Group Counseling

HSV330 GROUP COUNSELING

This paper will afford you the opportunity to create your own group based upon what you have learned from the class.

Your assignment will be to develop a group aimed at treating a disorder or population of your choice. You should pretend that you are employed at a local non-profit agency and are writing the proposal to your supervisor. The proposal should use as many of the concepts from your text as possible. You must use at least 3 additional sources (at least two scholarly source, such as scholarly or peer reviewed journals). The paper should be in APA style (no abstract necessary) and should be between 5-7 pages.

The following guidelines provide you with some direction in designing a group.
To gain practice in developing and writing, a proposal, think of a group that you would eventually like to organize. Once you have decided on a particular type of group (for example, a group for parents who want to learn better child-rearing skills, or a group for women having just gone through a divorce), consider the following questions in drafting your proposal. These questions are just starting points for your writing, which should be much more specific in each section.

Group Description
What type of group will you create? Will it be a counseling group? A therapy group? personal-growth group? Will it be long term or short term?
Whom is the group for? Is it a specialty group? In what setting will this group take place? for outpatients in a community mental-health center? for substance abusers in a residential setting? for parents who are having major problems in relating to their children? for couples who hope to learn better communication skills?
What led you to choose this particular type of group for your proposal (what is your interest in the topic?)

Rationale
What are your goals for this group; that is, what will members gain from participating in the group? What are the short-term goals? Long-term goals? Are the goals and objectives specific?
How will these goals be accomplished in a group setting? How will the long-range goals be evaluated during the course of the group and once it comes to an end?
Why is there a need for such a group? In what ways would a group provide definite advantages over individual counseling?

Leadership
Who will lead your group? What types of leadership skills will they have?
Will the leader follow a specific theory?
Will there be co-leaders for the group?

Group Dynamics
What factors do you expect to influence the group dynamics?
Will you use any tools for learning such as journaling, outdoor experiences, etc…
Stages of Groups
What do you expect your members to get from each stage of your group?
Describe creative activities that you plan on using for each stage
Do you expect any problems or issues from each stage, and if so, how do you plan on resolving them?

Here is a reference that must be used Gladding, S. T. (2012). Groups: A counseling specialty, 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education