DQ#1 Case Vignette
Darren E
Hello class and Professor
Robert and Susan has started a group for adolescent males that are dealing with eating disorder, which could have a positive
or negative outcome depending on the colleagues relationship in different ways. The most important point of view is for the
counselors to always consider their group members instead of themselves. With the group being in the growing stages, the colleagues
should first discuss honestly in private the agenda that they should agree on before the group begin. This proceedure means that from
the beginning to the end of the process, that all sessions can have an atmosphere of recovery. With adolescents males, they can be
defiant, angry, or have low self-esteem, which can disturb their mental health in a negative way. In the DSM-5, which is the book that
psychiatrist use for diagnosing, and eating disorders are listed as a mental illness. If the group of adolescents are looking at the two
counselors having a disagreement about anything especially in the beginning of the group process, the males can think that they only
care about themslves and not the group, or they don’t have their stuff together, they will not be able to help me to deal
with or overcome my problem and want out the group from the beginning.
When the writer was a male adolescent and needed help to deal with issues that affected his life in a negative way, if the help
did not make him feel like they care about him, he didn’t want to be bothered with them and acted out in a manner that showed the
writer did not want to be bothered.When the writer would develop that type of mentality, he would not care about anybody or anything
except himself. According to Bridford, & Waack, (2011) states that Burroughs, and Gelb (1976) suggested that compatibility of
theoretical orientation was the main ingredient in co-leaders satisfaction. Difference in style and skill was one of the main problems
reported by the co-therapists of different theorectical orientations, even though these co-therapists often had the same amount of
experience (Paulson et al., 1976). Roller and Nelson (1991), in their qualitative study of co-leaders, noted an effective co-leader
relationship was contributed to a few behaviors: a complementary balance of therapist skills, compatibility of theoretical viewpoints
and of therapists as people, equality of participation, compatibility of personalities, and similar levels, and similar levels of experience.
They also noted the importance of co-leaders’ willingness to communicate openly with one another in private and discuss their
relationship. It is very important for the co-leaders to show team togetherness in front of the group members so the members will
believe in the process and believe that the counselors can help them. According to Bridford, & Waack, (2011) states that Miles and
Kivlighan (2008a) examined group co-leader behavior and reported that as predicted, similarities in leadership style (personal and
technical) resulted in enhances group process.
If there are any disagreements with the counselors in front of the group, this can hinder the group members from thinking and
believing in the counselors and their ability to help them, which can cause some members to think and behave in a negative manner,
with some members wanting to leave the group telling their parents what they have witnessed, and want to see other counselors. As a
supervisor watching this behavior the writer would immediately intervene in a respectful manner telling the two counselors to leave
out the room to have their discussion out there, coming to an agreement on their treatment and remembering the group members are
the most important factor in the situation and I will cover the group while they get their act together and return back to their group.
Before leaving, the writer would whisper to the co-leaders that if the writer witness this situation again there will be some
consequences given for their behaviors that should always be professional. If the writer was the other leader in this situation it wouldn’t
affect this leader because the focus will be on the members and not personal personalities, but the writer would have these discussions
before the group begin, pertaining to the entire process from beginning to end so we can have our outline complete. Showing the group
that it is ok to disagree without being disagreeable by not having confrontation with the disagreement.
Co-facilitators have a distinct opportunity to model healthy relationships by demonstrating mutual respect and problem-solving
skills with one another. This respect is displays to group members that through proper listening skills, trust in the partnership, and
conflict management in a healthy way (Berg, Landreth, & Fall, 2013). According to Breeskin, (2013) states that it is an unfortunate
reality that many group counselors run a group therapy session by themselves and while this may appear to be an obvious income
generator by the organization. Breeskin, (2013) consider such a practice to be significant professional error. If co-leaders are running
the group together, they should be “picking up each other’s comments”. For example, if one counselor make a statement and the other
counselor has something to say they should say something like “I would like to add”. This kind of collegial support and respect will
provide a powerful interpersonal model for the group members and will significantly diminish of anxious gossip that the group
members exchange with each other outside after the group is over (Breeskin, 2013).
Reference:
Berg, R., Landreth, G. L., & Fall, K. A. (2013). Group counseling: Concepts and procedures. New York: Routledge.
