Group Counseling Theories

Chapter seventeen of the text is devoted to the “Comparisons, Contrasts, and Integration” of various theories of group practice. The text gives an overview of the many variations that group counseling has, including the merits, the practice, and the intended results. It lists psychoanalytic, existential, rational emotive behavior therapy, reality therapy, and solution-focused therapy as examples. While there were many aspects of each that I found particularly interesting, it was the implementation that I found especially worth comment (Corey, 1990, p. 472). Each theory has its own set of techniques that make it effective; it is the idea of balance that the text stresses above all else as essential. It is important to understand that there is no definitive correct technique, and one must recognize the fact that an effective counselor can assess a group and its goals and know which type or types of therapy might best benefit them. This need for balance shows up again and again throughout the text. One example is in its discussion of goal setting. It is important that members of the group have longer-term goals toward which they should be working as well as smaller, day-to-day goals individuals use to take small steps to larger goals. An effective group counselor helps the group know that these goals are important, but does not make or set the goals for the group. This level of involvement in goal setting is another example of the importance of balance (Corey, 1990, p. 470).

With regard to the counselor or social worker's involvement with group settings, the text describes the continuum on which these counselors often fall. At one end are the counselors who are especially involved with the running of group sessions. They tend to be more controlling of the direction in which each session goes. At the other end of the spectrum are those who are more relaxed in directing the flow of conversation in group sessions. While the text does not say which style of counselor is better, it does seem to be pushing for something more toward the center. An effective counselor is one with enough patience to allow the group itself to steer the direction in which group sessions go but is also in enough control to help guide the sessions in productive ways if need be (Corey, 1990, p. 455).

An effective integrative therapy technique likely requires quite a lot of experience from the counselor. As the text explains, “Developing an integrative perspective requires much reading, thinking, and cultural counseling experience. Unless you have an accurate and in-depth knowledge of these theories, you can not formulate a true synthesis” (Corey, 1990, p. 475). Obviously, a vast amount of reading must be done for each technique. Before a counselor can even think about implementing one of these techniques such as group role-playing exercises, they must learn as much as they can to gain a written understanding of the specific group therapy technique they wish to eventually employ. A counselor who is considering integrative therapy technique must do that much more learning to begin with, as they must learn as much as they can about any number of techniques as opposed to a counselor who is able to specialize in just one area of therapy.

Another indicator that integrative therapy requires an experienced counselor is the fact that the text lists “cultural counseling experience” as a necessity. A new counselor will not have much direct experience with clients, but it is the best way to learn to assess a group’s goals, and the more time a counselor spends with a group, obviously, the more the counselor will understand this group. The more cultural counseling experience, the more effective a counselor will be, and the only way to get this experience is through time spent working. For a counselor who is thinking about using integrative therapy, they must understand that it is a matter of balancing issues listed, but also the various techniques that are listed in the text as well. Integrative group therapy requires a highly experienced counselor to be really effective.

Reference

Corey, G. (1990). Theory and practice of group counseling (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, Calif. Brooks/Cole Pub. Co.