Group therapy techniques demonstrated and how well they do
There are several group therapy techniques that can be evident in the video. One of them involves a sharing circles technique. A sharing circle is a group therapy technique in which people are seated in a circle, and everyone is allowed to speak freely while other group members listen without interruption or judgment Carr et al. (2020). This technique usually promotes empathy, active listening, and validation. This technique has been well demonstrated in the video since each member involved can share their concerns and ideas without anyone interrupting or judging them. For instance, Jimmy explains how he used to steal medications for her mother to relieve her pain while other members listened to him with empathy without interrupting or judging him.
The second group therapy technique evident in the video is supportive feedback. This technique involves group members providing constructive and supportive feedback to encourage one another to be strong and positive. Supportive feedback usually promotes understanding, mutual respect, and trust (Chikersal et al., 2020). This group therapy technique is well demonstrated in the video based on how members support one another by giving appropriate feedback to the information given by each one of them. For instance, the group members can be seen in the video listening attentively to Jimmy and encouraging him to give more information regarding his concerns.
Evidence from the Literature Supporting the Techniques Demonstrated
According to the literature, the two techniques considered have been used severally in different scenarios and proven effective. For example, according to Carr et al. (2020), a sharing-circle technique was used in a study involving cancer patients with mental illness to promote their trust and empathy. This technique was effective in the study since it promoted openness (Carr et al., 2020). Therefore, it can also be used in group therapy among patients with various mental health issues to promote their health and wellness by promoting openness and trust that can be used in developing an appropriate treatment plan. The article by Carr et al. (2020) can be considered scholarly because it aims to educate people on how sharing circles can effectively promote mental health. In addition, the article is also peer-reviewed, which is a critical aspect of scholarly sources. Besides, according to Chikersal et al. (2020), supportive feedback promotes understanding of the client’s health condition. The more this technique is used to support clients, the more they feel motivated to share their concerns. This, in turn, promotes the adoption of various mental health interventions, thus improving patient outcomes (Chikersal et al., 2020). Therefore, this technique can be used in group therapy to improve clients’ mental health. This article can also be considered scholarly because it is authored professionally, peer-reviewed, and well-cited.
What The Therapist Did Well
There are several instances that the therapist can be considered to have done well. For instance, the therapist applied good listening skills by giving Jimmy and the other group members enough time to express themselves and their concerns. Even when Jimmy developed painful emotions that hindered him from communicating fluently, the therapist still remained silent to allow the client to gather more courage and confidence to continue communicating. The therapist did not interrupt Jimmy while speaking, which is an indication of good listening skills. Besides, the other areas where the therapist did well involve accommodating everyone in the group. For instance, even when the group members shared their concerns randomly in an orderly manner, the therapist did not prevent them from speaking. The therapist allowed anyone to speak when necessary, which means that the professional was accommodative. Moreover, the therapist showed much respect by allowing the group members to communicate what they thought was good to share without forcing anyone to disclose the information they were uncomfortable sharing. This proves that the professional understands and respects the client’s autonomy.
Something that I would have Handled Differently
Though the session was conducted effectively, there are some aspects that I would have handled differently. One of them involves asking several questions, one after the other, rather than asking a few questions, as evident in the video (Cats, 2016). Sufficient information may not be obtained from the clients if they are asked a few questions. Sufficient data can only be obtained by asking numerous open-ended questions to allow the client to give all the information he or she has. The second thing I would do differently is to start the session with an introduction to ensure that everyone in the group can know one another. This would make everyone feel free to communicate with confidence, feel comfortable, and safe. This also assists in building a good rapport between the clients and therapists, thus promoting openness.
An Insight Gained from Watching the Therapist Handling the Group Therapy
I have gained much insight from the video I have watched. For instance, I have learned that group therapy is among the most appropriate approaches that allow an individual to share his or her concerns. Group therapy creates a conducive environment for people to speak up about their concerns based on how they hear other group members open up about what they experience with various mental health issues. The more the group members open up to share their concerns, the more they feel confident to share his or her issues. The second insight that I have gained is that body language is critical during group therapy. How a therapist behaves determines how a client becomes more open and willing to share his or her concerns. For instance, if the therapist does not maintain good eye contact with the client, the client may feel that he is given little or no attention, thus making him unable to continue sharing his or her concerns.
The imagination of Leading a Group Session
Therapists usually come across people with different behaviors. For instance, one or more group members may be disruptive to the extent that it would be challenging to continue with group therapy efficiently; in such a case, the therapist should approach the disruptive group member with respect and understanding and inform him or her how his or her behavior affects others. The disruptive group member can be requested politely to remain silent or walk out to allow others to benefit from the practice. Besides, there are several strategies through which a therapist can elicit participation. For instance, the strategy proposed by Kaiser et al. (2020) can be applied. This involves encouraging the group therapy members to present their recovers narratives to allow everyone to feel free to participate. Kaiser et al. (2020) can be considered a scholarly article since it is relevant to group therapy, has been authored by professionals, is peer-reviewed, and aims at educating therapists and mentally ill patients. Moreover, group therapy has different phases, including begging, middle, and end. In the beginning, I would anticipate getting the objectives of the session. In the middle, I would anticipate the active participation of all group members. In the end, I would anticipate that everyone has benefitted from the practice. Group therapy can have several benefits, such as promoting a sense of belonging and creating a supportive network. On the other hand, some challenges may involve encountering disruptive members and the unwillingness of the members to communicate.
References
Carr, T., Arcand, L., Roberts, R., Sedgewick, J., Ali, A., & Groot, G. (2020). The experiences of Indigenous people with cancer in Saskatchewan: A patient-oriented qualitative study using a sharing circle. Canadian Medical Association Open Access Journal, 8(4), E852-E859. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20200012
Cats Cats. (2016, September 29). Interpersonal Group Therapy for Addiction Recovery Demonstration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szS31h0kMI0
Chikersal, P., Belgrave, D., Doherty, G., Enrique, A., Palacios, J. E., Richards, D., & Thieme, A. (2020, April). Understanding client support strategies to improve clinical outcomes in an online mental health intervention. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1–16). https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376341
Kaiser, B. N., Varma, S., Carpenter-Song, E., Sareff, R., Rai, S., & Kohrt, B. A. (2020). Eliciting recovery narratives in global mental health: Benefits and potential harms in service user participation. Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, 43(2), 111. 10.1037/prj0000384
write