Counseling Skills and Interventions Flashcards
Group Counseling: laissez-faire style
Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups.1 The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.
Group Counseling: democratic style
is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin’s study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality
Group Counseling: autocratic style
Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done.
Gestalt therapy:
is based on existential principles, and the goal of individuals in therapy is to integrate all of their needs to become a whole person. Clients are encouraged to attend to their emotions and to relive experiences. Counselors working from a gestalt approach often use the two-chair technique, role playing, and dream work.
Irvin Yalom is known for:
his contributions to group counseling theory. He identified four stages: orientation, conflict, cohesion, and termination.
The social constructionist perspective:
operates from the viewpoint that we use language to construct a common realitywith others, and that there are no objective “functional” family dynamics that apply to all family systems.
Steve de Shazer’s philosophy:
is one that focuses on solutions rather than problems and underlying causes of those problems.
Social constructionists assume :
that clients know how to solve their own problems but need help in constructing a new way to use the knowledge they already have.
De Shazer also introduced :
the concept of therapists equipping clients with “skeleton keys,” interventions that can be used to solve many problems.
Risky shift phenomenon occurs when:
a group makes decisions that are riskier and less conservative due to group discussions. This is a common occurrence in groups, as shared risk makes the individual risk less. Studies also show that extensive discussion about a particularly risky course of action tends to lessenperceived risk.
Irvin Yalom:
a well-known figure in the field of group counseling, believed that certain leadership functions were present in the field of group counseling. These leader functions include emotional stimulation, in which counselors encourage healthy expression of emotions; caring, which is characterized by warmth, acceptance, genuineness, and concern; meaning attribution, in which the group leader provides a cognitive perspective to group members’ experiences; and executive leadership, which is characterized by the group leader structuring the group and ensures that the group is moving in a specific direction. During the executive leadership stage, the emphasis is placed on managing the group as a social system.
Linking:
is the process of relating group members’ thoughts, comments, and feelings to each other to increase cohesion and (at times) interaction.
Family Counseling:
can include nuclear family units, extended family, and anyone who impacts the family unit. Family counseling goals typically include increased communication, improved dysfunctional patterns, and the use of relationships to heal and stabilize the family
Mediation:
is one intervention that is often recommended for couples going through a divorce in order to avoid court involvement.
Primary groups:
emphasize preventing problems and developing healthy behaviors, for example, educational groups about the causes and symptoms of depression.
Secondary groups:
focus on reducing the severity of a specific problem and include preventative and remedial elements, such as adjusting to a loss.
Tertiary groups:
involve rehabilitation and focus on returning individuals to healthy functioning.
Group Stages:
forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning
Forming Stage:
membersestablish goals for the group but continue to focus on themselves.
Storming Stage:
is typically marked by conflict as members work out personality differences.
Norming Stage
members accept differences between each other and begin to work together.
Performing Stage:
iswhen members trust each other and often achieve success.
Adjourning Stage:
is when group members celebrate their successes and assess their work.
Group Counselor Skills:
Among other skills, they should be able to manage and direct the group within certain time constraints, prevent members from blocking discussion, and help the group set goals. It is more important for counselors to have an attitude of openness to learning about each individual’s values and beliefs.
Token Economy:
uses points or other types of reinforcements to reward individuals who exhibit desired behaviors. These points can then be used to purchase goods and privileges.
Person-centered Groups:
typically encourage openness and an exploration of a full range of feelings. Techniques include active listening and reflection rather than structured techniques found in other types of groups. The focus of person-centered groups is on increasing self-understanding and personal insight
Person-Centered Approach focuses on:
the importance of the counselor showing unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathic understanding to the client. The focus is on the client’s current feelings and the client’s process of becoming and moving toward self-actualization. Carl Rogers is the primary founder of this approach.
Blocking Role:
attempts to hinder any accomplishment of group goals or group formation by engaging in negative and distracting behaviors.
Maintenance Role:
encourages social and emotional bonding of group members.
Facilitative, or Building, Role:
helps group cohesion by contributing to positive and constructive group functioning.