Breeskin, J. (2013). Group pyschotherapy column: The co-therapist model in groups
Bridford, K., & Delucia-Waack, J. (2011) Personality, leadership style, and theoretical orientation as predictors of group leadership
satisfaction. Juornal for specialists in group work.
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=c8h&AN=104662414&site
=eds-live&scope=sit
Josseline R.
Robert and Susan have developed a group for male adolescents with an eating disorder. The group has 8 members and they are currently in the working stage. Males compromise between 10% to 15% of the eating disorder population with the peak age of onset for both genders falling between 14 and 18 years (Ray, 2004). During a session, Robert and Susan had a disagreement in front of the group about the topic. Robert and Susan should remember that they are a united team and co-leaders should support one another. Since Robert and Susan are colleagues and developed the group together, this writer can assume that they have a good working relationship outside of the group.
Considering what this writer has read, the group members may notice a power struggle between Robert and Susan. A power struggle can be seen as making responses that undermine the other co-leader’s input (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Because of this, the group may choose sides which can lead to the co-leaders connecting with a few while ignoring the others (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). In addition, the group members see the co-leaders as role models and examples, so if the group members see the co-leaders having an argument, they will not learn how to effectively communicate. It is important for co-leaders to model a healthy relationship in a group (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Male adolescents that have had any recent intrafamilial loss such as death or divorce are at risk (Ray, 2004). So, having the co-leaders model what a healthy disagreement looks like is important for those that have seen unhealthy relationship patterns.
If this writer were observing Robert and Susan as a direct supervisor, this writer would make sure to talk to Robert and Susan after the session. Something that this writer would recommend to avoid that specific problem from happening is to discuss the topic before the session begins so they can be on the same page. Additionally, this writer would reiterate the importance of modeling a healthy relationship to the group since they are adolescents. Many people that enter group therapy struggle with interpersonal relationships and may have seen chaotic spousal relationships (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). This writer would advise Robert and Susan to talk about how they can handle a conflict in the future and take that as a teaching opportunity to educate the group on effective communication and respectful disagreements. If this writer were the co-leader, this writer would definitely feel embarrassed and as though the co-leader is not on this writer’s side. This writer would not want the other co-leader or the group to feel uncanny afterward.
References
Berg, R. C., Fall, K. A., & Landreth, G. L. (2013). Group Counseling : Concepts and Procedures: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.
Ray, S. L. (2004). Eating disorders in adolescent males. Professional School Counseling, 98-101.
DQ#2 Professional Characteristics
Darren E
Hello class and Professor
The writer try to possess certain characteristics or qualities that will help mold his relationship with his clients
that he helpsduring the writer’s career. These characteristics are; being empathetic, caring, understanding
open-mindedness, and nonjudgemental. According to Finset, (2017) empathy is often defined as an individual
capacity, as his/her capacity to place oneself in another’s position, (2) in “the other person’s shoes,” the saying often
goes. Empathy is defined as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously
experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another (3) The word “action” points to empathy as a
characteristic of an interpersonal event, in which one person, someone who listens, try to understand the thoughts
and feelings of another person, the speaker (Finset, 2017). Empathy is a quality that can always be improved to the
writer, because the focus should always be about paying attention to the client’s problem and treatment that is developed
together to help clients become successful with overcoming their issues and learn how to live a positive lifestyle.
Another characteristic that the writer wants to develop in his career is to have an open-mind when helping the that
are participating in the group. The writer believes it is important not to be closed to their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and
other people answers or their response to their treatment process. This can help the client to feel like you care about their
well being and that you are paying attention attention to them, plus you understand what they are going through. These
characteristics will help to develop a level of trust that makes the rapport become closer. Your client may have trust issues
from being abused and believe that it is ok to abuse other people because of what happened to them in their past, and if
the writer is closed minded the writer will not be able to hear what started the group member to think in that manner which
will take away from providing the right care.
The writer believes that when a counselor passes judgement on their clients, they can cause more harm than good
which can offend their clients and have them to rebel against the help that is trying to be provided to them. Although some
times counselors need to judge situations that will help the process, counselors should reframe from judging their clients.
