Advanced interventions with individuals, groups and communities.
BA (Hons) Social work with Diploma in Social work
Candidate Number: 841264
HHSWD / SWD2
ADVANCED INTERVENTIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES.
Title
Select two approaches/methods for working with clients/users, which have been discussed on the course. In a comparative discussion provide a justification for which approach would be more effective at empowering the client/user.
In this essay I aim to contrast and then compare the methods of both person centred counselling and group work to provide a justification of which approach would be more empowering to a service user. The way I have decided to structure this essay is to describe each approach separately, starting off with an outline of their backgrounds followed by an account of their theories and how they are applied to service users and then justify which approach would be more effective at empowering.
The person centred approach, is the approach developed by Carl Rogers, and is sometimes for that reason called Rogerian counselling or therapy. It is an approach that recognises the innate potential of each individual to resolve his or her difficulties. The intention is to support and enable the service user to formulate their own solutions and apply them of their own choice. Most of us are far more creative than we realise, and in the pressure and tension of daily life lose sight of our greatest asset and resource, which is ourselves.
What the Person Centred approach aims to provide is that if we approach another person in a certain way, we can enable them to grow and develop and work through any problems they may have. And the suggestion is really that any approach, which is genuinely going to help people, must involve working in that same way. People centred approach entails three qualities; the first quality is empathy; many people believe that this is the single quality, which is most important in all forms of therapeutic listening. It means getting inside the world of the person who comes for therapy, so that the person feels accepted and understood. Two things are important about this, firstly that the empathy should be accurate, and secondly that the empathy should be made known to the client. Both of these are learnable skills, and they do make a huge difference to the relationship between service user and counsellor or therapist.
The second quality is genuineness, if empathy is about listening to the service user; genuineness is about listening to yourself, really tuning in to yourself and being aware of all that is going on inside yourself. It means being open to your own experience, not shutting off any of it. And again it means letting this out in such a way that the service user can get the benefit of it. Genuineness is harder than empathy because it implies a lot of self-knowledge, which can really, only be obtained by going through one's own therapy in quite a full and deep way. It is the term, a fully functioning person, Rogers' word for the person who has completed at least the major part of their therapy who can be totally genuine.
The third quality is unconditional positive regard, it means that the service user can feel received in a human way, which is not threatening. In such an atmosphere trust can develop, and the service user can feel able to open up to their own experiences and their own feelings. In a therapeutic situation where these qualities are operating, Rogers found, clients go through a sequence of stages that more and more closely approach being fully functioning persons, able to take charge of their own lives and really be themselves.
The approach is unique in its own way, because when using the approach with a service user/ client the counsellor/ therapist does not intervene and has no intention of intervening. The service user/ client is given the freedom to take control of his or her own problems, and direct him or her towards a solution. The basic concept is that the counsellor/ therapist trusts the actualising tendency of the service user and truly believes that the service user/ client, who experiences this trust and warmth, would eventually resolve his or her own problems. The sole aim of the person centred is to make possible of personal growth through the relationship between the therapist and the client.
Group work is founded to be one the most effective way of integrating members together with a shared or common problem. Social workers, counsellors and therapists are using group work methods with clients or user groups to promote a change or to provide therapeutic therapy; group work can also be a form of method used by professionals, of aiding a group or members of a group toward individual adjustment and increased participation in community activity by making use of the mechanisms of group life, as suggested by Payne (1991 p24) group work aims to, 'provide settings enabling individuals ...
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Group work is founded to be one the most effective way of integrating members together with a shared or common problem. Social workers, counsellors and therapists are using group work methods with clients or user groups to promote a change or to provide therapeutic therapy; group work can also be a form of method used by professionals, of aiding a group or members of a group toward individual adjustment and increased participation in community activity by making use of the mechanisms of group life, as suggested by Payne (1991 p24) group work aims to, 'provide settings enabling individuals to use the group or environment to gain personal competences and perhaps insight to function more effectively in groups and in ordinary life.'.
The composition of groups varies as well, with family therapy and marriage counselling common forms in recent years. Peer group therapy usually consists of a group of individuals who have similar problems, and can be mediated by a psychoanalyst or by the members themselves. Many people seeking help prefer this sort of group therapy to individual therapy, largely because of the comfort derived from knowing that others share their problems. The approach is nondirective, and in some cases, the individual can continue attending sessions whenever they are needed. For an example, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a well-known peer support group, run entirely by members. AA has been influential in the formation of similar groups, particularly support groups centred on addictions. The group aim for its members to empower themselves as well as empower the individuals in the group with ones own experiences.
In comparison with person centred approach which can be used on a one to one basis work with group work which has several members, the following expresses an own individual opinion on why group work would be less favourable in empowering service users in relation to person centred counselling, which is more effective at empowering a service user.
