Group Counseling

• 1. Group Leader: The group leader will lead and guide all sharing and discussions.
• 2. Attendance: Everyone must commit to attending all meetings for the duration of the group cycle. Regular attendance positively impacts the dynamics of the group.
• 3.Honesty: We encourage each member to be open, honest, and truthful. Being sensitive to how words can impact others.
• 4.Listening: We ask that everyone listens to the voices of others and give others time to speak.
• 5.Other-Focused with Respect and Dignity: We give each other the grace and space to fully process their own emotions and thoughts without judgment or interruption.
• 6.Self-Focused with Respect and Dignity: We keep our sharing focused on our own experiences, thoughts, and feelings. We do not criticize or condemn others.
• 7.Expressive Communication: We give feedback to others as long as it reflects our own experiences.
• 8.Receptive Communication: We will be working to understand that people can only speak from their journey in life and who they are.
• 9.Forgiveness: We can only speak from our experiences of joy and pain as we embrace one another. We will be working to forgive one another should hurtful words be spoken.
• 10.Confidentiality: Last but surely not least, all things in a group are confidential.
  • A. We commit not to gossip.
  • B. No branching off and creating personal relationships outside of the group.
  • C. The group counselor has the right to firmly address any violation of this commitment to confidentiality.
  • D. Group members may be dismissed from the group if there is a violation.
• 11. Exception to Confidentiality: If anyone presents harm to self or others, this confidence cannot be held. All persons are mandated by law to report all dangers to themselves and others in order to ensure safety. The staff must also report to the proper authorities any disclosure of past or current unreported child abuse, elder abuse, or abuse to persons who are incapacitated.

*Some of the material above is adapted from the American Group Psychotherapy Association.

• 1. Group therapy involves one or more mental health professionals who will lead a small group of members up to 15 members.
• 2. Group sessions meet once per week and last for around 1–2 hours.
• 3. At the beginning of a session, group members will introduce themselves and share their reasons for attending group therapy.
• 4. The exact activities in group therapy sessions will vary from group to group. All activities tend to focus on promoting open, honest communication and establishing trust between group members and the group leaders.
• 5. Some groups will have homework assignments with an expectation that every member will complete that assignment. Sharing is optional but strongly encouraged.

• 1. Attendance: Regular attendance and commitment to the group are very important. If for any reason a member needs to miss a meeting, they should inform their group leader BEFORE missing the meeting, if at all possible.
• 2. Confidentiality : It is expected that all group members will promise to maintain and honor the confidentiality of all.
• 3. Expression of Thoughts and Feelings : Group therapy can often invoke strong thoughts and feelings. It is expected that all thoughts and feelings will be expressed with the greatest amount of respect for all group members.
• 4. Receptivity of Thoughts and Feelings:As we come together to learn and share, we will commit to working towards understanding that some words and actions of others are just consequences of their Journey in Life and Living and may not be intended to hurt anyone. We will work to extend forgiveness to others when forgiveness is necessary for the self, the group, or any members of the group.
  NOTE: This does not void the Exception to a Confidentiality clause.
• 5. Responsibility: Each group member must take responsibility for working towards their therapeutic goals and reasons for being in the group. It is up to each member to do their own work.
• 6. Rules: Additional group rules and pre-group meetings are usually a part of the group process, and may vary slightly according to the leaders and type of group.
• 7. Saying Goodbye: All members at the end of each group or at the end of the final group session (depending on the group leader, nature, and topic of the group) will be allowed to offer kind salutations to one another and to say goodbye.