How to wrote a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy essay

How to wrote a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy essay

CBT for Eating Disorders
Transition Stage

Before groups can progress into a deeper working phase, they typically experience a transitional phase. At this stage, the group that went through the initial phase, experienced challenges of recognizing the rules, and observed challenges with communication is still not ready to solve the issue of concern. In the transition phase, the group members engage in self-disclosure, risk becoming vulnerable, and display mutual respect as the process unfolds (Corey, 2016). This stage is characterized by fear, anxiety, defensiveness, resistance, conflict, and confrontation. To lead the group effectively, the leader must understand challenges and prepare to address them. The leader must also be aware of their reactions, demonstrate emotional control, and maintain objectivity in leading group members (Weiberg, 2014). Overall, the transition stage aims at guaranteeing an atmosphere that could ensure comfort for reflective communication among group members.

Addressing Conflict as a Group Leader

Problems with conflict during group therapy are a result of anger and how the conflict is managed. When working with a group, members may encounter opposing points of view and establish conflicting relationships that can be fatal to the involved parties and the group. For instance, members can attack each other, avoid direct communications or withdraw from the session if the conflict is not well-handled. During the session, members who are observing the group have an opportunity to see people work it through. Corey (2016) explains that both the leader and the members of the group find it easier to pass by the signs of conflict not amplifying the outcomes. The leader’s responsibility is to recognize the signs and act appropriately to create a chance for genuine contact.

Conflict in the transition stage is one of the greatest threats to group cohesion. The first aspect that can help the group leader identify conflict is through the behavior of group members. Some members might fail to respond to greetings or discussions involving the other party during discussions. Listening attentively to the utterances of each member and observing non-verbal cues can be an effective method of recognizing conflict (Weiberg, 2014). Secondly, commitment to the goals of the session and the extent to which an individual tries to satisfy their concerns can indicate the presence of conflict. The group leader may notice issues like mutism, failure to attend sessions, or general restlessness during group activity to indicate the presence of an issue. Sometimes the group member may fail to commit to relationships or cooperate during discussions. Additionally, the member may only be focused on meeting individual goals while limiting the demonstration of concern to the other party.

The concept of conflict may be understood as a collision or disagreement that occurs within an individual or between the individual and other parties. Very often it is observed that problems in groups are not due to the feelings expressed, but to the reactions, they do not express (Weiberg, 2014). The level of participation in group therapy can help the leader recognize the presence of conflict. Actions like asking too many questions, using sarcastic remarks, and distancing from certain members can indicate conflict. While most of the manifestations can be silent, some individuals may demonstrate angry outbursts, threaten colleagues, and exchange words. Facing the conflict and explicitly addressing it in a conversation provides an opportunity to solve it.

Many group leaders are uncomfortable with conflicts, yet conflict management helps groups develop cohesion. The key to addressing conflict involves asking the right questions and using conflict resolution strategies appropriately. Conflict resolution strategies that are applicable during group therapy include avoiding, competing, accommodating, compromising, and collaborating. There is an appropriate time to use each approach when dealing with conflict and this requires a specific set of skills and expertise from the group leader. While employing each approach separately, the group leader introduces the vision of the situation without bias. Accurate recognition of conflict is necessary to avoid escalation of issues or wasting time to address the wrong issue during discussions.

To most effectively deal with conflict, it is crucial to analyze and select the most appropriate conflict resolution strategy. For example, avoiding is the most common method used especially for individuals who view conflict negatively. The group leader may opt to use options like changing the subject, denying that the problem exists, or postponing the issue to a more appropriate time that may never occur (Weiberg, 2014). Competing is a strategy to conflict resolution when a specific response is expected or a win is necessary. The group leader may persuade the conflicting parties to agree on one aspect or use power to decide the most appropriate response that could otherwise favor one party. Using the accommodation approach, the group leader plays down the conflict to maintain surface harmony and self-sacrifices to meet the demands of others. Sometimes this approach helps to build relationships and allows the leader to be more effective in dealing with future problems.

Addressing Reluctance as a Group Leader

During therapeutic processes, therapists and group leaders encounter several challenges that decelerate the achievement of goals. Client reluctance and resistance are the common problems encountered during sessions that cause negative satisfaction. Reluctance refers to the unwillingness or hesitancy to participate fully in the helping process while resistance involves disagreements with the approach used during the change process (Muntigl et al., 2020). The client may fail to meet the demands or tasks requested during the session including communication and attendance to group therapy. To effectively address this challenge, the group leader must understand the root cause of the problem and the specific signs that might indicate reluctance.

