Trainees in group counseling and therapy often struggle to integrate an array of theories and concepts into practice, but to no avail. This group counseling textbook helps counselor/therapist trainees bring together the concepts of group work with the reality of working with complex group phenomena. It provides a productive, growth-promoting experience for learning group leadership. As students read and apply the material in Chen and Rybak’ s book, they will build t… More >>
Group Leadership Skills: Interpersonal Process in Group Counseling and Therapy
Tags: Counseling, group, Interpersonal, Leadership, Process, Skills, Therapy
#1 by Tara C. Allen on April 8, 2010 - 2:40 pm
If you are a counselor and would like to expand into group counseling this book provides everything you need. The book takes you step by step on how to start and execute a counseling group. The case samples paint a clear picture of the group counseling process and the job of the counselor. The self reflection questions at the end of each chapter help the reader process the material and reflect on your own personal experiences. The book helps you fine tune your counseling skills and give you the confidence to know what to do to promote growth to the group members. I know I will use this book as a reference throughout my career. This book offers you all the tools you will need to run your own group effectively.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by T. J. Ruder on April 8, 2010 - 4:02 pm
I will keep this book as an extremely important reference in forming and leading counseling groups. It is such a practical guide. Certainly, it’s based on theory and provides research on the theoretical foundation of group therapy, but the part I like most is the step-by-step guide on creating, leading, and facilitating groups. In addition, there are several chapters devoted to helping you deal with conflict in the group, as well as challenging groups that avoid risks and confrontations. Some very useful techniques discussed in the book are the Hot Seat Method and Stir the Pot. Also valuable are assumptions you must consider when leading groups. I’m beginning to put together a group at my high school on stress management. I can’t imagine not using this book in planning and executing the curriculum. I know I will need Chen and Rybak’s book often as a reference while leading the group. Every counselor who plans to facilitate a group should buy this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by R. Thompson on April 8, 2010 - 4:55 pm
Group Leadership Skills: Interpersonal Process in Group Counseling and Therapy is a textbook designed to be an aide beyond learning the pertinent material for a particular course. As a new and practicing school counselor working with groups, my familiarity for the group process is a skill that I credit to the thorough nature of the text. Each chapter builds upon the last and by using real life examples; the content is as practical as it is engaging. Group Leadership Skills is a perfect blend of theory and application and I would highly recommend adding it to your collection of counseling texts for use in graduate courses and future professional pursuits.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by L. Perkins on April 8, 2010 - 6:22 pm
As a school counseling graduate student, I appreciate the wealth of insightful information this textbook has to offer about the group counseling process. It vividly describes the stages a leader and clients will progress through when participating in a group setting, while offering helpful suggestions for eliciting group cohesion, heightened awareness, increased disclosure by all members, and promoting positive group interactions. The text nicely balances between theoretical considerations to the group setting and real life examples and scenarios. The skills introduced in this text come to life as the authors provide the reader with multiple examples and ways to apply the techniques in many different settings. The cases at the end of the chapters helped me to conceptualize all the skills addressed and how a typical group member would perceive the group process. There are also scenarios for practice at the end of each chapter which allow for further analysis and self-reflection. I feel that this book has truly laid the foundation in me to be a confident, capable group leader and I am very happy to have it in my collection of counseling books.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by R.Pant on April 8, 2010 - 8:31 pm
Through group counseling and the use of Dr. Chen’s book I am able to communicate my feelings more openly in my relationships with significant others in my life. This has helped me to be more sensitive to the feelings of others and also to ask for help from others when I need it. I have learned a lot about my way of interacting with others and I have been able to see that I have connections to other people rather than focusing on differences. I am making more connections to other people and I have been able to make positive changes to the way I initiate interactions with others. This has helped to expand and strengthen my support system as well as strengthen my family unit.
Rating: 5 / 5