Counseling proposal for children of divorced parents coping with grief

Group Counseling Proposal: Grief and Divorce Recovery Group

Notwithstanding that, children of divorced parents may not always think about their parents divorce, their lives get ingeniously impacted. A separation or a divorce affects children, adult children and almost hold some persistent impacts. As a result, counseling divorce families is important because when a family decides to go separate ways, children are affected. Moreover, divorce comes with increased emotions, and to handle these emotions, parents may look for assistance of qualified counselors. .Carter (2011) confirms that children from divorce families experiencing difficulties handling their parents divorce can get help from counselors. In this regard, the purpose of this proposal is to help students from divorced families develop coping strategies to manage their grief and stress following their parent's divorce

Introduction and Rationale

In the contemporary world, divorce is increasingly becoming a lifestyle for scores of people. Many children have become a section of divorced families, and it is predictable that more than 1/3 of a country's children experiences effects of divorce before they attain 18 years. In all societal levels, it seems that most families are attempting to ensure that their marriages work, but divorce in the modern world in unavoidable. Single parenthood is increasingly becoming acceptable and prevalent in the modern society. Single parents bring up One third of children, and it is necessary that both children and their parents learn on how to muddle through divorce ramifications. Fifty percent of American children witness their parents' divorce, while half of these children witness the breakups of their parents' second marriages. Additionally, forty percent of children in American are brought up without their fathers.

According to Thomspson & Lenderson (2010), single-parent families are on the rise, a trend that is not only augmenting rates of divorce, but also change values and attitudes regarding a family particularly in the younger generation. International comparisons indicated that the United States of America record the highest divorce rate, with Australia, United Kingdom, and New Zealand having lower rates, but akin to each other. The last decade records significant rise in studies ascertaining the impacts of divorce and family structures on young people and children. Analysis of longitudinal National Child Development studies carried out in 1997 offers findings that emphasize poorer economic and educational outcomes for persons who brought up in families affected by divorce (Harway, 2005). Studies indicate that children who experiences repeat divorces get lower academic results, while 35% of teenagers from divorced families require psychological assistance following their parents divorce. Divorced families experience increased psychological problems compared to deceased children. Harway (2005). further asserts that 28% of young people in Britain will experience their parents divorce before turning 16 years. Such statistics highlight the importance of complete comprehension of the effects of divorce. As a result, I have encountered several references to the significance of counseling divorce families to help them handle their grief and recovery from the divorce

Physical set up

A well-illuminated, spacious and cool room can contribute to flourishing group development, besides avoiding premature termination. A spacious room will enhance free movements and interactions among members.

Group Set-up

The group will entail eight students from divorced families, and the group will be operational for 12-week for 1.5 hours each week. A number of eight participants are ideal because this is a group of counseling. The objective of small size of the group is to allow for division of participants into their small groups for the week, provide the prospect for members of the group to know each other and to help participants to identify one personal growth for development (Sklare, 2005).

The duration of the counseling session twelve weeks is feasible given that it will enable almost two weeks for screening and recruiting potential participants. The group will be meeting after classes in order to accommodate the frenzied class program.

The group will adopt a circle format. During every session, the respondents will sit in a circle where they will have the chance to face each other. The circle format is one of the most ancient, profound and the simplest techniques for assisting to bring forth a given group's shared aptitude, and it promotes people sitting practice, listening cautiously and speaking from deep down their hearts (Dryden & Reeves, 2008). This format promotes a core on dialogue and will allow the participants to explore and learn together in an open-ended manner.

Group Counseling Sessions

The proposed group counseling will be provided to a group of youths from the surrounding community. The counseling will take 1.5 every week. Several weeks following the experience of the group, the participants will be called back to a follow-up session.

Session 1: Introduction to the Group

Time Allocated: 1.5 hours

Supplies: Writing materials, pencils and diaries

Group Set Up: Circle

Rationale

The circle format will enhance authority and significance. The aim of this set-up is to allow each member a full and open attitude to other group members.

