Group Counseling
Groups have dynamics just like families, and Group interactions will often bring up unresolved individual issues. Group Counseling can help resolve these issues. Whether your group is a club, the workplace, a sports team, prayer group, personal growth group, or other group where you come together around a common interest or goal, you will encounter conflicts. Conflicts can occur over any number of areas including money, leadership, responsibility, stress, communication, problem solving, decision making, goal setting and other issues. Conflicts not dealt with can sabotage a group no matter how magnificent its goals. If your group is not performing at its optimum, you can be sure that there are conflicts, known and unknown that aren’t being dealt with. Group Counseling can identify and resolve these conflicts.
Groups can fail in their goals regardless of the competence of the individual members. If the individuals’ needs, hidden agendas, unresolved issues or anger with others in the group, unspoken expectations, general discontents and other silent assumptions are not addressed and resolved, the group will not function effectively. A group counselor or group therapist can help reveal these issues.
Do the individuals feel free to express themselves and communicate with others in the group and with the group as a whole? Do they know how to appropriately express feelings vs. thoughtful reasoning in addressing problems? Are leaders chosen by an agreed upon method, or do they emerge? Does everyone agree on the process? Has the group determined that everyone should agree? If there is disagreement, how is it resolved? Does one person have the authority to decide if consensus isn’t the rule or doesn’t work?
Is the group bored or belligerent, enthusiastic or creative? Is the group doing what its members want it to do? Has it changed course without a conscious decision? Does everyone understand what they are doing and what others are doing? Do they know who to approach for support, problem solving, and information?
A group counselor will ask and get answers to the questions about why the group isn’t enthusiastic, creative, and why everyone isn’t working happily toward the group’s goals, how things got off course, or why challenges aren’t being met.
When I work with groups as a group counselor or group therapist, even if the individuals in the group are not members of the same particular group, we will still be able to reveal the individual issues that need to be resolved that keep you from being an effective group member of your particular group.
The groups that I offer are an opportunity to create community, connection and deep resolution. We address grief and loss, family issues, stress management, trauma, abuse and addictions as they come up in the group dynamic.
I am available for evening, one day, weekend, or ongoing workshop series of group counseling sessions for your group.
Group Counseling is one of many Healing Services that can be used in Individual Counseling, or Family Counseling, often using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
