This means that they describe what emotions the activating event made them feel. The principles facilitate being rational because they shift focus from emotions to logic. The group gets an opportunity to look at the problems they face from a rational perspective, which creates room for possibilities. Thinking rationally helps in creating many alternative solutions, and helps clients make decisions consciously and willingly. It also ensures that individuals in the group are responsible for their actions and this solves the problems that arise from shifting blame. This technique aims at challenging the logic behind the clients' responses.

Another technique is imagination disputation. Each client creates a scenario that would lead to a reaction and emotional consequences. The group members express how they would react in that situation and later discuss the appropriate way to react. This gives each member an opportunity to become rational about an otherwise irrational situation and be composed. It also helps the healing process because the clients are able to start practicing positive self-talk. They can also include it in their short- and long-term goals (Jacobs 2006).

Use of the Emotional Control Card is a somewhat weird but very effective technique for ensuring the sustainability of positive behavior change. This is an actual card written all the negative habitual responses of the clients, and the appropriate responses for the same situations. When feeling the urge to react inappropriately, the clients can read their cards and keep their reactions and responses in check. The therapist need not worry about relapses because this is one of the most effective ways of sustaining positive behavior change.

Finding the appropriate time for group counseling is one of the greatest challenges to this task. People spend their time at work or doing something important. They are hardly able to create time to rest, let alone schedule a group counseling session. The twenty-four hours economy leads to high stress levels in employees and general members of the public. The stereotype attitude that people have towards counseling also does nothing to improve the situation. The therapist has to rely on the hope that potential clients really feel the need to seek for help, so much so that they are willing to make time for counseling sessions. When clients have formed a group, the challenge becomes finding convenient time to hold the sessions. The therapist can set a time for the first meeting with all group members, and then come up with a way forward. When clients contribute and participate in setting the appropriate time, they are more likely to attend the sessions at all costs. It therefore becomes a personal initiative and responsibility for every group member. The therapist must also make the sessions so remarkable and interesting that any client who misses a session feels that they have really missed out.

The final and most important detail of group counseling is offering the treatment clients are looking for. Most groups in counseling offer general services for example, Alcoholics Anonymous offers counseling for alcohol addicts. The focus of major groups is addiction to drugs or sex. It is necessary that counselors come up with creative groups that address the needs of clients from all parts of the world. To be able to do this, the therapist must understand the types of groups that exist in counseling and their characteristics (Jacobs 2006).

There are four main groups in counseling. The first is a guidance group. These groups are especially common in high schools and primary schools. They majorly address issues like peer pressure, self-esteem and academic performance. The task group comprises of people interested in performing specific activities. Such groups are formed for short periods and once the group accomplishes the task, the group dissolves. Counseling groups are for people who face certain problems or fail to cope with specific situations in their lives. The sessions for these groups take place until all the group members are confident they can cope on their own. Most groups in counseling belong to this category. Psychotherapeutic groups are the last category and are mostly for mentally challenged people. They are also groups for people with deep emotional problems. Joining a certain group in any of the four categories means that the client is struggling with the general needs associated with that group. The therapist must therefore decide the activities to involve the group that will help the clients find alternative solutions to their problems in a fun and interesting process (Corey, 2012).

This proposal addresses a group of people struggling with drug addiction. The reason for this specific...

This is because many groups only deal with addiction to alcohol but other drugs like cocaine and heroin have very few if any counseling groups. The reality is that addiction to alcohol is not so different from addiction to bhang since they are both addiction. This proposal ensures that all drug addicts have an opportunity to seek help. It had an edge over other programs because it is an answer to all drug addicts. Owing to this nature of the group, it will fall in the counseling group category.
When selecting group members, the therapist must first set an age bracket. This program is for young people aged nineteen to thirty. This is because many drug addicts pick up the habit within this age. The group is for both men and women. The members of the group must be action oriented and likely to benefit from group interactions. The group members should also be from both extremes of personality types. This is to mean that the group should have both submissive and hostile members. This balance gives everyone a chance to learn. The group members should also be from different cultures to expand the spectrum of group members. This will also bring in diversity that is beneficial in helping group members learn how to accommodate the thoughts and opinions of others. The therapist must also ensure that he includes as many diverse members as possible then exclude them

Description of 10 Group Sessions

Drugs and substance abuse

Goals

As a counseling group, the group has various goals and objectives which will seek to establish a framework for the national drug control agencies. Through the goals and objectives, the group intends to familiarize with the integrated activities, governmental and private organizations budgets towards the reduction of drugs and substance use. The group seeks to maintain the goals and objectives over the long-term (Rutan, Stone & Shay 2007). The supporting objectives will allow a measurable progress and success towards tackling the group's challenges. In this case, the group's counselors try to maintain the standard goals and group's objectives to ensure that the drug addicts get enough support, which will be beneficial for them during the recovery process. Some of the group's goals include;

Educating and Enabling the youth to reject substance abuse and drugs

Increasing the safety of citizens by significantly reducing drug-related violence and crimes

Reducing health and social expenses to the public and group of substance and drug abuse

Breaking any domestic and foreign drug supply sources

Shielding the group members from the threats related to the drugs

The counseling group will grant safety and affirmative environment for its members to address issues related to drug and substance abuse. The group members will be given opportunities to participate in discussions or generate some of the discussions with the help of the counselors.

The group will provide its members with the opportunity to learn from fellow members and experience personal developments.

Educating and enabling the group members to reject substance abuse and drugs

The group's counselors will mainly focus on educating and enabling the group members on the need to reject substance abuse and drugs. The counselors will device means and ways of discouraging the group members from excessive use of drugs or any illegal substance. The counselors will educate the group members on the effects of substance abuse and the positives of staying drug free (Rutan, Stone & Shay 2007).

Increasing the safety of citizens and the group members by significantly reducing drug-related violence and crimes

The counselors will devise ways in which they will increase the safety of its group's members and the public. Through these means, they will be able to reduce drug-related crimes and violence in the region. In most cases, drugs and substance abuse is related to violence or crimes, hence reducing the rate at which the group members and the public abuse drugs will beneficial in cubing violence and crimes.

Reducing health and social expenses to the public and group of substance and drug abuse

The group will try to reduce health and social costs that are caused by the public or the group because of excessive drug and substance abuse. Through discouraging the group members from excessive use of drugs and substance abuse, the group will be reducing health and social expenses costs. The counselors will also try to educate the group members on the negative effects of drug abuse as a way of costs reduction (Rutan, Stone & Shay 2007).

Breaking any…