for different ages are included, as are results of research studies, information pertaining to the evaluation of groups, and a transcript of a segment of group.
Counselors may show teachers ways to use classroom meetings. Those gathering may be educational-diagnostic, social-problem-solving, or open-ended meetings. Guidelines for leading classroom meetings are included in this chapter.
Group crisis counseling may be needed after traumatic events. The steps as outlined by Gilliland and James include: (1) defining the problem, (2) assuring the physical and psychological safety of the children, (3) providing support through verbal and non-verbal means, (4) examining alternatives, (5) making action plans and (6) obtaining commitments to take positive action. Counselors should evaluate the severity of the crisis in the client’s perception, appraise the client’s thinking, feelings and behaviors, determine the danger and length of time in the crisis mode, look for contributing factors, and evaluate resources. Interventions may proceed through an introductory phase, fact phase, feeling phase, symptoms phase, teaching phase and summary phase.
KEYCONCEPTS
1.An important purpose of group counseling with children is to provide a setting in which children can unlearn inappropriate behaviors and learn new ways of relating more easily through interaction and feedback situations with their peers.
2.Group counseling is a helping procedure that includes members exploring their own worlds for identifying self-defeating processes. They can then make decisions about commitments for changes in their lives.
3.Psycho-educational groups, counseling groups, and group therapy have similarities and unique characteristics.
4.The number of group counseling approaches almost equals the number of counseling theories.
5.Personal characteristics of the leader as well as professional group leadership skills have been identified as crucial for group counseling effectiveness.
6.The competent group leader understands and is able to facilitate the tasks of each stage of the group counseling process.
7.Counselors can help teachers learn ways to use classroom meetings.
8.Group crisis counseling may be needed after a traumatic event.
KEY TERMS, CONCEPTS, and PERSONALITIES
Group counseling – Groups that are held in schools and mental health agencies. These groups focus primarily on personal, educational, social, or career issues.
Group therapy – Groups that deal with unconscious motivations and look to effect personality changes.
Screening interview – An individual conference held with potential members of a group. The counselor gets to know the individual and defines goals.
Psycho-educational groups – Groups that emphasize using educational methods to help members obtain information and develop meaning and skills.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Match the following group types with the appropriate description:
a. Developmental groups
b. Problem-centered groups
c. Topic-specific groups
A. Is primarily growth-oriented; is aimed at enhancing a person’s ability to be independent and responsible
B. Involves immediate, serious concerns related to a situational difficulty such dealing with grief and loss
C. Open-ended groups with topics determined by the concerns of the participants at the time of the meeting
2. A therapist who sees group counseling as a natural environment for children because humans are social beings and need to belong to a community or a group probably follows which theoretical orientation?
A. REBT
B. Adlerian
C. Behavioral
D. Reality Therapy
3. Relaxation training, modeling techniques, and assertiveness training are all examples of group techniques from this theoretical orientation
A. Behavioral
B. REBT
C. Gestalt
D. TA
4. When group members are reluctant to begin a session by bringing up concerns, the group leader can:
A. reflect feelings.
B. establishing ground rules.
C. try an icebreaker if appropriate.
D. both A and C
5. In order for a group to function effectively, the maximum number of children should be:
A. 6.
B. 8.
C. 10.
D. 12.
6. One technique effective group leaders use to help group members begin to take part in the helping process and become effective helpers for one another is:
A. confronting.
B. teaching.
C. modeling.
D. goal setting.
7. Groups focusing on prevention should be designed to do all of the following except:
A. modify negative behavior patterns.
B. stimulate thinking and discussion.
C. enhance problem solving skills.
D. make students feel included.
8. All of the following personal characteristics are essential to effective group leadership except:
A. personal power.
B. courage.
C. sincerity.
D. control.
9. Corey’s (2000) four stages of group counseling include all of the following except:
A. orientation and exploration.
B. cohesion and productivity.
C. expectation and motivation.
D. consolidation and termination.
10. All of the following are steps for crisis counseling except:
A. define the problem.
B. assume client’s commitment to take positive action.
C. provide support.
D. examine alternatives.
11. Some suggested group topics for children’s developmental groups are which of the following:
- career awareness
- problem solving
- social skills
- all of the above
12. Which of the following children would probably not be as likely as some others to benefit from group counseling?
- one who is shy
- one who is a star athlete
- one who is overly sensitive to criticism
- one who is the teacher’s pet
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1.Explain the group process from its establishment to its termination.
2.Describe the characteristics and interventions of an effective group leader.
3.Briefly compare and contrast the various group-counseling orientations.
ACTIVITIES
1.With a partner, perform an intake interview for a group you would like to establish.
2.Choose a topic and population for a group counseling intervention and draw up an outline for a minimum of 6 meetings: activities to be included, topics to be discussed, rules to be established, etc. Create the form you will use to determine the effectiveness of the group also.
3.Prepare an evaluation sheet that you can use in future groups to gain a better understanding of your performance as a group leader and to assess any changes that need to be made.
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