Jade Pearson

Core 6 Reflections
Core 6: GROUP COUNSELING AND GROUP WORK

a. theoretical foundations of group counseling and group work and c. therapeutic factors and

how they contribute to group effectiveness

Group counseling is a great way to disseminate information while also creating an

environment for clients to feel heard and seen. In reference to 6a, group counseling’s theoretical

foundation applies a systems model, holding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

(Brown, 2018). The focus is on subgroups and communication to learn clear, congruent

communication skills. The counselor points out confusing or contradictory messages and serves

as a role model for clear communication. In reference to 6c, therapeutic factors include altruism,

cohesion, universality, interpersonal learning input and output, guidance, catharsis, identification,

family re-enactment, self-understanding, instillation of hope, and existential factors (Brown,

2018).

Instillation of hope involves seeing others cope with problems similar to theirs,

overcoming obstacles that may be overwhelming, and achieving recovery goals that can inspire

new members of the group. Information giving increases members’ knowledge and

understanding about their shared experience and can provide relief. Sharing ideas and

information helps members understand what they are going through and allows them to help

others suffering from a similar problem. Catharsis involves releasing conscious and unconscious

feelings that provide therapeutic relief. With the support of its members, group therapy allows

the release of pent-up emotions in a safe and supportive environment.

In reference to both 6a and 6c, In the tenure of my counseling program, I was able to

lead a psychoeducational group for Black college students. The theoretical foundation of group
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Core 6 Reflections
counseling helps me conceptualize disseminating information, utilizing a systems model. I

conceptualize that each member is essential to the group for the group and I encouraged all

members to participate (6a). Indeed, all members participated in each hour and a half long

session, sometimes going to two hours. I modeled communication skills encouraging the students

to communicate amongst themselves, sharing insight on their personal experiences (6c). I believe

the therapeutic factor of interpersonal learning helps students see things from a different

perspective.

The installation of hope helped the group to cope collectively and overcome

overwhelming obstacles (6c). One obstacle, for example, was feeling isolated during the

COVID-19 pandemic overwhelming obstacles. One obstacle for example was feeling isolated on

campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. By sharing each other’s experience, I believe that

students were able to by sharing each other’s experience, I believe that students were able to feel

heard and seen and included.

Theoretical foundations of group counseling help to inform the counselor or student

affairs professional in their practice. The systems model of counseling asserts that the whole is

greater than the sum of its parts informs group counseling. Therapeutic factors for group

counseling offer ways for the participants to heal. Overall I believe that group counseling and

group work is an excellent way for college students who identify similarly to come together and

essentially help each other succeed in college.

b. dynamics associated with group process and development and f. types of groups and other

considerations that affect conducting groups in varied settings

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Core 6 Reflections
Group counseling leaders recognize that groups go through five stages: dependency,

conflict, cohesion, interdependence, and termination. Process groups’ power lies in the unique

opportunity to receive multiple perspectives, support, encouragement, and feedback from other

individuals in a safe and confidential environment. In reference to 6b, there are five stages to

group process and development. These include Forming; the orientation phase, Storming; the

transition phase, Norming; the cohesiveness stage, Working; the performing phase and

Adjourning; the termination phase (Brown, 2018).

Types of groups include psychoeducational groups, counseling groups, psychotherapy

groups, and self-help groups (Brown, 2018) (6f). Process and development for each group would

be very similar (6b). The therapeutic factor of sharing thoughts and feelings with others who

experience similar dynamics can be pretty decisive for healing. Other considerations include the

types of setting where groups take place (6f). There are both in-person and virtual settings. Both

settings come with different dynamics. Dynamics associated with an in-person session can

include meeting space, space temperature, location, parking, and privacy (6b). Dynamics related

to virtual settings include internet connection, camera usage, microphone volume, and a quiet

and private location.

Although counseling groups vary, members need a specific, consistent time and place to

meet. Most groups meet for one and one half to two hours each week for 12 to 16 sessions. The

meeting room should be quiet and inviting and away from other activities. Groups work best

when chairs are arranged in circles where everyone feels a sense of equality and the flow of

communication is enhanced (Gladding, 1994).