Meaning attribution:
refers to the cognitive understanding that is made of the events in the group, which can enhance collective experiences and increase familiarity with emotions and feelings.
Corey identified six stages of a group:
formation, when the group counselor screens and selects group members; orientationand exploration, which focus on cohesion and trust between group members; transition, which deals with handling resistance and conflict; working, when the group becomes more productive and less dependent on the leader; consolidation and termination, when group members prepare for the outside world; and postgroup activities, which include evaluation and follow-up referrals for other services.
Corey Group Stages: Formation
when the group counselor screens and selects group members
Corey Group Stages: Orientationand Exploration
which focus on cohesion and trust between group members
Corey Group Stages: Transition
which deals with handling resistance and conflict
Corey Group Stages: Working
when the group becomes more productive and less dependent on the leader
Corey Group Stages: Consolidation and Termination
when group members prepare for the outside world
Corey Group Stages: Postgroup Activities
which include evaluation and follow-up referrals for other services
Jacob Moreno (1889-1974):
was a psychotherapist and social scientist known forhis contributions of sociometry and psychodrama to group psychotherapy
Sociometry:
the study and measurement of social relationships
According to object relations theory:
which is based on psychoanalytic concepts, a child must pass through four broad stages of development in order to function normally. If normal progression through these stages does not occur, the individual is at increased risk for attachment disorders and personality disorders such as borderline and narcissism.
Strategic family therapy focuses on:
the power and control expressed through family communication patterns, and techniques are frequently direct suggestions or assignments.
Relabeling:
is used by counselors who can reframe the meaning of a situation.
Countertransference:
a common occurrence in psychoanalytic counseling, is the projection of the counselor’s feelings and perceptions onto the client.
Psychodrama:
is a technique developed by Jacob Moreno that is used by group counselors to work through conflicts by reorganizing individuals’ perceptions and increasing insight. Psychodrama usually includes a director, a protagonist, an auxiliary ego, and an audience.
Experiential Family Therapy:
was developed by Carl Whitaker, who takes a very active role in the therapeutic process. Experiential family counselors attempt to join the family during therapy sessions, using their own personal experiences as family members to initiate change within the family system. In experiential family therapy, symbolism is a tool counselors use to explain family members’ experiences.
Irvin Yalom:
a well-known figure in the field of group counseling, believes that certain leadership functions are present in the field of group counseling. These leader functions include emotional stimulation, in which counselors encourage healthy expression of emotions; caring, which is characterized by warmth, acceptance, genuineness, and concern; meaning attribution, in which the group leader provides a cognitive perspective to group members’ experiences; and executive leadership, which is characterized by the group leader structuring the group and ensures that the group is moving in a particular direction.
R. K. Coyne’s four levels of intervention:
individual, interpersonal, organization, and community populations
Gerald Corey’s stages:
(initial, transition, working, and termination)
Bruce Tuckman’s stages:
(forming, storming, norming, and performing)
Heterogeneous Group or Homogeneous Groups:
Counselors may want to form heterogeneous groups since they more accurately reflect real-world experiences and expose group members to a variety of opinions and backgrounds. However, if counselors are concerned about group members being able to relate to each other and their problems, they should try to create homogeneity within the group so that the group is made up of similar kinds of members.
Rationale emotive behavior groups require:
a highly active and directive group leader, which may be too forceful for some clients. In these groups, the leader confronts illogical thinking and aims to make constructive changes, leading to a greater acceptance of self. The group leader often assigns homework and encourages role-playing and exercises in self-discipline.
Object Relations Theory:
is based on psychoanalytic concepts, as it asserts that relationships that we form early in life affect our interpersonal interactions with others in the present. There are four stages of development that should be navigated in the first three years of life: fusion with mother (first three to four weeks), symbiosis (third to eighth month), separation/individuation (begins the fourth or fifth month), and constancy of self and object (occurs by the 36th month).
Virginia Satir:
is widely known for her development of the humanistic model of family counseling. Satir believed that family members often take on one of five styles of communication: placater, blamer, superreasonable, irrelevant, and congruent communicator. Satir saw herself as a coach and teacher of families, and worked intimately with families by joining with them and sharing in the experience of being a family member.
