The group discussion that we go through is based on conversation with Dr Corey and Marionne, where there is a conversation that goes between James, Darren, Andrew and Jill. This session is primarily targeted to achieved a normalized environment and to achieve success in making the participants comfortable to the group and to help them so that they can share their emotions with the other group members. Once the discussion starts, James mentions the fact that there is lot of time that he feels inside and outside the group and he's very effectively calmed down by Dr Corey and then he's asked to once again think about it and confirm that how much does he feel inside the group and how much outside. Marionne suggests that, while the group is new at times it happens that the attachment is not completely built-up due to which it feels to be out of group however this feeling fades naturally. Andrew suggests Marionne that he finds men more trustworthy than women, Marionne advises Andrew to look around the room and see if there is someone who's more trusting and this exercise made him realize that this was.
This session noticed common heated conversations in the beginning however the facilitators were successful in calming down the participants by keeping them engaged with the discussions related to their fears and expectations. In order to make the group feel comfortable, Dr Corey and Marionne asked the group to have a 10 min discussion however they should discuss on one of the topics that involve fears, hopes, expectations, any concerns they have. On being asked about, who are the people that the group would like to be liked by, the answer was authoritative figures which mean Dr Corey and Marionne. Both Dr Corey and Marionne try and initiate that discussion based on fears and expectations among the group and they request the group to be participative and to interrupt in case if they want to give an opinion of their own. One of the group members shared the fact that, it was difficult for them to share thoughts about their family and this is one issue that makes them vulnerable within a group. Dr Corey finds that one of the group members is extremely emotional and when it comes to family issues and he asks if this makes him vulnerable in front of the group and then the group member is asked to look into the eyes of other members of the group, and surprisingly there is a feeling of compassion rather than that of being judged. This is a great example of tranquilizing an issue with a member which is related to severe emotional impact and dilemma.
One of the members raised the point that she feels very low because of the fact that being an African-American women she is not taken as seriously as she should. She also mentioned that there are lot of times that her ethnicity makes you feels inferior to the other members that are the part of this group. Marionne addresses the lady by making her discuss issues with one of the members of the group that she felt inferior against, the discussion was much helpful and resulted in relaxation to the member was feeling very low due to inferiority complex. Similarly, other members also shared their experiences with fears and expectations and in the end Marionne disperse the group on a positive note by telling them to just be themselves and spend their coming week in a different way.
The post-session discussion between Dr Corey, Marionne and Dr Robert Haynes was in order to evaluate their attempt in order to normalize the group and create a spontaneous interaction.
Session 2
In the second session the group concentrates on transition and creation of relationships. The discussion starts with Dr Corey advising the group about building trust and demolishing the wall which restricts them to trust the others. Marionne suggests that it is good to be expressive and being a little weak emotionally is natural hence it is not wrong to express love and emotions at times. The discussion in this section has thoroughly about creating the environment and the safety within which the conversations in the room can take place. Dr Corey and Dr Haynes advise the groups that they should feel relaxed and the cameras should not impact on and similarly this is followed by comments from Marionne where she mentions that gradually the difficulty of expressiveness will go and it would be much easier to talk and discuss about one's issues within the room.
In the first two sessions, the participants test the atmosphere and they learn the functioning of the group. There is a connection between the group which is initiated by Dr Corey and Marionne, initially we see that the members are not sure whether they can be a part of the group however with the progress of the above two sessions there is a comfort zone for every member and they have decided that how much can be disclosed with the group and quite sure about their safety. The members can now express fears, concerns, hopes, reservations and expectations within the group.
a) In order to deal with this situation, it would be important to ask the member to name in case if there is any group member specifically who is making them feel uncomfortable. If yes, then the member should be asked to interact with the person that he or she is feeling uncomfortable with and should talk about the reasons behind this feeling of uncomfortableness. In case, if this uncomfortable feeling is related to the entire group, the member should be asked to try once to talk about his feeling and take opinion from the group members about his presence in the group. This will help to strengthen the transition and would help to initiate trust within the group after few interactions with the group members. It will also help to make the member, leader of a group for certain time to help him or her enjoyed the attention of the group and also get time to build some relationships.
b) Drinking and driving, use of illegal drugs and abortion are the three issues that can be relevant to my group.
In case of drinking and driving, it is important to make the member of the team realize the value of his life and its impact on his or her loved ones. The initial discussion would be related to help the member to understand that how adversely it could have impacted his life and that at this time to connect it with its implications on life. It would be a helpful idea to ask the member to share any reason why this happened and it would be best to counsel him by asking him to imagine if any of his loved one would do that.
In case of illegal drugs, the approach would be the same as above however it would be important to Counsel the member and it would be important to find out that what had led to the member getting involved into such an act. If the reason is related to an emotional breakdown, it would be important to discuss that reason further and penetrate into the actual cause, which would also help to identify a possible solution.
On the other hand, abortion is an issue which is only dealing with female members and mostly involves emotional transitions where discussion of future opportunities is very important and helpful. It would be beneficial to address the member with her spouse and to explain them how there are many future opportunities that can help them to regain the same happiness and a positive approach needs to be reflected through the discussion.
c) While there is a transition to end the group, it is important to ensure that the group has a very good bonding and all their issues are resolved. In order to do this it is important to discuss the journey that the group had during their previous sections and in case if they feel that there is any existing issue that still stays since the time that they had joined the group. Once the issue is identified, they can individually be counseled or else the group should be advised on a positive note that they have come a long way and it is time for them now to individually face their issues and to assure them that they will be successful in handling it alone.
d) As a counselor, while referring to further services it is important to make the member realize that this step is taken to continue the improvement and sustain it in future as well. The member should not be directly referred to any other counselor or group; however it is important to maintain a gradual transition to a different counselor group in case if it is required to.