Person centred counselling has tried to maintain the issue of power, empowerment processes can be hindered when power is not shared or is displayed as an object which professionals only hold. It has been suggested that it, "aims to effect a shift of power within therapy away from the hands of the therapists, into the hands of the client." (Hawtin in Thorne, 1998: 91). The aim of shifting power from the therapist to the service user is to enable empowerment and defeat the stigma of professionals' only hold power. Rogers (1977) proposes that therapists/ counsellors should facilitate service users to gain 'personal power'; power issues are major conflicts of interests between many individuals and groups. Within the person centred counselling issues of power focuses on the service user to build upon confidence and be able to share responsibilities and to be active in their need to receive support. There are tendencies of when power between a professional and a service user is abused, the professional may want to hold on to the power and not share, displaying discriminatory practice against the service user. However within group work, professionals who are the facilitator can hold on to power by coming into the group with a proposed agenda, factors such as these prevent empowering practices for service users, service users are prohibited from having choice, responsibilities and having an opinion in the way they would like the service to be delivered.
Style of leadership is crucial: if a leader is very directive, i.e. makes his or her opinions known and forces pressure on members to agree with them, group work will result to members changing their opinions to agree with that of the leader. Finally, when there is a high level of stress and a low degree of hope of finding a better solution (i.e. in a crises situation), members become convinced that their decision is a good one or hope is lost, without hope empowerment is not established.
Leadership is evidently an important issue in group work, the leader must realise the power and influence of their position, and be aware of group work, group processes and group dynamics. The leader must modify their style, if necessary, from a directive tradition to a position in which they make it known to the group members that they are willing to consider any suggestion, and that their mind is not already made up, the leader has to be willing to share power which will empower individuals within the group. If an individual holds onto power unfairly it can be discouraging for group members to participate, empowerment will not be produced as one or two people dominate it. The leader must be impartial and encourage questions and the airing of doubts. If a leader puts these suggestions into practice, they should see the group make good decisions and make progress with their own individual or group aim.
It is not only the group leader who can hold power but other members or an individual in the group can dominate power too, this can be discouraging for individuals who have low self-esteem, as it becomes difficult for certain individuals to express themselves. Hough (1994: 150) explains that, 'the emphasis on free expression, which is embedded in the ethos of group work, may prove too confrontational or even harmful to people whose self esteem is low, and they may be unable to withstand any criticism, however constructive, which is directed towards them.' This is one of the many reasons why group work may not display empowering practices; this does not work in accordance with anti discriminatory practices or within the equal opportunity policy. Values and ethics are also revised here; to ensure that even person centred counselling does not discriminate or oppress individuals or group of people. When using methods/ approaches such as group work and person centred counselling, professionals within the social work field are expected to work within the professional code of conduct using guidelines from the BASW'S code of ethics, the CCETSW'S (DipSW) core competence-based approach emphasises on promoting empowering practices and from professional bodies like the general social services council.
Service user may be too intimidated to speak in front of the group, talking openly can be an overwhelming experience especially if a connection has not been made with the group members. Having the confidence and the support from other members can promote empowerment for group members, if there is lack of group harmony empowerment will not be evident. Group work can be a shared experience where knowledge is shared and peer support is promoted however it depends on the individual if they are comfortable with the method of group work.
Person centred counselling aims for the service user to gain control of their counselling or therapy, the therapist/ counsellor limits their involvement, it does become a non-directive approach but the main issues of power imbalances can be mutually agreed between the therapist/ counsellor and the service user through partnership her empowerment has been established. The therapist does not completely leave the individuals to resolve the matter themselves but places an emphasis that the service user is able to achieve change with their innate abilities. The outcome of the process when a problem or matter is resolved the service user is empowered to handle other matters themselves taking these skills with them.
It is important to recognise the conditions of group work. The most important is a high level of group cohesiveness: the members are attracted to each other and to the group goal, and display concurrence-seeking tendencies, or the desire to maintain the atmosphere of the group by agreeing with the common view. The more insulated from outside influences the group is, the more likely it is to suffer from group work, because there is little opportunity for members to hear and discuss the views of impartial outsiders, who may make suggestions that the group had not considered. Similarly, a lack of orderly procedures for the search of information means that vital material may not be heard.
Some potential disadvantages of group work method are confidentiality, this is more difficult to maintain than person centred counselling which can be used for one to one work, in a group individuals share personal details and information, confidentiality is more likely to be breached within group work as the other members of the group do not have to abide by any law or professional code of practice which prevent them from breaching confidentiality, possibly if ground rules have been established that confidentiality can be maintained but again it depends on the individuals. Confidentiality is important when trying to empower service users, service user need to know that their private details and information is kept a secret or is not exploited which could tarnish empowerment and their confidence. Confidentiality is maintained in person centred counselling as the counselling relationship is an intimate one based on trust, most service users share information about their situations, their past and inner most feelings in the belief that they are sharing confidence, this experience identifies that the service user is comfortable and feels empowered by the therapist to share confidential information to them.