Albert Bandura’s Central Concept Social Learning Theory:
social learning theory is self-efficacy, which is an individual’s belief that he or she is able to perform a certain behavior. Self-efficacy can be encouraged through modeling, observing others, receiving verbal persuasion from others, and staying in tune with one’s physiological states
John Piaget believed:
that children learn best through interactions with others
John Piaget: preoperational stage
which typically occurs between ages two and seven, the child begins to speak in multi-word sentences, expands his or her imagination, engages in symbolic play, and begins to possess a relative sense of time.
John Piaget: sensorimotor stage
occurs during the first two years of lifewhen children experience the world through crawling and beginning to walk, as well as with their five senses.
John Piaget: concrete operational
stage occurs from age seven to eleven and is marked by an increased ability to think logically and about others’ perspectives.
John Piaget: formal operational stage
is the fourth and final stage and occurs from age eleven through adulthood. During this stage, children develop abstract thought and complex problem-solving skills
Alfred Adler’s work focused significantly on:
birth order
Alfred Adler’s Birth Order:
The eldest child tends to get much attention, is hard-working and dependable, and fears losing love when a sibling comes along. Middle children see themselves in competition with the older sibling(s), may view life as unfair, and often feel left out. The youngest child often tends to go his or her own way and is influenced by all other siblings. Individuals who are only children have difficulty cooperating, often handle adult interactions well, and want to be the center of attention.
Person-centered group work is based on:
the work of Carl Rogers and the principles of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness. Counselors leading groups based on person-centered theory are often non-directive and tend to act more like members than leaders. Because these groups are less structured, there is considerable focus on listening and reflection.
Self-in-Relation Theory:
Judith Jordan
Central concepts of this theory are that people grow into relationships throughout life, positive relationships include mutual respect and empathy, engagements need to be authentic in order for relationships to grow, and mature functioning is characterized by meaningful connections, among other points. The self-in-relation theory is currently known as relational-cultural theory.
Transactional analysis groups focus on a:
combination of action and affect, and the leader is regarded as the diagnostician and teacher. This role of the leader as the instructor creates a structure that many multicultural group members like. One technique commonly used in transactional analysis groups is the contract, which can be adjusted for all types of beliefs and values. Transactional analysis gives a narrow (rather than broad) understanding of human nature, is both action- and affect-oriented, and does contain some concepts that may be difficult for multicultural clients to understand.
Cybernetics is the study of :
methods of feedback control, both negative and positive. Negative feedback loops are patterns of interaction that maintain stability and homeostasis within the family system.
Positive feedback loops:
are patterns of interaction that can facilitate change.
Equifinality:
refers to different individuals reaching the same goal through different methods or routes.
Interdependence:
simply refers to the fact that family members rely on and are influenced by each other
Enmeshment:
occurs in families that have diffuse boundaries andthe separation between family members is unclear. This often happens on an emotional level in which two people “feel” each other’s emotions, or when one person becomes emotionally escalated and the other family member does as well
John Krumboltz:
developed the learning theory of career counseling (LTCC)
Important concepts in Krumboltz’s theory include reinforcement theory, cognitive information processing, and classical behaviorism as ways of modifying and molding career development and decision making
developed the learning theory of career counseling (LTCC)
John Krumboltz:
Jacob Moreno
known for developing the technique of psychodrama in the early 20th century.
known for developing the technique of psychodrama in the early 20th century.
Jacob Moreno
Cognitive Behavior Groups:
, which help group members find ways of identifying and changing behaviors, aim to eliminate problems and teach self-management skills. Leaders of cognitive behavior groups teach coping skills and methods of modifying behavior. Techniques used include contracts, reinforcement, and modeling.
Genograms:
Genograms,used particularly by Bowen are representations of a family tree that are used to explore relationships between family members. Families can complete a genogram together either during or between sessions.