According to Matta, (2010) states that Cultivating non-judgemental thinking can be taught in Dialectical Behavior Therapy
(DBT) groups as a part of the mindfulness training. Mindfulness teaches individuals to observe and desribe in their own
behavior and not the behaviors of others. This can help a counselor from being judgemental toward their clients. Forming
judgements is a spontaneous process and there are times when we need to make judgements. However, in order to reduce
emotional reactivity, it is important to become aware of your own judgemental thinking and to develop the ability to
think non-judgementally during the therapy process.
According to Lord, (2015) states that Dewey (1933) noted that OPM (which he called “reflection”) refers to
assessing the grounds or justification of one’s beliefs. Similarly, more recent researchers argue that OPM is critical for
examining individual’s mental models, which are deeply held beliefs or conceptions that may confine them to familiar
patterns of thinking and acting (Senge, 1990; Day and Nedungadi, 1994; Sinkula et al., 1997). If these deeply held
beliefs and assumptions are not questioned and altered, group effectiveness will be diminished (Day, 1994; Sinkula, 1994).
When group members have differences in the way they percieve situations of task- related issues, they experience greater
learning and gain a more accurate assessment of situations (Fiol, 1994). The reason why the writer discussed these two
characteristics is because they are part of his strong qualities but can always have room for improvement, so the writer
will always continue to work on these characteristics to better serve the group members. There will be different members
with different cultural beliefs, different race, religion, and different issues that need different care and if the writer is not
Empathetic, and open-minded, the writer will not be of accurate service to the members.
Reference:
Finset, A. & Omes, K. (2017). Empathy in the clinician-patient relationship.
Lord, M. (2015). Group learning capacity: the roles of open-mindedness and shared vision.
Matta, C. (2010). Exercises for non-judgemental thinking
Hello Dr. Nichols and class,
The writer learned that the profession of counseling and psychology requires passion and other professional skills in order to help other people. According to Duverge (2014), pursing a degree in counseling or psychology will requires critical skills necessary to contribute to a professional career. Some of the suggested attributes of a professional psychologist is communication, numeracy, research, ethics, patience, and problem-solving.
Duverge (2014), suggest that communication is critical in the career of human behavior because of the closeness with clients. The writer found that communication is imperative as a professional in order to provide an effective platform of treatment and effective process for observing mental health challenges. The need to have a numeracy ability is suggested because psychologist must facility with numbers from research that may involve quantitative information. Duverge (2014), suggest that a good psychologist will work to interpret numbers in order to understand statistical test and questions for certain assessment for mental and behavioral health. The next suggestion of professionalism is research. This ties into numeracy and is described as a critical role in counseling and psychology. According to Duverge (2014), professional counselors and psychologist must conduct and review different experiments in order to track performance and current treatment techniques for clients.
Psychologist and counselors are required to understand their ethical responsibility in a therapeutic relationships. Duverge (2014), suggest that having a strong ethical code ensures the safety and well-being of the client and the professional. The writer found that a strong ethical foundation helps against bias decisions Duverge (2014). Duverge (2014), suggest that patience is vital for a good psychologist because patients behaviors can change, unexpected things will happen, and alternative strategies may need to be implemented quickly. The last quality that the writer found that is crucial as a counselor or professional counselor is problem-solving skills. Duverge (2014), suggest that client problems are the main factors in the profession of psychology and counseling. The writer concludes that the most effect skill of a psychologist and counselor is to be able to find helpful solutions for the behavioral, mental, social, emotional, ethical, relational, and experimental challenges of multiple clients.
Reference
Duverge, G. (2014, December 29). 6 Important Skills Needed to Be a Psychologist. Retrieved on May 12, 2021, from https://www.tuw.edu/psychology/important-skills-needed-psychologist/
DQ#3 Co-leaders
Josseline R
Co-therapy can be defined as two or more mental health professionals working together in the treatment of the same entity (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). There are many benefits and concerns when it comes to co-therapy and co-leaders. Two benefits of co-leadership are that two heads are better than one and the co-leaders can model a healthy relationship. During a group session, a leader has to attend to many things at all times so having two co-leaders that can be attentive and present during a group session is beneficial (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Co-leadership provides the extra set of eyes and ears that can absorb the interactions that are going on since one leader can facilitate the current dialogue while the other leader serves as a process observer (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Additionally, leading a group session can cause a leader to feel overwhelmed so that’s when the co-leader can step in and process material that may have been missed (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013).
