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Observing Group Observation Paper

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In this paper, I discuss my experience with observing a group counseling session with the purpose of evaluating it in terms of how it is set up, how it is run, interventions used, culturally sensitivity, and the contribution toward my professional development as a social worker. The group setting plays a critical role in social work outside of the individual session and can be largely beneficial for clients in the forms of therapy, counseling, self-help, and support. By attempting to better understand group interventions, I will learn how to apply this strategy in aiding clients for whom this method is appropriate by increasing their social supports.
In selecting a community group to observe, of consideration were groups which serve the …show more content…

The group facilitator for this substance abuse group is a man named Chris who has been facilitating this group for around 6 months. He shared with me that he has been working at this agency for two years as a mental health case manager in this program. He completed his education in the field of substance abuse and currently holds his Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor license. In speaking with Chris and observing the group session, Chris held the leadership role as the individual leader. He shared that six months ago, this group held two leaders, one being the primary leader along with the co-leader. However, this previous leader left her position and he is now facilitating individually. Uniquely, he shared he often has other program staff attend the group to help with the leadership role by minimizing disruptions by the members and taking note of the process. In these instances, the group would be considered having co-leadership in the function the additional staff play (Hepworth et. al., 2013).
Upon observing this group, I noticed the group to be homogeneous, and in addition, there were also clients who attended who did not appear appropriate based on the functioning level of the group. According to Maguire (2002), “Group members must be at similar levels of ego strength or functionality.” The is based on the idea of group membership for a group for function properly. Maguire states, “A person who is literally too abnormal or who deviates

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