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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Overview of

Psychoeducational

Groups

Education and prevention are central in these

groups.

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Psychoeducational Groups

Designed to help participants develop knowledge and skills for coping adaptively with potential and/or immediate environmental challenges, developmental transitions or life crises (Association for Specialists in Group Work, 1992)

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Psychoeducational Groups

Provided for all ages and educational levels in every kind of practice setting.

Emphasize learning rather than self-awareness and self-understanding though the latter may be a result of such groups.

Cognitive components take precedence over affective components, but again they are not ignored if affective issues are pressing.

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Leaders of psychoeducational

groups Guide participants’ personal learning

Show group members how to interact

Provide opportunities for sharing

Capitalize on and foster the development of hope for change

Implement strategies to promote members’ self understanding

Create opportunities to practice new learning.

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

In a psychoeducational group “it

is assumed that the leader has

some knowledge that

participants may not be able to

discover through normal group

interactions.” (Furr,2000, p.35)

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Psychoeducational groups

Emphasize didactic and instruction

Use planned, structured activities

Goals usually defined by leader

Leader operates as a facilitator and teacher

Focus on prevention

No screening of members

Groups can be large

Self-disclosure accepted but not encouraged

Task functions emphasized

Sessions may be limited to one or have a series of sessions.

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Some myths and

misunderstandings (Brown, 2011)

The group leader directs the group in what to do and what to discuss.

Only counseling groups are “real” groups

Knowing what to do and say at all times is the group leader’s responsibility.

Group leaders should be so confident that they do not experience anxiety or uncertainty. HLSC 344 Fall 2016

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Leadership

Skills listed are the same as those we previously discussed including those skills stressed by Rogers (Person-Centered Approach)

Learning levels and leadership strategies using theories of group development to support learning

Knowledge for leadershipGroup dynamics

Stages of group development

Identification of group therapeutic factors

Ethics

Instructional Principles

Information about the topic

Theories including learning theory and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Theory)

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

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In conceptualizing a psychoeducational

group leader, Brown identified

leadership factors

ART Factors

SCIENCE Factors

SKILL Factors

TECHNIQUE Factors

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Art Factors for leadeship

(Brown)

Leader’s level and extent of self development

Understanding of potential counter-transferential issues

Basic and core attributes including warmth and caring

Ability to be empathic

Cultural and diversity sensitivity

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Art Factors continued

Containing and managing personal emotions

Emotional presence of the leader in the group

Ability to use one’s inner experiencing to understand group needs.

Making process commentary

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Science Factors (Brown)

Planning

Organizing

Directing

Evaluating

Structuring Sessions

Matching target audience’s needs with material

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Skill Factors (Brown)

Teaching

Facilitating

Modeling

Conflict management and resolution

Anxiety management

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Technique Factors (Brown)

Use of exercises and other activities

Role play or simulation

Discussion

Lectures

Use of media

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Planning a psychoeducational

group

Information gathering

Decisions about proposed group

Preparing

–Establish goals and objectives

–Plan for evaluating

–Gather supplies

–Write mini-lecture

–Prepare activities, exercises, role plays

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Factors that affect the process of

learning

Individual factors of members

Methods used by the leader

Meaningfulness of material

Transfer of learning and retention

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Individual factors of Psychoeducational

Group Members

Intelligence

Age and maturation

Education level

Motivation

Level of anxiety

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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Major Learning Theories

Behaviorism

Social Learning

Cognitive and Cognitive Behavioral theories

Gesalt

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Thorndike: Learning as Problem

Solving

Law of Readiness

Law of Exercise

Law of Effect

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Skinner (1953) expanded concepts

of conditioning by adding the

concepts :

Reinforcement schedule

Shaping (successive approximation)

Operants (positive reinforcement, extinction, differential reinforcement, response shaping, punishment, negative reinforcement)

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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Mediation Stimulus-Response in

Learning (S-O-R theory): Dollard

and Miller (1950) summary of it as

explained by Brown (1998)

Learning involves a drive or need for action.

Cues to provide information and direction to the response

The reinforcement

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Social Learning theory built

on SOR theories by more

specifically focusing on

environmental influences

and cognitive influences on

behavior.

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Gestalt theories (insight)

Learning happens as a result of modification that occur in response to meaningful patterns or configurations.

Reorganizing old learning to grasp new learning.

The 3 necessary conditions for learning: a goal, structure, and insight.

(behavior is goal-directed, the structure is the individual’s internal ways of organizing the world, the insight is the sudden coming together of previously unrelated components to form a whole that can be understood).

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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Methods

Active participation

Distribution of practice of new skills learned in the group

Knowledge of results (Did I do it right?)

Whole versus part (teaching and learning)

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Transfer of learning

Formal Discipline theory

Theory of Identical elements

Generalization theory

Transposition theory (Gestalt)

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Theories of forgetting

Trace decay theory

Interference theory (proactive inhibition and retroactive inhibition)

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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Principles of Psychoeducational

Instruction

Clear Goals

Readiness

Motivation

Active versus passive

Organization

Comprehension

practice

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Bloom’s taxonomy: Useful when

thinking about stages of learning

Knowledge

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Psychoeducational Techniques

Lectures

Discussion

Exercises and games

Media

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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Effective Communication for a leader

of a psychoeducational group

Two-way communication

Active listening

Effective feedback

Lack of listener stress

Clarity

Focusing on the core issue

Speaking for yourself– avoiding the use terms like we, the group or all of us feel or think

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

How to use questions as a leader

To obtain data and information

To clarify and avoid misunderstanding

To pinpoint something in order to take immediate action

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Types of questions

Direct questions

Indirect questions

Open questions

Closed questions

Double questions

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HLSC 344 Fall 2016

Developing questioning skills

Become aware of how often you ask questions (tally the number and type of questions that you ask)

Observe your own behavior and that of others when asking questions.

Reflect on your reactions to questions– Do you become defensive?

– Rush in to answer quickly?

– Answer indirectly or with a question

– Ignore the question

HLSC 344 Fall 2016

To encourage participants to ask

questions

within the group (Brown, 1998)

Determine your expectations

Inform group members of your expectations

Ask if members have any questions and pause for a few seconds before continuing.