Welcome NJCA and NJASGW members! I hope that this newsletter will serve to inform and be a resource for you. We would like to extend an invitation to our readers to submit ideas, articles and anecdotes on your group counseling experiences that we can share in upcoming newsletters. Send your text to me at elaine_howe@yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
SHARE IN THE VALUES OF A GROUP
By Jesse DeEsch, PhD
I continue to be impressed with the power of a group, whether I am leading a counseling group with adults, facilitating a meeting with the department faculty, or attending a meeting of our academic policy committee. The synergistic energy generated is a fascinating experience. This fascination was again experienced in a recent group meeting with Elaine Howe, George Lockwood, Gerri Panzera, and me. Elaine has volunteered to serve as the NJASGW newsletter editor, George continues to give his committed energy to the counseling profession, and Gerri has volunteered to be part of the
NJASGW Leadership Team, in particular representing graduate students in the counseling programs. Within a short period of time one afternoon recently, we accomplished the following: deciding on a fall workshop presenter, writing a fall newsletter, updating the web page and exploring ideas for the spring workshop. All of these tasks were on my list of "things to do". The group accomplished all of this in less than two hours. The energy of the group succeeds again. I share a very special thanks to Elaine, George, and Gerri. I invite any one of our readers who would like to become part of a group to join the NJASGW leadership team.
We are excited about offering a Solution Focused workshop with Jerry Sklare on November 3 at Rider. I have known Jerry for about 15 years. He is recognized as being an expert in Solution Focused Counseling. The workshop should be of value for both group work and in increasing skills in Solution Focused strategies. Come and join us on November 3 and share in the joys of being in a group while learning more about group techniques- especially the use of Solution Focused strategies that are useful in group therapy. If you have questions, suggestions, or are interested in contributing to the NJASGW, please e-mail me at deesch@rider.edu or call me at 609-895-5487.
SOME TIPS FROM AN OLD NJASGWer
By George Lockwood, M.Ed- retired high school counselor
Here are some tips for providing group counseling: The first tip is DO IT. Do what you need to get started and become progressively more skilled and effective in group counseling. Participate: I took two workshops at Montclair as a participant in an encounter group. Handling the anxiety of risking one’s self, sharing, experiencing growth, seeing others’ growth, seeing some resistance, etc. are valuable parts of understanding and motivation.
OBSERVE, CO-LEAD: I asked and got to co-lead two of the Montclair workshops. Co-leading is a great way to more and varied coverage in leading groups and sharing responsibility and receiving convenient feedback.
LEADING GROUPS: The clearer your own counseling theory is the more effective your decisions (of which there are many) will be in all types of counseling. My counseling theory is mostly Person Centered, Existential and Rational Emotive. I was trained by and use the Robert Carkhoff skills development system, probably because it is clearer than any approach I have tried to adopt.
For the most part, I use Jesse’s model of group counseling: involvement presentation, intake interview, beginning stage, working stage, closing stage and follow-up. Many counselors like to form homogeneous groups (divorce groups, grief groups, etc).
GROUP LEADER ROLES From many lists of group leader roles or skills (initiating, reflecting, clarifying, time keeper, traffic manager, tension reliever, etc.) I suggest you formulate your own to use to evaluate how you did, and what you need to start with next time.
INTAKE INTERVIEW: My intake interview begins with an individual session exploring students concerns, formulating goals and measures of progress, assessing students maturity and fitness for group work and signing the group contract.
INITIAL STAGE:
The most common beginning that I use is proud whip introductions. Starting with me, I state my first name and one thing that I am proud of or good at. Each group member then repeats what the previous person has said about themselves, but then adds their own piece. The last person then states everyone’s name and one positive thing about them before stating his own name and accomplishment.
WORKING STAGE: The working stage depends so much on the members issues, their norms, attitudes behaviors and feelings. Applying skills and approaches that blend well with you are usually most effective.
CLOSING STAGE: Closing should consider what will give the group a sense of closure and future positive focus. I often use something Jesse uses: Members give each other feedback around the circle. "What I like about you is____ and "what I wish for you is_____." Then the members form a circle and state where they are in relation to their goals and what they’re going to take from the group.
FOLLOW UP: Some form of follow up is usually reinforcing and allows for not fully resolved issues to receive attention.
The more group counseling I’ve done, the more effective most of the rest of my life has become. I wish you the same and the energy to invest the time in group counseling.
GREETINGS FROM THE NATIONAL ASGW!
By Lynn Rapin
Our theme this year is "Groups Working Together: Celebrating our Core". I am very excited about the energy of ASGW, both at the national and branch levels. Your fall conference will provide you with core connections with fellow groupers in New Jersey and surrounding areas, will give you opportunities to learn and apply group skills, and will publicize the values of group work.
The ASGW branches are ably led this year by New Jersey’s Jesse DeEsch and Ohio’s Jean Underfer-Babalis. Jesse and Jean help coordinate branch activities and serve as links to ASGW. In addition, we are devoting extra resources to branch and membership development this year with the creation of two very goal oriented task forces. Let’s be successful group workers together.
You are invited to two national meetings: the ASGW National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Fl from January 3-6, 2002, and ASGW activities at the ACA New Orleans conference in the spring. Please register for the wonderful Florida conference. It is an opportunity to talk to leaders in the field in a comfortable and beautiful setting.
ASGW will be headquartered at the Embassy Suites in New Orleans, so
plan to stay at that hotel.
Have a very successful conference and we’ll see you in St. Pete and New Orleans.
CAREER COUNSELING AND GROUPS
By Elaine Howe- M.A., N.C.C.
I work as a career counselor at an agency whose mission is to provide career counseling to women in transition. I run a psycho-educational support group in which clients meet once a month to discuss various issues central to their life transitions.
In my work with women in transition - I focus on a psycho-educational approach because I feel that this is the most proactive way to help foment change in clients facing life altering changes.
Based on client input, I choose a topic for the month, provide necessary handouts and act mainly as a facilitator. The women seem to like the positive approach to various topics, such as self esteem, divorce, grieving, empowerment, etc. The chosen topic usually becomes a spring board for a deeper focus on issues of concern to them.
Consequently, clients leave the two hour group sessions feeling refreshed and better able to navigate the challenges ahead of them.
I’ve had clients tell me that the support group is the only place that they feel "normal". I remind them that they are "normal"- they are just in the midst of "abnormal" and depressing life changes. The support group then becomes a model for the "instillation of hope"- a key ingredient for any group.
FROM THE BOOKSHELF
Emotional Alchemy- How the mind can heal the heart. By: Tara Goleman
Carl Jung: Wounded healer of the soul- an illustrated biography. By:Claire Dunn
Emotional Vampires- Dealing with people who drain you dry. By: Albert Bernstein, PhD
The Art of Possibility: Transforming professional and personal life. By: Rosamund Zander.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"Change & growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life". (H. Otto)
"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian." (Dennis Wholey)
"In the midst of an interminable winter, I found within myself an invincible summer." (Camus)