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Unit 18 : Counseling Services : Group Counseling

helps each individual lo develop an insight into himself. It is a process in which free communication Notes
among members is encouraged and maintained, leading to an understanding and evaluation of
each other’s point of view. It is a means of helping to resolve problems by enjoying the social
process of group dynamics and social facilitation. It is calculated to attain rapid amelioration in
personality and behaviour of individual members through specified and controlled group interaction.
In group counseling individuals explore and analyse their problems together so that they may
understand them better, learn to cope with them and learn to make valid choices and decisions. The
group experience helps them to feel closer to others find and give emotional support and to
understand and accept themselves and others. Feelings of common direction and purpose develop,
as group cohesiveness increases.
Group counseling has all the three dimensions of individual counseling viz. remedial preventive
and developmental. However in the school situation, emphasis is given to the preventive and
developmental aspects because schools are meant to be institutions for providing instruction and
guidance to students, majority of whom are normal. Therefore, in schools the main concerns of
group counseling is to prevent problems from becoming disturbing or incapacitating and also to aid
harmonious development.

18.2 Assumptions of Group Counseling

Group counseling is based on certain assumptions. The first assumption is that individuals possess
the necessary talent capacity to trust and to be trusted by other group members. They should exhibit
a basic concern for others in the group. This encourages group cohesion and provides an atmosphere
of support and security for each members of the group to experience and share individual problems.
The second assumption is that each individual has the potential to take responsibility for self change.
On the other hand the individual feels that his life is controlled by others, he will not be left with
any alternatives but take recourse to disruptive behaviour.
The third assumption is that group members can learn and understand from the objectives and
methodology of group process. The objective is to reform the members and not to make them
conform.

Group counseling can be of great advantage to persons who are shy or aggressive in their
interpersonal interactions, who are anxious or uncomfortable in groups or who are unduely
resistant of overs conforming to social expectations.

18.3 Structuring of Groups

1. Selection and induction of members : The most frequently used procedure for selection and
induction of members for group counseling is a personal interview, prior to assignments to
group. The initial interview gives the counselor an opportunity to establish identification with
the member so that feelings of respect, acceptance and assurance is experienced from the
beginning. To help the individual decide whether he wishes to join the counseling group the
counselor briefs him of the nature of the work, how it can benefit him, what can be expected
and the rules concerning confidentiality, etc. This interview helps the counselor to decide
whether an individual will be helped by group counseling and also whether a particular
group will project or lose by one being a member.
2. Size of the group : For group counseling the size of the group should be relatively small.
Although it is difficult to recommend a specific number as a rule of thumb, about six to ten

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