Breakdown of 2nd Session
The session under consideration was concerned with feelings evaluation. Seven participants took part in the session, where the group members discussed the feelings they have experienced during the past week. They also completed worksheets in which they rated their feelings. The participants mentioned such feelings as nervousness, sadness, anxiety, boredom, tiredness, and so on. As the leader of the group, I helped the participants to imagine possible situations to rate their feelings. The participants were active during the session, and they also enjoyed completing the worksheets.
Curative Factors
The session was effective as the participants managed to achieve several curative factors, for example, interpersonal learning. The participants interacted when discussing different hypothetical situations and the feelings that people might experience in those situations. They also learned from each other how to rate the intensity of feelings. The factor of imparting information was achieved as well, as the participants listened to my instructions and shared suggestions within the group. They also developed socializing techniques as they interacted with the leader and their peers (Varcarolis, 2016). Finally, catharsis was achieved as the entire session was devoted to feelings. The participants expressed different feelings and learned to rate (in other words, understand) them.
Member Roles
During this session, the participants performed different roles: aggressor, blocker, two energizers, and three followers. Two group members were very active and motivated people to share their ideas; they also provided a few real-life examples. The blocker asked irrelevant questions, asked to leave the room, and laughed at the aggressor’s sarcastic jokes. The aggressor was sarcastic and quite hostile. Three other participants were diligent and completed all the tasks, taking quite an active part in the discussion. In any event, all participants completed the worksheets and shared their ideas, which means the session was effective.
Goals Accomplished
As mentioned above, the subject matter of the session was the development of skills needed to evaluate the intensity of feelings. The session helped the participants to accomplish a number of goals. First, they learned to understand themselves better. They also managed to see the ways other people may feel and address (as well as evaluate) their feelings. This understanding is crucial for the development of social skills. The participants will be more prepared to communicate with other people and decode their emotions. They will also be able to understand their psychological state and control their emotions and behaviors (Kleinberg, 2015).
Significant Occurrences
The session was effective, and no significant occurrences took place. The participants were quite active even though some group members revealed a certain amount of hostility or a lack of interest. However, those were attempts to attract other participants’ attention rather than an unwillingness to communicate or collaborate.
Reflection
In conclusion, I would like to note that I found this session to be a valuable experience. I acquired certain leadership skills and learned more about managing a group and running a group session. The session also helped me to reveal some gaps in my knowledge and skills. I will try to learn more about managing a group discussion where some participants are blockers and aggressors. Ironically, I will need to learn more about working with energizers as it was difficult to maintain control over the discussion because one of the energizers was trying to perform the role of the leader of the group.
References
Kleinberg, J. (2015). The Wiley Blackwell handbook of group psychotherapy. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.
Varcarolis, E. M. (2016). Essentials of psychiatric mental health nursing. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.