Existential therapy focuses on:
the direct experiences of clients’ lives, and the goal of this type of therapy is for clients to understand one’s being and who one is and is becoming. Existential therapists believe that clients have the freedom to choose and are responsible for their own fate.
Psychoanalytic groups are often:
long-term and can be intense, but are aimed at making deep and lasting changes in group members. These groups focus on early childhood experiences and unresolved unconscious conflicts by using the relationships between group members and the leader to develop insight and self-awareness. The leader’s role in psychoanalytic groups is to facilitate insight and interpret dynamics that occur within the group.
Attribution theory refers to:
the way that explanations individuals offer for their outcomes influence their expectations of future success and failure
Internal Locus of Control:
rewards are contingent on our own actions
External Locus of Control:
future is determined more by chance than by being contingent on certain events
Goals of Jungian therapy include:
getting to know oneself, integration of self, and transformation of self.
Adult Group Sizes:
For adult groups with only one leader (rather than co-leaders), the optimum size is eight. This gives group members the opportunity to build relationships with all other group members without feeling overwhelmed by the number of people.
First Step Crisis Intervention:
conduct a thorough assessment of the client and assess for risk of danger to self or others.
Steps of Crisis Intervention,
first assess risk of danger to self and other, then, in order, are as follows: establish rapport, identify specific problems and cause of the crisis, counsel the client to understand the emotional content of the situation, work on alternative solutions, implement an action plan, and follow up to evaluate effectiveness
Karpman’s Drama Triangle:
forms when three individuals take on the roles of victim, persecutor, and rescuer.
Karpman’s Drama Triangle theory suggests:
that conflict arises when one person takes on the role of victim or persecutor, and others step in to fill other roles due to each person’s unmet psychological needs.
Karpman’s Drama Triangle:
three individuals take on the roles of victim, persecutor, and rescuer.
Milan systemic family therapy refers to:
an approach that views the family as a system that aims to maintain balance. Systemic family therapists often use a variety of techniques, including circular questioning, which is the process of asking different family members the same questions about relationships. The family counselor can then use the ways thatmembers differ in how they interpret events and interactions to suggest new ways of thinking about things, thereby hopefully changing family rules and relationships.
The goal of Bowenian family therapy:
Murray Bowen
identify dysfunctional patterns that exist within family systems and then alter and improve these patterns so they are not passed on to the next generation.
Task cohesiveness:
refers to how well a group works to achieve a common goal (rather than how efficiently or quickly the group can finish a task).
Social cohesiveness:
refers to the various relationships between group members.
Murray Bowen approach is:
transgenerational, meaning that he believes communication patterns and dynamics are passed down from one generation to the next. He believes that triangles within family systems represent the most basic building blocks of a family’s emotional system. In a triangle, emotional discomfort that exists between two family members may be somewhat alleviated by bringing in a third family member to resolve the stress. Bowen also stresses the importance of self-differentiation, projection onto children in families, birth order and sibling position, and societal regression.
Object relations theory:
is based on psychoanalytic concepts, including the belief that early childhood is incredibly relevantto how clients operate within relationships in the present day. Object relations theories teach that, in the first threeyears of life, infants have the opportunity to develop significant relationships with primary caretakers that will shape their interactions with people throughout their lives.
Reciprocal determinism:
is a concept universally understood by family therapists and is the belief that every family member influences every other family member in a continuous process.
Circular causality:
is the belief that forces are moving in many different directions simultaneously, resulting in a complex variety of outcomes. Counselors who focus on circular causality during family sessions focus on the process, not the content.
Linear causality:
refers to the belief that one event or interaction directly causes another, so content and language help explain whatis occurring within the family.
Gerald Corey’s STAGES OF GROUP THERAPY:
> > (Pre-group Issues: Formation of Group)
1. Initial Stage: Orientation & Exploration
2. Transition Stage: Dealing with Resistance
3. Working Stage: Cohesion and Productivity
4. Final Stage: Consolidation and Termination
(Postgroup Issues - Evaluation & Follow Up.)
