Abstract
Counseling Settings
The counseling setting could be described as rather soothing and prepossessing. The counseling sessions took place at a private school, in which the therapist communicates with the group in question and creates positive patterns of a therapist-patient interaction.
Age Group
The people participating in the therapy belonged to the teenage group. The participants included young girls (13–14) and girls aged 15–16. Therefore, the target audience could be split into two key age groups.
Introduction (Brief)
Carrying out counseling sessions aimed at increasing awareness regarding essential issues related to women’s health is a challenging task, as it required convincing the people, who have reached the stage of development, at which they become rather skeptical, and convincing them to adopt particular behavioral patterns, therefore, changing their lifestyles. Altering the way, in which people perceive reality, as well as changing the traditional communication patterns used by them in their daily conversation, one will be able to change their behavioral patterns and their concept of a healthy lifestyle.
Background
Group Name
The group is called OB and is represented by the organization, which appeals to women of all ages as its target demographics (Gwinnett physicians group OB/GYN, 2015).
Goals and Objectives
Group OB aims at promoting awareness concerning women’s health and the related issues among the specified denizens of the population.
Theoretical Framework
To address the issue in question, one will have to consider the Fair Process Theory (Williams, Robinson, & Dickinson, 2011). Seeing that the theory in question promotes collaboration between the patient and the therapist, it can be viewed as a solid basis for the further evaluation of the interactions between the members of the group and the location of the ways to help the participants.
Analysis
Populations Served
Group OB caters to the needs of women, in general, and the needs of girls and young women, who have entered the stage of puberty, in particular. Therefore, the population served embraced teenage girls aged 13–14 and 15–16. The information provided at the official site of the counseling services claims that women of any age are welcome to join the group: “Our OB/GYN Physicians Group is committed to providing excellent service and care to women of all ages” (Gwinnett physicians group OB/GYN, 2015, par. 1). However, seeing that teen pregnancy and STD among young women are getting an increasingly topical issue, the choice of the target group can be considered rather adequate.
Nature and Extent of Services
The services provided by the organization concern primarily counseling. The course in question, particularly, offers an extensive amount of information promoting awareness among girls aged 13–16. The counseling services, which the group in question provides to the participants, are quite numerous; however, for the most part, they are restricted to the traditional array of services for girls, who have reached puberty and need to know about sexual relationships, protection, and pregnancy. Indeed, the course offers the assistance of physicians, midwives, and certified specialists (Gwinnett physicians group OB/GYN, 2015, par. 1).
It is quite remarkable that the course in question refrained from relying solely on the organization’s resources and suggested visiting the sites belonging to other organizations, such as the National College of Nurse-Midwives, the Baby Center, etc. in other words, the leaders of the Group OB did their best to provide the participants with as many sources of information as possible, which certainly should be appreciated. The nature of the group services, therefore, can be defined as the need to eradicate ignorance concerning the issue of sexual relationships (Hogg & Holland, 2012).
Facilitators to Effective Counseling Services
The counseling process is enhanced by a variety of factors, the timeliness and the qualifications of the staff being the key ones. Indeed, Group OB delivered the required services on time, therefore, promoting faster knowledge acquisition and making sure that the continuity of the sessions should not be interrupted. The specified characteristics of the training are especially important given the fact that they are aimed at enhancing awareness among the target population and shedding more light on the issues related to pregnancy, safe sex, and the associated issues (Armstrong, 2012).
Inhibitors to Effective Counseling Services
Unfortunately, the counseling process did not go as smoothly as it could have because of a range of obstacles standing in the way. Particularly, the fact that the members of the OB Group refused from using the patient-centered therapy approach can be viewed as the prime reason for the lack of connection between the patient and the therapist; as a result, the effect of the sessions is reduced significantly (Healey & Evans, 2014; Keating, McDermott, & Montgomery, 2012).
Thoughts and Feelings
I felt rather positive about the class. Although the lack of connection between the participants and the therapist rubbed me the wrong way a bit, it felt that the creators of the course wanted to share an important piece of information with the participants. The course needs improvements, but it is a useful experience.
Lessons Learned
The fact that a patient and a therapist must have trustworthy relationships and a good connection is the most important lesson. Additionally, it became clear as the course advanced that education regarding women’s health is essential as many young women nowadays do not seem to have the necessary knowledge. Eventually, the course has shown that group communication can and must be used to bust the myths regarding personal healthcare among women.
Reference List
Armstrong, P. (2012). Thinking women and health care reform in Canada. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Healey, B. J., & Evans, T. M. (2014). Introduction to health care services: Foundations and challenges. New York City, New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Gwinnett physicians group OB/GYN. (2015). Web.
Hogg, C., & Holland, K. (2012). Cultural awareness in nursing and health care, second edition: An introductory text. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
Keating, M. A., McDermott, A., & Montgomery, K. (2012). Patient-centered health care: achieving co-ordination, communication, and innovation. New York City, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Williams, I., Robinson, S., & Dickinson, H. (2011). Rationing in health care: The theory and practice of priority setting. Chicago, IL: Policy Press.