Counselors are in heavy demand these days in almost every field where people with similar backgrounds are facing issues in daily lives. In individual counseling which is the oldest one where the therapy depends on the counselors skill as well as knowledge for the clients betterment and it is also time consuming. Today people have less time and recourses thus another approach has come up which serve a broader group without reducing the therapy (DeLucia-Waack, Kalodner & Riva, 2013).
The focus of this report is about Group counseling that deals with issues like bullying of teenagers. It reports about how efficient group counselingis in relation with teenagers. The chosen intervention strategy here is Solution focused brief therapy.
It is becoming more efficient to reach out to those who live in larger cities and are facing more challenges. Different groups’ experiences different issues and thus different counseling techniques are applied. In schools the students deals with problems that are vocational, educational, personal as well as social. However, based on the problems counseling techniques are used to help the students cope with their social skills and self-awareness. The benefits thus observed in-group counseling here is that a positive bond of companionship is created among the people who are facing the same issues in life and so can give moral support to each other (Berg, Landreth & Fall, 2013).
In a group counseling people not only become aware of their self but also gets to know about the skills. At the beginning, a sense of belongingness to the community for the client is set up, as there may be some prior negative experience for the client. The counselor acts as a good listener at the beginning so that the clients can vent out all their frustrations. As time pass the client are made to learn that they are not alone to face such challenges and thus they learn to make established relationship.
Concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others is developed in group counseling. The clients are motivated to disclose their self out in a trusted environment. In a group, counseling the counselors aim is to covey fruitful social skills like empathy (McLeod, 2013). Among the members in a group counseling there are people from different age groups, interests, status and even their challenges and issues varies. However, the member is supplied with a variety of feedbacks from the clients participating. Through this sharing of their problems with the others, experiencing similar issues can actually help them learn coping.
As in the one to one counseling, we see there are only the counselor and the client but in a group, the members actually can give support to each other. Through sharing and exploring their problems, they build up a supportive atmosphere and a sense of belongingness. In the group, the members are practiced to experiment with new behaviors and for which they are inspired to bring new insights into their lives. In a group, counseling members are generally shown the path to reach their goal but they have to reach it themselves. Members get a clear image of what kind of person they would like to become and thus pursue towards that goal (Harper & Cole, 2012).
Research studies about the potency of counseling and psychotherapy in general is comparatively unambiguous which states that counseling does work. For various psychological distresses, that are both subjective client reports as well as objective measurements specify that counseling and psychotherapy are effective, both in short and over long term periods (Goldstein, 2013).
Teenage period ranges from 13 to 19years of age. In this period, the child rapidly develops both physically as well as mentally. Thus, they face many difficulties in dealing with the challenges faced. During teenage the child seeks their own identity and thus may not communicate clearly or define how they truly feel. Group counseling is thus efficient for this age group because it gives them an opportunity to reveal those conflicting feelings, self-doubts, and concerns with the same age group. They might discover that they are not alone with this crisis for identity, socialization, relationship and academics. Teenagers are benefited from the group counseling by learning how to communicate with their friends. They get a chance to learn from modeling exerted by the counselor and so by given a try to test it in real they can actually mark their limits. Through interaction in a group counseling, they might find a comfort in a group in which they can rely for emotional support in future (Newman & Newman, 2017).
Among the issues and challenges faced by the teenagers in this period, the common problems are depression, which sometimes lead to suicide. Drinking, smoking and drugs are very attractive for the teenagers who think this to be trendy and modern. In search of exploring everything and anything, that comes their way they indulge in these stuffs. Teenagers cannot do about their computers, cell phones or other fancy gadgets. Teenagers are easily trapped with the attractions internet offers so it glued them with it. Teenagers have a habit of going in an opposite direction where their parents are. They are more relaxed in their peers company. In this phrase they reject their parents, communicate less with them. Parents set limits for their children but they try to break it and take their own decisions (Carr, 2015).
Most serious challenges and issues faced by teenagers are bullying. Bullying can be explained when a teenager’s behavior meant the harmful act of disturbing the mental health of another child, when it happens over time, and there is a disparity of power between the teens engaged. Types of bullying quoted in the study incorporated verbal belittling respecting religion, race, looks, or speech and physical like hitting, pushing or slapping or spreading rumors and making sexual comments or gestures. Studies also found that both the offenders and the sufferers are isolated than most teens and does not have healthy relationships with their peers (Copeland et al., 2013).
The chosen intervention strategy is Solution Focus Brief Therapy (SFBT). SFBT is a type of therapy that centers directly on solutions rather than on the problems. Patients here identify what is bothering them that are how their therapist helps them. An important phase of SFBT is assisting the patient identify that what in the past has and has not worked out when dealing with a particular challenge. Then the therapist motivates the patient to do more the solution that can take him towards the goal (Pichot & Dolan, 2014).
SFBT is directed towards the appropriate solution. It inspire patients recognize what they can do better. It then inspires them to utilize their powers to achieve their goals. Because SFBT is goal directed as well as short-term, it is cheaper and time consumption is less than those therapies that occur for long periods (Ratner, George & Iveson, 2012).
SFBT helps children as well as teenagers with depression, anxiety and self-esteem problems. Few of the research shows that SFBT has also guided kids upgrade their behavior in classrooms. SFBT are mainly fruitful with older children and teens. Because older children may be more prepared and can work with a therapist with a set goal. Teenagers with acute or complex emotional problems may need the existent help of long-term therapy (Gingerich & Peterson, 2013).