During the tenure of my counseling program, I had a chance to develop my

psychoeducational group. The group targeted African-American students, and the purpose was to
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Core 6 Reflections
provide a safe space for each student to share their thoughts and feelings (6f). During the first

session, I covered some ground rules and went over group norms (6b). Some of the discussed

norms were utilizing the chat to private message, taking turns to speak, taking turns to speak,

being respectful to others by not interrupting, and utilizing the emoticon features on ZOOM. I

recognized that one student, in particular, tended to curse a lot during the session. Although I

wasn’t bothered by it, I was concerned for the other students as I didn’t want them to feel

uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the student messaged me, apologizing for her behavior, saying that she

respects me. During the Norming and Working phases of the group, I used this opportunity as a

way to revisit the group norms (6b). In the following session toward the end, I asked the group

how they felt about cursing. As I thought, the group members had no problem with it and

thought, the group members had no problem with it, and the student who cussed a lot was able to

share her story about her habits with cursing. She disclosed that her father is from Boston and

due to the culture, he often cusses which became customary for the student in particular because

she observed it so much throughout her life. In disclosing this I believe the student felt more seen

and understood, and Ibelieve more comfortable in participating in the session.

I used a potentially awkward situation to revisit group norms and provide a safe space for

all group members involved. It was important to me to make sure that each group member was

on the same page. The concept of cursing was something that I would have never thought would

be a group norm, but it was vital for me to use my insight and adaptability skills to address this

topic. It turns out that this was a great conduit for a meaningful conversation in the group, adding

to process and development (6b). Even though the group took place in a virtual setting utilizing

video chat (6f), the group was still impactful for all involved.
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Core 6 Reflections

e. approaches to group formation, including recruiting, screening, and selecting members and g.

ethical and culturally relevant strategies for designing and facilitating groups

Group formation is a process that counselors must undertake to select appropriate

members for the group, ensuring that the members can benefit from the group. Group

membership is either homogeneous or heterogeneous (Brown, 2018). Homogeneous groups are

composed of similar individuals, such as adolescent boys, single parents or individuals working

with grief and loss issues. Heterogeneous groups are made up of people who differ in

background, such as adults of various ages with varied careers. While homogeneous groups can

concentrate on resolving one issue, their members may be limited experientially. In contrast,

heterogeneous groups offer diverse but multi-focused membership.

In reference to 6e, effective group leaders screen potential members before accepting

them. Screening allows leaders to select members and members to select leaders and groups. The

ideal group size of eight to 12 allows members to express themselves without forming into

subgroups. To help dispel and overcome misconceptions about groups, leaders can utilize

pre-group interviews to identify fears related to upcoming groups. Through feedback and

explanation, misunderstandings can be immediately clarified and corrected (Childers & Couch,

1989). In counseling groups, rules should follow professional organizations’ ethical standards,

such as CACREP Standards & Guidelines (6g). Members should agree to keep each others’

confidentiality, not attack each other verbally or physically, actively participate in the group

process, and speak one at a time (Brown, 2018).

In my counseling program tenure, I was able to recruit, screen, and select group members

for a psychoeducational group (6e). The process of forming a group included recruiting,
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Core 6 Reflections
screening, and selecting members. I solicited members from a broad Black student alliance

(BSA) group at the College of the Canyons (COC). I created a video which aimed to briefly

inform the students on the “why” of the group (Minor Artifact: BSA HWS Recruitment

Video) I screened the members by creating a survey on Google forms asking questions such as

graduation year, preferred identity, and self-confidence measures. I selected the members by

conducting a one on one interview to gather more information about the student to see if they

would be a good fit for the group. Some of the topics I touched on in the interview included what

they wanted to get out of a group, past group participation, and required accommodations.

Ethically, I ensured that I went over informed consent, ensuring that the students

understood the nature of confidentiality, and asking for their signatures (6g). I also reinstated the

rule of confidentiality in our first session. Culturally, I designed the group to fit an

African-American student population’s needs, addressing barriers and challenges to success. I

wrote a literature review on psychoeducational groups to help inform my practice (Major

Artifact, “Psychoeducational Group Proposal: First-Generation College Students”).

The group formation process can be lengthy and includes recruiting, screening, and

selecting members (6e). There are ethical and culturally relevant strategies in forming

psychoeducational groups (6g). I was able to be an effective group leader by engaging in this

process to select students who were a good fit for my group and could benefit from the process. I

engaged in ethical strategies such as confidentiality and ensuring that I was aware of any

accommodations needed by the student. I engaged in culturally relevant strategies by designing

my group to fit the needs of my student population. Overall, I believe that I have the skills to

form future groups in my career that will benefit each client.

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Core 6 Reflections
d. characteristics and functions of effective group leaders

Effective group leaders possess specific characteristics and functions that allow them to

facilitate an impactful group. Some of the traits include engaging in self-care, recognizing one’s

own limits and competencies, empathy, attending, mirroring, and unconditional positive regard

(Corey, 2016). Additional characteristics include the ability to self-reflect to recognize one’s own

biases, facilitation skills such as making sure all students are participating and feeling heard, and

adapting to the student’s needs.