Some service users may like to have privacy when disclosing certain information about themselves or their situation, person centred counselling provides the service for individuals to express themselves freely in a safe and comfortable environment, Thompson in Adams et al (1998: p318) states that, 'having the opportunity to express feelings in a safe, supportive and responsive environment, to discuss common problems and to identify ways in which they might be tackled can be very constructive and empowering experience.'. Within a group the service user is unlikely to receive exclusive attention, some individuals cannot cope with the sharing and competition involved within group work. This prevents the service user from benefiting from gaining empowerment, as they are preoccupied on concentrating on how to receive one to one attention, which not the sole aim of group work as the professional or leader of the group has to be impartial and equal to all its members of the group.
Person centred counselling requests a number of desirable counsellor characteristics, these can be open mindedness, respect for others, self-awareness and acceptance of others. These qualities are the basis values of tolerance, concern for others, understanding that everyone is an individual, belief in one self and of others, honesty and caring. These values are used in majority parts of social work, it is why these qualities are commonly noticed within person centred counselling and is beneficial for a service user who wishes to receive counselling as these qualities empower an individual.
One of the many benefits of person centred counselling is the length of time that is available, group work may be a long-term approach but is barely achievable depending on resources and the purpose of the group. With person centred counselling, the service user is able to work within their own pace, person centred counselling provides resource of professional time as the emphasis of the work is to allow the service user to over come their problem. The service user is not felt rushed and empowerment is achieved within the time setting proposed mutually. If more time is required it can be negotiable but the emphasis of person centred counselling is for the service user to feel empowered at the end of counselling and feel conscious that they are able to handle what ever comes next. Resource constraints can be damaging for service users when trying to empower them; lack of resources can make an individual feel let down, frustrated and angered. Stevenson (1993: 37) states that, 'we argue that adequate resourcing is a necessary but not sufficient condition to the development of empowerment.' it can be argued that resources are very valuable when trying to empower individuals especially within person centred counselling. When a service user is feeling vulnerable and requires more time to express themselves or requires more time to achieve their goal, it would be damaging to explain to a service user that, there isn't any resources to spend that much time with them or unable to provide them with the resources because of constraints.
Empowering service users not only means for the service user to have a say in what services they get but also in which they are provided, by whom, what time and by which process, within person centred counselling the above is achievable but with group work it is highly unlikely because the group has to cater for all its members and individuals have own interests which may not suit others within the group.
Person-centred counselling encourages individuals to talk about what's bothering them and various options for solutions will be pointed out, leaving the individual to make their own decisions, thus allowing them to take control of their lives and empowering the individual.
The person-centred counselling is primarily a way of being which finds its expression in attitudes and behaviour that create a growth- promoting method. It is a basic approach rather than simply a technique or a method. When this approach is lived, it helps the service user to expand the development of their own abilities. When it is demonstrated, it also provides constructive change in others. It empowers the individual, and when this personal power is sensed, the service user is able to show that personal power is used for personal and social transformation.
Depending on the client group or user you are working and the individual issue you are working with it really depends on which method or approach is appropriate for the individual. Every situation is different and each method and approach can help depending on the situation and client group you are working with. I.e. using a cognitive behaviour therapy with people with learning disabilities, its not simply making a fast judgment but looking at the method it self it can be too complex for the individual.
The facilitator perpetuates this growth process by embodying and communicating his/her attitudinal qualities to the group without presupposing what its members should do, be like, or become. Group work can be used to empower individuals from personal problems, group work can be empowering depending on the individual circumstances whether the service users needs' can be met through the group and whether the issues can be resolved using the methods the group uses. Group work might be better in some cases, if individuals are willing and are happy to share information some might be personal, be willing to work as a collective group and the length of time the group may be running for. The service user may need to consider other factors such as, one to one work or group work, short term or long term work, confidentiality and privacy.
It may be noticed here that empowering qualities are really what we would hope for from any human being. So there is a lot in this person centred counselling about learning how to be a human being. It is one of the ironic and exciting things about the approach generally that it assumes that everyone is capable of being fully human. Overall person centred approach is highly beneficial in aiming for empowerment, as it provides many open doors for service users. Timing of sessions is negotiable; the length of time can be short term or long-term work and no hidden agendas by the professional. A promotion of partnership is practised, service users are offered a closed but safe environment to talk openly and that confidentiality and privacy can be maintained where as in a group work atmosphere these factors are highly unlikely to be achieved.
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