Objectives

The main objective of this session is to ensure completion of victorious introduction of all group members, and divide the members into their small groups or dyads

Every member will get the chance to know each other and determine ones personal growth objective.

The requirements of the group will be discussed

Session 2: How to develop coping strategies

Time Allocated: 1.5 hours

Supplies: Writing materials, a diary and a pen

Group Set-up: Circle Format

Rationale

The circle format enhances a connectedness amid the respondents, besides reinforcing information sharing and promotes the process of learning.

Objectives

Individuals participating in the counseling experience are chosen because of their illustrated intricacies in dealing with grief following divorce of their parents. The participants requires numerous novel skills and the support to reinforce their potential to handle their grief and learn how to cope with the divorce and move forward. During this session, the participants:

Need to acknowledge the fact that their parents are divorced

Need to comprehend that they cannot change their parents decisions through sorrow or grief

Need to handle their grief and embrace the recovery process

Need to understand that life does not end with divorce of their parents

Need to obtain skills to facilitate their recovery process and handle their emotions, hate and anger

Need to be self-reliant and in control of the problem facing them

Need practical solutions and not grief, to their current problem

Need to withdraw from any conflict that their parents might be having

Session 3: Developing Skills Through Task Completion and Discussion

Supplies: Writing materials, Posters, Printed manuals and handouts

Group Set-up: Circle

Rationale

The circle format promotes a focal point on dialogue, and allows the participants to explore and learn together in an open-ended manner

Objectives

Developing comfort

Developing energy

Processing information and group exercises

Finishing the tasks

Getting all members together and enhance interaction

Needs of the Group

Following divorce, children often experience multiple stressors. By understanding that things in their once close-knit family are changing as a result of divorce, children develop emotions that instigate mental health issues. However, these children need to learn to deal with numerous changes that the family is bound to experience (Harway, 2005). Children may move away from their familial home or perhaps change school. The change of environment influences their social life completely as it takes time for these children to adapt to their new setting, make friends and socialize. Children from divorce families may be living in two different homes, hence requires becoming more accountable. The custodial blood relation may become psychologically or physically less accessible for children because of augmented demands (Harway, 2005). Usually, children from divorced families' centers in the immediate negative impacts of their family's separation, and they do not seek comfort in understanding that other divorced families have coped with the grief and have recovered and are doing just fine. Scores of children from divorced families will recover from grief and adjust, but some constantly experiences great issues into adulthood (Prever, 2010). As a result this session will help participant develop comfort from each other, share their concerns and build up energy to move on. Moreover, people need to hear what other people in the same situation are feeling and how they cope with divorce grief .They will be involved in tasks such as

Session 4: Activities of assisting groups 'members in solving their intricate problems

Supplies: Posters, whiteboard, flip chart, printed manuals and handouts, CD player, Video recorder and writing materials

Group Set-up: Circle

Rationale

The circle format brings forth a given group's shared astuteness and it promotes people sitting practice, interpersonal and social skills and.

Objectives

The purpose of this group counseling is to help students from divorced families develop coping strategies to manage their grief and stress following their parent's divorce. The participants will understand

Suitable means to respond to their current situation

A supportive social-solving model

An easy-to -- use conflict self-monitoring mechanism

The counseling group perspective will help in addressing the activities of assisting group's respondents in solving their intricate problems linked to divorce via group problem solving techniques and interpersonal skills. Notably, such groups are applicable in nonmedical atmosphere to help people not diagnosed with mental health issues. Given the significance of interpersonal and personal issues, the group leaders must work in unity with the clients to settle on the group sessions and its direction. Participants will be allowed to discuss their familial and interpersonal issues or stressors that they can determine that link to divorce and its effects. In the course of the procedure, participants will be inspired to be accountable for their own emotional and psychological development.

