Group Counseling

Group Counseling is a type of counseling where a group of people discuss the issues they are facing while supported by a counselor or facilitator.

This is the common form of counseling as it's an excellent way for group members to meet on a regular basis and discuss things openly with each other.

In group counseling, members often have the same or similar issues that they are facing. Hence they can learn more about ways to cope with and overcome these issues with the help of the others in the group.

It gives each member an opportunity to understand themselves better by understanding how other members cope with the issues they face themselves.

The group size may vary from time to time. The group size consists of 4 to 18 people. However the typical group size is 8 to 12 people.

Groups meet once or twice a week to discuss issues that are of a personal, social, or educational nature. Sometimes, in companies, the topics or issues taken up might be directly connected to work.

The main objective of group counseling is for the members to come together to share their problems while providing support to other group members at the same time.

In the case of substance abuse or anger management, all attempts are made to control, cope with and change their behavior patterns that are causing those issues in the first place.

A clear set of guidelines and rules for each group meeting or counseling session must be printed out or intimated to each group member.

Guidelines and rules are important to conduct sessions or meetings smoothly. It helps focus on the main reasons that the members are being counseled together in the first place.

The role of the counselor is most important here. Things can easily go out of hand in group counseling. Especially when it comes to Anger Management and Alcohol Abuse counseling.

The counselor must be able to give each member an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings on the issues being discussed.

One of the main reasons that group counseling is used by several organizations all over the world is because individual members do not feel alone when in a group.

Each member realizes that he or she is not the only one who is facing the same issue. There are many others sailing in the same boat.

Group Counseling is a highly effective educational tool in institutes, schools, colleges and universities. Individuals find it much easier to learn new things in a group. In fact, most classroom lectures can be considered an extended form of group counseling.

This form of counseling allows the exchange of thoughts and ideas among members who are all meeting for the same reason.

Members are motivated and even encouraged to participate when they see others who are going through the same or similar problems as they are.

Group members feel more confident about themselves and find it easier to face the challenges that lie ahead of them. Group members have empathy for each other due to the common ground they share.

It becomes much easier to cope with and overcome issues such as addiction, anger, stress, and abuse when group members relate to each other so well.

Though sharing and caring remains the main purposes of group counseling, it is the counselor's job to offer alternatives and options to each member to help them make the changes needed to resolve the issues they face properly.

In many groups, there are mentors or leaders appointed for new members to help support them further. The main job of such a mentor or leader is to support, nurture, and guide the new member better.

The main benefits of group counseling are that it can counselor more people at the same time. It helps the individual members to share their own experiences and broaden their views and knowledge on them by listening to the sharing of other members.

Group Counseling helps members find many solutions to the same problems. It makes individuals more confident in their own abilities when they meet others who have overcome the same challenges as they have. It also helps members become friends with each other. And builds a strong support system among members too.

The role of the counselor or facilitator is to mainly enhance the interaction between members, help them achieve their goals, and assist them in learning from each other through sharing, caring, encouragement and support.

Empathy is the most important quality that a facilitator must have. Followed by good interpersonal skills. The facilitator must be able to plan and schedule meetings in a manner that boosts attendance, participation, and support.

The facilitator must be an expert at Blocking. This is an art where he or she must be able to handle any disruptions, distractions and outbursts that occur during group meetings. The focus must be kept on the main thing.

During the first session, or each time new members join, the counselor must introduce the new members to the group. New members must be made to feel comfortable and given time to share their feelings openly with other members.

Once members are meeting regularly and know each other well, then the closeness and interdependence between them increases. They feel strongly connected to each other and might even become lifelong friends.

It is essential for the counselor to determine when group counseling sessions must be terminated. Sometimes all members leave at the same time but at other times only certain members may be asked to leave the group once they have realized their goals, overcome the issues they face or have gone through a specific number of sessions as decided by the counselor.

Sharing information, interpersonal learning, open interaction, honest sharing, develop emotional awareness, instilling hope, building courage, showing empathy, providing support, building cohesiveness, offering alternatives, and resolving issues are some of the key advantages of group counseling.

Group Counseling is a powerful form of therapy. There are millions of people who have benefited from organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous where group counseling is the most common form of counseling used.

The biggest advantage is the amount of time and money saved when counseling people in a group. Counseling charges can be kept low and can even be offered free to the client due to this reason.