Group counseling strategies and skills chapter 13

Using REBT in GroupsLeader can focus on one member’s problem – Leader and member’s use the theory to help member change his or her self-talk Leader can focus on all members and use RE

Ways Theories Are Used in Groups

1 When working with individuals

2 Taught to entire group, then members

use the theories during the group

meetings and in their daily living

A=activating event (situation)

B=beliefs (thoughts or self-talk)

Using REBT in Groups

Identify faulty or irrational thoughts at

“B”.

Challenge or Dispute these thoughts or

beliefs.

Establish more rational or accurate

thoughts that lead to less intense negative emotions.

Teaching REBT to Members

Use A-B-C Model

Ask “where do feelings come from?”

Use examples

– School grades—students getting same grade but

have different feelings

Use whiteboard to make it visual

Use list of irrational sentences of adults

Use list of irrational sentences of kids

Using REBT in Groups

Clarifying the event, person or situation

(A)

Clarifying feelings and/or behavior (C)

Clarifying negative self-talk (B)

Changing the feelings by changing the

Using REBT in Groups

Leader can focus on one member’s

problem

– Leader and member’s use the theory to help

member change his or her self-talk

Leader can focus on all members

and use REBT

– Example: “When you get angry, what is it

that you tell yourself?”

Often members find it easier to act or do

something different than to change

thoughts or feelings; therefore, focus is

Want -what do you really want?

Doing -what are you doing to get you

what you want?

Evaluation -is your behavior working?

Planning -let’s develop a “doable” plan to get you what you want

Use it with one member and other

members help that member using the

WDEP model

Use it with all members at the same time

– Example: “Each of you think of something that you

Value of Using Reality Therapy

Members will remember the WDEP model

and can apply it in many situations

Members can help other members work

through the WDEP model

Members connect how their basic needs

play a major role in their lives

ALL BEHAVIOR IS PURPOSEFUL.

Everyone has “private logic.”

Goals of Adlerian Therapy

Help members identify childhood

experiences that formulated mistaken

goals and guiding fictions.

Help members discover how they

continue to act out roles played in the

Adlerian Group Activities

Have members discuss in detail the

influence of their birth order

Have members discuss how they found

their place in their families and how that

plays out now

Have members share early recollections

and how they may influence behavior now

P A

Have members draw out various

transactions they have with significant

others in their lives

Have members discuss their different ego

states, especially their Child and Parent

Role play situations showing how

different ego states would handle a

situation

Use a small child’s chair and have

members talk about when they “get into

that chair.”

Have members stand on a chair

representing their Parent ego state and

Using Gestalt Therapy

Focuses on the present

Members need to finish their unfinished

business

Goals include moving toward

independence, maturity, and

Solution-focused group counseling

focuses on solutions rather than

group discussions focus on what works,

rather than on what’s “broken”

change problems in a way that opens

possibilities

focus on exceptions to the problem

comment on member’s strength and

focus on positive coping behavior

view members as people with complaints

about their lives and not people with

– If a miracle happened in the night and you woke up

and your problem was gone, how would you know it?

Prochaska and Norcross ( 2010) write in

their theories book that they sought a

model that utilized all the theories and one that could account for how people

– I am maintaining the changes

NOTE:A skilled group leader is always thinking about

the stage of change of any member who is working on some issue in the group.