Leadership skills and verbal techniques will be employed to ensure that the group members are attentive and understand the concerns of each the group members. Group counseling with divorce families can be very practical, it can make therapy much affordable at a period when parents are strained financially. People require more structure in their group, such as weekly activities, which help them, handle the issues they are facing. Teenagers and adults react well to open discussion founded on the problems they are facing. The group leader should be prepared to listen to group members' complains of concerning their school, church, parents and everything else that revolve around their lives. The group leader should listen to the group and then assists them find solutions to their problems. The group should facilitate togetherness of the families represented in the group with the main aim of lessening the effects of divorce to the participants.

During this session, stress management, assertiveness training and consciousness-raising strategies are paramount. For the session to be successful videotaping, discussion topics and other structured exercises will help in realization of positive upshots. In this regard, materials such as posters, whiteboard, flip chart, printed manuals and handouts, CD player, Video recorder and writing materials are necessary. Most of the activities involved in this session will include listening, talking and sometimes acting.

Theory

This small counseling group is created to help in managing grief and recovery of participants following their parents divorce. In this regard, the group is remedial and interventive in temperament (Hafer, 1999). The group centers on solving the problems experienced by divorced families. This section will underline comprehensively the theories of counseling that the group leaders will employ. The group leader will capitalize on a combination of theoretical perspectives to group therapy in building up and executing the counseling group. Particularly, the group leaders will make reference to solution-focused theory (Metcalf, 2008). This theory centers on what the group members want to attain through the therapy as opposed to taking too much time on their problems. This perspective does not center on what has happened in the past, but rather centers on the future and present.

The group members will be asked to envisage how their future will become different when they learn to handle their problems. The divorce recovery group will be a short-term and closed group lasting for utmost twelve weeks. The group leader must hold thorough skills of grief counseling and not be afraid of the emotional pain, which the group members will exhibit. The group leader should as well be skilled with individual counseling. The group counseling will be directed on helping participants comprehend the practical adjustments required to heal from divorce and build up interpersonal, social and communication skills thereby facilitating the recovery of self-esteem and the development of new social network (Simon, 2010). Role-playing, directed reading, writing, nonverbal exercises, referral to other community and educational resources, decision-making exercises and problem-solving may be involved. The advantage of the group approach is that the participants obtain validation for their disturbing emotions and supportive prospects for mutual problem solving with peers who may eventually become friends. According Harway (2005), Group counseling is effective appendage to post-divorce psychotherapy.

Informed Consent Forms

Participants will be provided with informed consent forms detailing the information regarding the group type, its objectives, structure, typical interventions, leadership style and format. Both communication and written materials will be provided to the participants. The informed consent form will contain a summary of goals, interventions and topics, contact information. The informed consent will also include techniques and procedures that will be used during the counseling session, it will also detail potential risks, benefits of the counseling session, confidentiality limitations and other limitations.

Group Counseling on Grief and Divorce Recovery Informed Consent Form

We are pleased to inform you that we will be conducting group counseling on grief and divorce recovery. The aim of the group is to offer a solution-based approach to participants that will help them manage grief and recovery from the divorce. The group sessions will take 1.5 hours a week for twelve weeks only. The group shall hold up to nine members and their privacy shall be maintained at all costs. Everything discussed during the sessions shall stay put in the group, but information can be discussed outside the group for purpose of supervision. Your voluntary membership is kindly requested so that we may help each other overcome grief, recover from divorce and move on with life. Your personal details and your responses shall not be recorded in the questionnaires for privacy purpose. Your contribution is highly regarded, but you may choose the part you want to play in the group. You will not be coerced to answer any questions that you do not want to answer even after you sign the consent form. If you are willing to take part in the group counseling, please sign this form.

Please forward any reservations or questions to:

Dr

of Telephone No.

I have read and comprehended the contents of this form, and I consent to be part of the group

Participant Signature

We are obliged for your participation and assistance.