Corey’s INITIAL STAGE - Tasks
Orientation and exploration
Central task- establishing trust
Leader- establishes structure and models trust
Members- developing trust by how leader handles the group’s fears and hesitations
Initial resistance- listen to fears and encourage full expression of them
What is necessary to move form initial to transition stage- cohesion, climate of trust, establishment of implicit and explicit norms
“For a group to meet the working stage it is essential that members make a commitment to face and work through barriers that interfere with the group’s progress.”
Corey’s TRANSITION STAGE - Tasks
This stage is about recognizing group problems such as conflict, anxiety, defensiveness, challenges to or conflicts with the leader.
Characteristics of the Transition Stage- anxiety, defensiveness and resistance, fear, conflict (most common in this stage), challenges to the leader
Corey’s WORKING STAGE - Tasks
Key Issues: Disclosure versus anonymity Honesty versus superficiality Spontaneity versus control Acceptance versus Rejection Cohesion versus Fragmentation
Characterized by member’s commitment to explore significant problems that they bring to the group and by the attention they pay to the dynamics of the group. The leaders structure and intervention is lower than at the initial and transitional stages.
Greater cohesion evidenced by increased self-disclosure, giving and receiving feedback, discussion of here and now interactions, confrontation, turning insight into action.
Corey’s FINAL STAGE - Tasks
Characteristics- sadness and anxiety, fears of separation and application, evaluation of group experience, plan for follow-up sessions.
Major task facing members is consolidating their learning and transferring it to the outside environment:
- deal with feelings about separation and termination
- prepare to generalize learning to everyday life
- complete unfinished business
- make future plans
Leader functions- provide a structure that enables participants to clarify the meaning of their experiences in the group and to assist members in generalizing their learning from the group to everyday life.
Tuckman’s Model
Forming Norming Storming Performing Adjourning
Levinson’s Stage-Crisis View theory:
posits that there are predictable stable and transitional periods in lifeand that the social conflicts that arise during these periods must be resolved. He proposed that midlife crises are not only commonbut are part of normal, healthy development.
Aaron Beck:
is the main contributor to the field of cognitive therapy. He identified the concept of automatic thoughts in clients and their contribution to negative cognitive shifts. Beck believed that depression was caused by biological, genetic, personality, and stress factors. While Beck might agree that early childhood trauma could contribute to a current depressive state, this was not something articulated in his theories.
Horizontal interventions:
refer to times when the group leader interacts with the group as a whole, rather than just one member in particular.
Scapegoating:
occurs when several group members target an individual member of the group and criticize that person. This is a normal group process, but one that should not be tolerated due to its potential for damaging relationships.
Intellectualizing:
is the process of keeping group content on a cognitive, rather than emotional, level.
Blocking and linking:
are responsibilities of the group leader that are meant to encourage group cohesion and constructive discussion.
Adlerian group counselors aim to:
help group members explore life assumptions, recognize their own strengths and accept responsibility, and increase self-esteem. The Adlerian group approach has been shown to be successful when used in parent education models in schools. The Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program, developed by Don Dinkmeyer, is one such program.
Reality group counseling focuses on:
group members taking responsibility for their behaviors and increasing control over their lives. Techniques used in reality group counseling include honest self-examination, evaluating behavior, formulating a plan for change, and following through with this plan.
Neo-Freudians:
are psychoanalysts who have moved away from Freud’s emphasis on the id as the main psychological force. More emphasis is placed on the ego, which is controlled by the reality principle. Like Freud, Neo-Freudians still believe in the power of unconscious desires and drives, focus on childhood experiences, and emphasize both psychodynamic and sociodynamic forces.
Group Content and Process:
. The content and process are often organized into three distinct group sections: warm-up, action, and closure. In well-functioning groups there is a smooth transition from one section to the next, and there is a balance between content and process in each section.
Mindfulness:
consists of two parts. Onepart of mindfulness is to focus and pay close attention to one’s own current emotions, thoughts, sensations, and experiences. The secondpart is for the therapist to take a nonjudgmental attitude toward what the client is experiencing both internally and externally. The purpose of these two parts of mindfulness is to change the client’s understanding of and relationship with their negative thoughts.