There are many challenges that the counselor faced when group counseling the teens. Among them few are as if not all the teenagers come by their wish and thus lacks the correct motivation. It has been seen that they might act stubborn because it is against their wish, or they might attend at irregular intervals. Some may stop attending the sessions in the middle or might get angry on the counselor. Getting agitated on the other members and thus disliking, they are common for the counselor. Counselor might face teenagers who lack good manners. They might jump some topic moving to another or might over power certain discussions, show lack of interest. Some may be shy and withdrawn. This is where the counselor helps them improvise such acts. There are many other challenging situations like sexual feelings from the client’s part, narrow mindedness or insensitivity where the counselor should take strict actions against such clients. In dealing with such challenges the counselor must act upfront. Intervention strategies help overcome the challenges faced by the counselor whereas there are exceptions where this does not help and then the counselor can rightfully ask the member causing the nuisance to leave (Callard, Williams & Skirton, 2012).
There are certain limitations as well of group counseling. Firstly, it is impersonal in nature which means motivates the members to communicate with each other but not help with the content of the conversation. Group counseling is not that effective with people with social phobia thus teenagers may withdraw when they have to participate. These kind of sessions fail when the viewpoint of different types of members in the group tick with their unique personality and thinking styles and act rigid. However, counselor is trained in these spheres and can continue the session with topics of positive discussions. Group counseling cannot force anyone for participating. Thus, without anyone’s inner motivation and dedication, the sessions cannot be fruitful. Members discussing their inner personal details can be uncomfortable in front of other members. Those members as well as teenagers who have suicidal tendencies or are into severe crisis are not fitted for group counseling. Members must be in a position where they must accept the daily happenings. Group counseling is not for everyone. There is a attracting factor for individuals to take part in group counseling is of acquiring social interaction skills. The lesser cost makes group counseling a clever option for members who seek help from various kind of mental disorders (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016).
Group counseling often are more effective for teenagers than individual counseling because children are found distrusting any adult who are for them the parental figures and thus this one to one talking strategy is not that productive. It is not that easy for any teenager to sit quietly and listen to the counselor throughout the sessions that happens in individual counseling, whereas in-group counseling they become more upfront when they find that other teens are opening up and having similar kind of problems that they have. Though the counselor is still a adult figure but in a group of teens they usually overcome their hesitations and develop a support system within each other. The teenagers not only learn from the counselor but also learn from other members to improvise on their social skills and successful skills to cope with their issues. They understands that they are not alone suffering rather they come across wider perspectives of their own problems. Teens are more willing to participate when in a group and thus when they realize that they are not alone they thus head towards the path of recovery (Geldard, Geldard & Foo, 2015).
When a teenage who is suffering with bullying is a part of group counseling, they find a place for support as well as a safe environment to come up with their feelings and emotions. Victims of bullying may suffer from emotional problems such as isolation, anxiety and shame. Counseling helps them share, as well as process those painful emotions. A counselor will help the teenager understand how this will affect their future and guide them learn the coping skill with deal with such problems. Group counseling thus help such teens where other members are also victims been through same conditions of bullying and thus can help each other in healing (Alika, 2012).
Not only the victims of bullying but also those who bully others can be benefited from counseling. In sessions, they might also get to understand how hurtful their acts are, they also learn positive communication skills. The trained counselor often help the bullies solve their internal wounds that are actually the reason of their negative behavior in order to make them stop from what they are doing. Teenagers actually come out of their isolations and get an opportunity for validation. They get feedbacks and being in a group widens their perspective and motivates them that there are solutions to get rid of their challenges faced (Perren et al., 2012).
Conclusion
To conclude this report, it can be said that though group counseling has limitations such that it is impersonal, cannot have the liberty to force someone to stick to it for long or be it the limitations in part of the counselor. It is clear that it is more effective with teenagers who came to know that they are not alone trying to deal with the issues and challenges they are going through but there are others like them with the same problem and so there can be a solution. Their perspective becomes wide when they come across similar stories in a group counseling.
References
Alika, H. I. (2012). Bullying as a correlate of dropout from school among adolescents in delta state: implication for counselling. Education, 132(3), 523-532.
Berg, R. C., Landreth, G. L., & Fall, K. A. (2013). Group Counseling: Concepts and Procedures Fourth Edition. Routledge.
Callard, A., Williams, J., & Skirton, H. (2012). Counseling adolescents and the challenges for genetic counselors. Journal of genetic counseling, 21(4), 505-509.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2016). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions. John Wiley & Sons.
Carr, A. (2015). The handbook of child and adolescent clinical psychology: A contextual approach. Routledge.
Copeland, W. E., Wolke, D., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (2013). Adult psychiatric outcomes of bullying and being bullied by peers in childhood and adolescence. JAMA psychiatry, 70(4), 419-426.
DeLucia-Waack, J. L., Kalodner, C. R., & Riva, M. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of group counseling and psychotherapy. Sage Publications.
Geldard, K., Geldard, D., & Foo, R. Y. (2015). Counselling adolescents: The proactive approach for young people. Sage.
Gingerich, W. J., & Peterson, L. T. (2013). Effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A systematic qualitative review of controlled outcome studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(3), 266-283.
Goldstein, A. P. (2013). Psychotherapeutic Attraction: Pergamon General Psychology Series. Elsevier.
Harper, M., & Cole, P. (2012). Member checking: can benefits be gained similar to group therapy?. The Qualitative Report, 17(2), 510-517.
McLeod, J. (2013). An introduction to counselling. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2017). Development through life: A psychosocial approach. Cengage Learning.
Perren, S., Gutzwiller?Helfenfinger, E., Malti, T., & Hymel, S. (2012). Moral reasoning and emotion attributions of adolescent bullies, victims, and bully?victims. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 30(4), 511-530.
Pichot, T., & Dolan, Y. M. (2014). Solution-focused brief therapy: Its effective use in agency settings. Routledge.
Ratner, H., George, E., & Iveson, C. (2012). Solution focused brief therapy: 100 key points and techniques (Vol. 100). Routledge.
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