In order to be effective, group leaders must be aware of the power and potency of groups.

They must plan ahead and they must be sensitive to the stage of development of the group.

Equipped with this knowledge they can utilize appropriate skills to help their groups develop

fully (Gladding, 1994). Proper preparation and strategic intervention increase the chance of

running a counseling group smoothly and effectively.

I want to focus on the characteristic of self-awareness. I have realized that I am a

perfectionist, and being able to allow myself to accept situations as they come is a great way to

be present in sessions. I take a lot of time planning the curriculum for my group to make sure the

students get the most they can out of the session. However, there was one video that I showed on

Black identity that the students didn’t like, and they shared that with me. Rather than getting my

feelings hurt about the feedback, I truly wanted to know what would have been impactful for the

students. They shared that the video could have been more relatable.

For the future, I made sure to understand that the students are a generation below me and

there is material that may feel more impactful for them. I developed a curriculum such as a deck

on Stress Management (Minor Artifact, “Holistic Health and Wellness”) that allowed them to

reflect on their experiences during the pandemic, including how social media influenced their
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Core 6 Reflections
mental well being. In addition, I truly pointed out the students’ uniqueness and strengths which

proved to be an effective way to counsel the students in a group. Allowing them to talk freely on

their unique experiences while giving them time to reflect in individual activities was also a great

way to facilitate.

Overall, counseling characteristics helped me be an effective psychoeducational group

leader. I was able to utilize adaptation skills to truly adapt the curriculum to the needs of the

students. Understanding what was impactful and what was not allowed me to go back to the

drawing board, so to speak, to make sure the sessions were beneficial to the students. These

characteristics that I possess were imperative to the group counseling process.

h. direct experiences in which students participate as group members in a small group activity,

approved by the program, for a minimum of 10 clock hours over the course of one academic

term

Group counseling courses allow budding counselors to see what it's like to be a group

participant. In turn, this allows the counselor to “feel” what it's like to be a client, growing

empathy as a facilitator for future clients. One benefit of a student participating in a group is that

modeling is provided for the student when they observe the facilitator at work. By participating

in a group, counselors can learn essential skills for working with a group in a counseling setting.

Group counseling requires active, responsive leaders who keep the group lively and on task, and

ensure that members are engaged continuously and meaningfully with each other. Leaders,

however, should not make themselves the center of attention (Brown, 2018). The leader should

be aware of the differing personalities of the group members, while always searching for
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Core 6 Reflections
common themes in the group. Themes to focus on, for example, might include loss,

abandonment, and self‐value.

Being a participant was a group member within the program allowed me to observe what

worked for me and was impactful. This participation in group counseling class enabled me to

observe a counseling professional leading a group. My instructor modeled great ways to utilize

counseling skills such as attending, reflection of feeling, reflection of meaning, mirroring, and

the use of silence. I found that utilizing silence was difficult for me, more so than I thought. I

realized that using silence one-on-one was more comfortable for me than in a group setting. I

recognized that I wanted badly to fill the silence so other group members don’t feel awkward.

Being a group member allowed me to see that silence was a powerful tool for group processing.

When I was asked a question or listened to someone’s heartfelt response to a prompt, I needed

silence and time to process, so it didn’t feel as awkward as it probably seemed to the group

facilitator. When working with my own group, I was able to feel more comfortable with silence

knowing that students are probably processing the topics at hand.

Direct experience as a group member in small group activities allowed me to put myself

in my clients’ and students’ shoes as a group facilitator. I learned essential skills in working with

a group in a counseling setting and I learned essential skills in utilizing counseling skills for

group settings. I was able to feel confident as a leader, understanding what it was like to be part

of a group to ultimately be an effective group leader.

Jade Pearson
Core 6 Reflections
References

Brown, N. W. (2018). Psychoeducational groups: Process and practice (4th ed.). New York, NY:
Brunner-Routledge.

Childers, J.H., & Couch, R.D. (1989). Myths about group counseling: Identifying and
challenging misconceptions. Journal forSpecialists inGroupWork,14, 105-111.
ISBN: 978-1-138-04935-2

Corey, G. (2016). Theory and practice of group counseling (10th ed.). CENGAGE Learning
Custom Publishing.

Gladding, S.T. (1994). Effective group counseling. Greensboro, NC: ERIC/CASS.

Major Artifact, Psychoeducational Group Literature Review

Minor Artifact, “Holistic Health and Wellness”
Minor Artifact, BSA HWS Recruitment Video