The other benefit is that the co-leaders can model a healthy relationship with the group. Many people that enter group therapy struggle with interpersonal relationships in their present lives, they may have grown up in a home where they saw toxic and unhealthy spousal relationships (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Co-leaders have the ability to demonstrate respect, communication, good listening skills, trust in their partner, and managing conflict in a healthy manner (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Demonstrating healthy relationships is beneficial for group members because it can impact the group in a huge manner, such as working with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013).
Two concerns that this writer can see with co-therapy and co-leaders are that there may be a power struggle and there could be an incompatibility issue. In group therapy, there is a possibility that the group may like one co-leader better than the other one which can cause a power struggle (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). A power struggle can include making responses that undermine the other co-leader, ignoring members who seem connected to the other co-leader, and paying extra attention to those that do not seem to like the other co-leader (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). Additionally, a power struggle can cause tandeming which is when the co-leadership pair sees verbal interactions as a way to gain legitimacy and power within the group (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013).
The other concern is that there could be an incompatibility issue and the co-leaders may not have a good relationship. When co-leaders do not get along, both the group and the co-leader relationship suffer and authoritarian leadership styles clash with laissez-faire leadership (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013). In this case, it would be best for the co-leaders to talk with each other about how and if they can make the co-therapy work, and if not they can talk to a supervisor to see what the next step can be. Personality polar opposites do not tend to work well in co-leadership situations unless each person is willing to put it aside and find ways to respect their differences for the betterment of the group (Berg, Fall, and Landreth, 2013).
References
Berg, R. C., Fall, K. A., & Landreth, G. L. (2013). Group Counseling : Concepts and Procedures: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.
Kenya
Two benefits of having co leaders are they can model a healthy relationship and two heads are better than one. The physical presence of another counselor with whom to collaborate on orchestrating, creating and maintaining the group. Co-leadership benefits the leaders by providing an extra set of eyes and ears to absorb all the group interactions (Berg, Fall, & Landreth,2013). Having co-leadership of group therapy allows help with intakes, returning call inquires, marketing, and completing paperwork. If a counselor cannot make a session it allows for the group to still be able to meet. A benefit to the group members lies in the available therapeutic potency of the leaders’ attentiveness; deeper material can be processed if material is not being missed by an overwhelmed leader (Berg, Fall, & Landreth, 2013). One leader cannot keep up with the richness of group therapy even if they are seasoned therapist. Each leader brings strengths and areas of expertise that extend the therapeutic potential of the group experience. The group is not limited by the shortcomings of one leader but can gain from the best of both co-facilitators (Fall, & Menendez, 2002).
Many people who enter therapy are struggling with unhealthy relationship where all they seen was chaotic and uncommunicative relationships. Modeling of healthy relationships can be achieved as group members observe how the co-leaders interact and treat one another. Co-leaders who treat each other with respect can teach group members about good communication, handling disagreement, and other elements of negotiating a healthy relationship (Fall, & Menendez, 2002).
Cost can be assessed in travel time, planning time, and individual client time lost. Practitioners must decide whether to charge their clients more than they would for a single leader group or get paid less for their time.“In private practice, a therapist must be willing to forego as much as 50% of his or her hourly fee in order to practice coleadership“( Fall, & Menendex, 2002). Competition for power and esteem can erupt as co-leaders attempt to be held in high regard by the group members or by the other leader (Fall, &Menendez, 2002).Power struggles can also damage the effectiveness and process of therapy. Tandeming is also another characteristic of a power struggle. Tandeming is when the co-leadership pair see verbal interaction to gain legitimacy and power within the group (Berg, Fall, &Landreth, 2013).
Berg, R. C., Fall, K. A., & Landreth, G. L. (2013). Group Counseling: Concepts and Procedures: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.
Fall, K., Menendez, M. (2002) Seventy years of co-leadership: Where do we go from here? TCA Journal, 30(2), 24, https://web-a-ebscohost-com.postu.idm.oclc.org/eho…
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