Outcomes

Group Evaluation after counseling is pivotal to all members and the group leaders. The productiveness of the experience of the group is assessable via member evaluation, leader evaluation, group procedure evaluation and outcome reports (Corey, 2011). The participants will be given a survey instrument that will obtain information that will help us understand whether the group's goals and objectives were achieved in the course of the group counseling sessions. The reader will issue a survey instrument to every participant to ascertain goal attainment at the end of the section. The survey instrument will contain the following questions

1. What coping strategies have you developed in the course of the group counseling sessions?

2. What changes do you feel after joining the group?

3. Are you in a position to handle your grief now? Do you feel like your sense of worth is improving?

4. Do you feel burdened by the entire process or are contented with what you have achieved?

5. How can you rate your interpersonal and social skills before, during and after the group counseling section?

6. Have you developed new social skills, have you made new friends out of the group?

7. Can you identify any problem-solving skills that you have attained in the course of the counseling process?

8. Has the group been helpful to you?

9. Is your attitude towards your parents changing?

8. What other skills have you developed?

Problem Solving

Chronic Talker

A chronic talker is like a member of a group who poses a potential problem to the group. The group leader must first understand the reason why a member talks chronically instead of judging such a person hastily (Whiston, 2009). The problem of chronic talking must be handled early enough to ensure the success of the group. Chronic talking is as a result of anxiety and can irritate others. In this regard, the group leader should correct the conduct through helping the chronic talker to embrace interpersonal communication skills besides; the group leader can use the cutting off method.

Silent Member

The group leader must seek to know why a member is silent. Could the silent be because of resentment or is the member introverted or reluctant. The leader should provide questions that require to answering to the member (Whiston, 2009). This way the silent member will be compelled to talk and will attain the benefits of groups through his/her participation.

Member Who Attacks Another in the Group

A leader should uphold complete control and power over his/her group and should not accommodate any violent member who will cause the termination of the group. The group leader should practice reframing whereby he/she considers negative acts by the violent person and react in a less risk and buoyant manner. Actions by the attacker should be prevented.

The Member Who Stops Coming

When a group member stops coming to the group, the leader should try to contact the person and seek to understand why the member has prematurely left the group. In the event that the member left the group because of reservations and different opinions, the leaders should request the member to rejoin the group and share his sentiments and doubts. Additionally, the group leader should request the member to bid farewell to the group if the reasons behind his/her premature termination are unavoidable. The group leader should make the member understand the obligations and benefits of staying in the group, but must not coerce the member to participant if the member does not want to continue being a group member.

Conclusion

Carter (2011) ascertains that divorce families need psychological counseling to help them smooth the divorce path besides preventing psychological damage. The divorced families also need counseling to repair the already done damage and to facilitate the normal growth of children. Divorce families needs support programs that will ensure no interference with their psychological and mental health. The incidence of mental health issues that affects social and educational life of divorced families instigates a need for group counseling (Robey & Carlson, 2012). The proficient literature recognizes numerous issues, health, social and economical, linked to divorce, and often faced by children or people from divorced families. Most surveys carried out on mental health issues suggest family structures and relationships is a major source of mental health issues and poor academic performances among divorced families. Practicing counselors that I have come across have suggested the regular need for grief and recovery counseling among divorce families. Rage and hate is inevitable and normal for emotions of human beings, but scores of children from divorce families are exposed to underprivileged family structures and poor role modeling. This trend affects them psychological, emotionally besides affecting their entire lives, hence a need for counseling.

References List

Carter, S. (2011). Family restructuring therapy: Interventions with high conflict separations and divorces. New York: Unhooked Books.

Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of group counseling. New York: Cengage Learning.

Dryden, W., & Reeves, a. (2008). Key issues for counseling in action. New York: SAGE.

Hafer, W.K.(1999). Coping with bereavement: Surviving the trauma of death or divorce. New York: Cedar Fort.

Harway, M.(2005). Handbook of couples' therapy. London: John Wiley & Sons.

Jacobs, E.E., Masson, R. L, Harvill, M.R. (2009). Group counseling strategies and skills, sixth edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.