Counseling has a number of facets to it and one of these is group counseling which may be of interest to individuals who wish to practice counseling. The motive behind the popular trend of group counseling may be attributed to not just one, but many reasons. First and foremost reason being that group counseling is less expensive in comparison to the one-on-one individual type of counseling.

Moreover with a large number of people attending counseling sessions and interacting together, individuals find group counseling to be a better platform for participants to thrash out their problems in a relaxed and calm manner. The so called “comfort zone” amongst members is definitely higher in group counseling. In case you feel some that somebody near and dear to you is in urgent need of counseling then probably you would benefit by getting to understand the crux of group counseling better. In group counseling as the word implies, the focus is on counseling persons in a group who are not fully in their right state of mental frame and balance. To provide group counseling, a person must have the requisite qualification and a good understanding of the human mind and body. Usually counseling sessions in groups are conducted by qualified persons such as a doctor or a psychologist and in some cases even a person involved in social work. Basically, the job of a group counselor requires the counselor to have the ability to extract the feelings of insecurities, prejudice, and negativity from the participants.

The process demands the counselor to be inert and neutral in spirit and yet facilitate the process of removal of fears from the participants. Who Can Benefit from Group Counseling? Persons facing problems related to issues that are psychologically triggered and find individual counseling not effective for them might opt for the more popular group counseling to help them overcomes their fears and insecurities. Since group counseling involves different kinds of problems affecting the psyches’ of people’s minds, the usual practice adopted is to allow the group counseling members to focus on one issue at a time. In other words, even though the group members could be suffering from different sorts of problems leading to behavioral disorders such getting depressed, enduring the loss of a loved one, or could be facing certain personal setbacks or having phobias, what is significant in group counseling is that the members are provided the opportunity of a listening ear by all group members and the counselor. The transparency in opening out and sharing of experiences and situations in life help to strengthen the member’s mindset when one realizes that there are others too facing similar kinds of problems. How Does Group Counseling Work? During a group counseling session, the members open and pour their heart out to others while the group counselor oversees the process. The release of feelings by members often helps to lighten the burden that one is carrying.

The usual practice is to permit one of the group members to voice one’s opinion with the others providing a patient ear. As a facilitator, the group counselor must encourage and support the person to speak out without any disturbances. Only after the participant finishes talking, are the other members allowed to speak, interact, and encourage the subject participant. In certain cases, a member might show reluctance in speaking out freely during a counseling session in front of group members. In such cases the best option would be to for the group counselor to encourage the member and help the person in improving one’s ability to speak and interact normally. With the passing of time and regular attendance by members in group counseling sessions, the degree of confidence increases.

All the pain, the struggles, and innermost fears are brought out without making the person conscious that the process of group counseling is on. Only after this is done, can any healing process be set up. In spite of all efforts if there are certain individuals who haven’t really improved or responded in the way they should, then the option of individual counseling may be adopted. However, others who have benefited from group counseling therapy sessions might learn to overcome their problematic concerns and proceed forward in a better state of mental health.

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