Group Process

The whole meaning of life is engrained in each and everyone of us. It is the connectedness and the fragile bridges that transform us into a better more functional society. The feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and other mental health concerns can be replaced with empathy, compassion, and love. As we travel through life we draw energy by spending time with each other. Adversely, a lack of socialization would indicate a sense of isolation, emptiness, and despair. Simply by realizing that other people share similar challenges as we do, provides us with the feelings and reassurance that we are not alone in the battlefield.

Through guidance, life experiences, and the approach of learning, one should gain a unique skill that will allow him or her to facilitate other individuals to increase their self-awareness to their cognition and thought patterns. Further, one  should learn that the modification to maladaptive cognition has to be precise and possess measurable parameters of practical intervention.

Through small group process,  one should learn how to acknowledge each group member and to provide recognition and conflict resolution conceptualization that would enhance an individual’s overall wellbeing. Observing how to apply patience, reconfiguration of thoughts, and reflection on what is underneath the surface when one is lost, allows one to further improve his or her professional skills in the field of group therapy.

In a group setting each individual’s problem merges with everyone’s strength to minimize the impact of the problem on the individual who shares the problem with the group. As a group leader, one should plan on using multiple approaches to carefully address everyone’s concerns by connecting with each participant on a personal level. Whether it is post traumatic stress disorder, a general anxiety disorder or alcohol addiction, being able to utilize an intervention technique that would be suitable for the individual would increase my capacity to help others. One should particularly resonate with exercises such as; participants circle one individual who closes his or her eyes to break the ice among group members. This social activities and others provide a sense of being provided with an invisible confidentially contract that allows one to trust other group members.

The identification of strengths in participants by the group leader may reinforce positive cognition and behavior for group members who have gotten lost and are in the process of connecting the dots. Sharing experiences with others provides one with reassurance and sense of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. A client who is under daily pressure to complete all daily objectives, may seek reaffirmation to his or her beliefs to increase confidence. The function of the group leader would reframe the cognition by inverting the negative cognition from the gray matter area to the emotional part of the brain or vice versa. If the client is emotional about the situation, I would promote intellectualism. If the client intellectualizes his or her thoughts, then I would promote the concept of realism.

The idealization of facilitating change for a client lies in the small details, the body language, the gait cycle, proper eye contact, speech coherency, and facial expressions. Missing any of these variables may deter a participant from fully engaging in the group process. These variables are critical, as each would provide one with a key or an opportunity to enter a specific realm of a client’s world. Knowing how to connect to one’s cognition, emotions, and feelings requires tactful interaction with the participants. Skipping a turn and returning to that person at a different time, would provide the client with an opportunity to restructure his or her thoughts or catch a breath. Regardless of the situation, providing positive feedback and rebuilding a participant’s self-esteem and confidence should be my priority, as it may facilitate others to increase their quality of life.

Through movement and connecting the mind to the body, one can begin the journey of healing and recovery toward leading a more productive and fulfilling life.