Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills
By Ed Jacobs, Bob Masson & Riley Harvill
Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills is now in its 6th edition (photo is still the 4th edition). The book is a very down-to-earth, practical, concrete book about group counseling and group leadership. It differs from most other texts on group counseling in that much of the emphasis is on leadership skills and how to set-up, plan, and conduct groups. Most chapters contain numerous examples of dialogue from groups so that the reader can see how techniques and concepts are used. There are chapters on basic skills, how to begin the first and second session, how to lead the middle sessions, how to close a session, how to cut off and draw out members, and how to deal with difficult members and problem situations.
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In the first
chapter, why groups are effective, kinds of groups, leadership styles, use of
theories, characteristics of an effective group leader, and potential group
problems are discussed. The second chapter deals with group dynamics, group
process, and therapeutic forces in groups.
Chapter Three focuses on planning groups. Discussion includes how to plan each phase of a session and how to use plans effectively. Sample plans are presented and discussed.
Three chapters focus specifically on group exercises. One chapter deals with using rounds and dyads. Another chapter discusses the different kinds of exercises; and a third chapter deals with introducing, conducting, and processing exercises.
Chapter Twelve focuses extensively on conducting therapy in groups. Many different techniques are presented and then highlighted with numerous examples. Chapter Fifteen gives a brief overview of groups for many different populations including children, the elderly, and recently divorced persons. The last chapter, Chapter Sixteen, focuses on issues in group leadership. The issues include co-leading, ethics, legal concerns, research, and the training of group leaders.
We are excited about this book because we wanted it to be useful and the
praise we most often hear is that it is very reader friendly and very
practical.
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