Across different modes of therapy, the alliance and the task component of the alliance is the core feature of a productive therapy process. Reluctance reduces the performance of tasks in the group and while alliance may be observed, the group might fail to benefit from the reluctant party. One main reason why reluctance is observed in groups is the presence of beliefs that prevent the client’s approach to the therapy and continuing with sessions (Muntigl et al., 2020). For instance, the individual might be experiencing emotional difficulties, pressure from society, or pain that could otherwise render the therapy useless. The reluctant ones may blame external factors like other people, social settings, or existing systems. Additionally, cultural differences may contribute to resistance where a certain member may not know how to fit into the group limiting interaction and communication.

Securing the client’s active and enthusiastic collaboration in sessions is a core mission in group therapy. The leader must fight strategies to negotiate and move beyond reluctance while maintaining a positive relational affiliation between the two parties. The first strategy to address the issue of reluctance involves the self-awareness of the leader. If the leader is aggressive, unprepared, or demonstrates less control, the group members may fail to participate. The leader must rule with authority and allow members to express their opinions during the sessions. Actions like meditation, requesting feedback from the members, and regular assessment of oneself may assist the leader to understand more about their strengths (Muntigl et al., 2020). The group leader must understand that lack of trust, inexperience in leadership, and conflict between the leader and the group can contribute to reluctance.

Effective counseling during therapy is based on the patient’s reflection on past experiences that may sometimes be painful. Naturally, an individual will react by ignoring the experiences and demonstrating reluctance in sharing information. To address this challenge, the group leader must understand the context of their resistance including reasons for the behavior and the expected outcomes. The leader must honor and understand the client’s resistance until they are able to realize that their coping strategy is ineffective. Sometimes, specific actions like provoking and exposure to anxiety may help the members overcome issues with reluctance (Muntigl et al., 2020). The therapist must use critical thinking and problem-solving approaches to demonstrate how the client’s perspective to the group therapy is ineffective. These approaches will help the client see the therapy from another perspective, hence promoting cooperation.

Another strategy that can be effective in solving issues with reluctance involves open discussions. This approach will help the individual observe how other members view their reactions and several other things they might have lacked in life. The leader provides a two-way therapeutic effect by engaging the reluctant party with other members. For example, the reluctant party gets to receive feedback from other members concerning the portrayed behavior. The resistant party is given an opportunity to explain the reason for the behavior with assistance from the therapist. The leader then helps the individual understand why the portrayed behavior is irrelevant and pleads with the other members to accept the person into the group. This approach demonstrates that empathy can be used as a strategy to address reluctance and resistance during sessions.

The therapist must be able to accept and understand that reluctance is always present during sessions and plan to develop productive attitudes and behavior. The leader must explore their own reluctance and accept to work with clients to build upon this barrier. Confrontation is among the crucial measures that can help to improve sensitivity and focus among members as they try to close the reluctance gap (Muntigl et al., 2020). The leader must be strong and tell the reluctant party their effects on the group. The leader should express the purpose of developing more genuine relationships and get the person to consider alternative perspectives to their challenges. The use of educational approaches can be helpful at this stage to enlighten the individual while providing tangible evidence concerning the effectiveness of group therapy. Lastly, using paradoxical techniques to overcome resistant behavior instead of directly challenging them, and breaking the change process into small steps might be helpful.

Dealing With Challenging Clients in a Group

The transition stage of therapy is marked with the emergence of reluctant and resistant clients that directly demonstrate a lack of interest or question the competence of the leader. Corey (2016) identifies different categories of patients and provides guidelines that might help solve the observed issues. The category chosen for this discussion involves an involuntary client who resists interventions and is reluctant to open to the group. During a conversation with such type of a client, the guideline suggests that the specialist must not employ a defensive strategy and should place the responsibility for the actions onto the client (Corey, 2016). The leader must learn to separate the client’s resistance from the involuntary behavior and focus on the positive outcomes that may arise from the group therapy.

The application of this guideline during a group activity will involve assessment of the client and understanding of the pathway leading to resistance to the group interventions. The process can involve asking a series of questions about the feelings of the person and encouraging reflections about the importance of the proposed interventions (Corey, 2016). Apart from this approach, the leader can directly place the negative experiences that might arise from the resistance into the hands of the client. The leader must show the client that it would be their fault if the expected outcome is not achieved as a result of their actions. Additionally, the inclusion of the group is vital to help the client understand how relationships with other members with a similar issue can help solve the perceived challenge.

 

References

Corey, G. (2016). Theory and practice of group counseling (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Muntigl, P., Horvath, A. O., Chubak, L., & Angus, L. (2020). Getting to “Yes”: Overcoming client reluctance to engage in chair work. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 582856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.582856

Weinberg, H. (2014). When a conflict erupts: The tasks of the group leader. Group, 38(1), 81-90

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13186/group.38.1.0081 .

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