Counseling Prominent Factors Influencing Group and Individual

Counseling

Prominent factors influencing group and individual counseling

(#3) Which approaches to individual and group counseling are best for new group counselors?

Successful theoretical approaches vary between individual and group therapy. Nevertheless, there is overlap in the efficacy of certain approaches. For example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has a strong success rate in both group and individual contexts (Beiling, McCabe, Antony, 2009). Although it is true that CBT was originally implemented in an individual setting, there are specific reasons why it is adaptable to a group format. Specifically, CBT endeavors to alter the way in which people distinguish between internal and external reality, changing how one responds to their environment rather than addressing psychological insight (Beiling, McCabe, Antony, 2009). Additionally, many CBT patients have anxiety disorders, and many patients find the group setting less intimidating than a private dynamic.

CBT is also particularly successful to either individual or group contexts because it is adaptable to many different settings and is action-based; therapists can therefore incorporate the entire groups at once rather than needing to focus on one individual at a time. For individuals, another successful theoretical approach is psychodynamic psychotherapy, which focuses on altering one's psychological makeup. Although CBT and psychodynamic therapy are amenable to new counselors, CBT may be more applicable for new counselors since it relies less on the interpretations and insights of the counselors and is more grounded in exercises and activities.

(#4): Aspects of individual and group counseling that are most challenging for a new counselor

There are many aspects of both individual and group counseling that are challenging for a new counselor. One challenging aspect that is germane to both settings involves the hostility that many therapists incur at the hands of their patient(s). Many patients are placed in therapy against their will, or are susceptible to drastic mood changes that may result in an angry outburst directed at the therapist. Consequently, therapists are tasked with not only managing their own emotions, but attempting to regulate those of the client as well. Both tasks can be particularly challenging for new counselors, as they have often not yet developed the confidence in their own abilities to not internalize hostility from their patients, nor do they any empirical success from past patients from which to derive confidence. It is therefore imperative that they accept the fact that while they must do everything in their power to help their patients, the actions and emotions of their patients is outside of their control.

Another challenge facing new therapists involves countertransference, which is particularly common when working with patients who have experienced traumatic events (Neumann, Gamble, 1995). The phenomenon manifests when the therapist empathizes with the patient(s) to such a degree that they internalize the trauma that they attempt to resolve, to the extent that they assume the perspective of those they are treating. The countertransference of trauma is most common in individual settings, as the dynamic is more intimate and the lack of other people in attendance means that the therapist is faced with supplying all of the empathy and encouragement for resolving the trauma. There are many motivations for this tendency, although it is invariably the result of the inability of the therapist to place critical distance between themselves and their patient(s). As the therapist matures in their profession, they are typically able to succeed in this regard.

(#5): What values might a new group counselor hold that would affect their work?

All counselors have values that will positively or negatively affect their work. However, as they become experienced in their profession, it is imperative that therapists develop the ability to distance themselves from their personal biases or prejudices and focus exclusively on how to successfully treat their patients. Nevertheless, new counselors often have difficulty in that they hold values that affect their work. If a new therapist has a particularly open-minded worldview, their values are likely to endear them to their patients and facilitate long-lasting therapeutic relationships. However, new therapists with culturally discriminatory or chauvinistic perspectives are likely to experience significant difficulty with regard to endearing them to their patient and providing intellectually honest therapy.