Is There Social Support in Counseling Groups?

Social Support in Counseling Groups

 

            Why do some people fear going to therapy? There are many reasons for this a few examples are; fear of others (pressure from what they think about therapy), fear of opening wounds, fear of change, fear of the unknown… However, therapy provides support, self-awareness, skilled, and education in a safe setting. Groups provide support, self-awareness, and education as well. The setting is less safe in groups than in individual therapy, because the members that are participating in the group are not trained like the counselor. A benefit to attending groups is it allows the individual to work on what has been learned in individual counseling with others, to increase confidence, and to build interpersonal relationship skills. So, what are the benefits to going to counseling groups?

 Counseling groups provide support for the individual as well as the group. Counseling groups provide its members with social support. “Social Support has been associated with the emotional, social, and physical well-being of people,” explains Yoni Harel, Zipora Schechman, and Carolyn Cutrona (p.1). So, what is social support? The authors go onto explain that social support “provides hope, increases self-confidence, and is an important buffer against loneliness and stress” (p.1). The purpose of the counseling groups is to provide an environment that is structured so that the members can “bond (bonding refers to liking and empathy)” and receive the social support that they need (p.2).

There are three stages to groups: the beginning or initial stage, the middle or working stage, and the ending or termination stage. It is important for the members to trust each other during the beginning stage, because if they don’t then they will not move onto the working stage. The working stage requires the members to “engage in self-exploration, develop insight, and resolve personal difficulties, by questioning each other; sharing personal information, emotions, and experiences; and providing supportive feedback” (p.4). It is the counselor’s responsibility to help the members build the initial bond, so the counselors might have to talk more in the beginning stage then in the middle stage. Once the stage is set the members should start displaying signs of support.

 The Social Support Behavior Code was “developed to assess social support behaviors in the context of helping interactions;” therefore, it identifies eight types of support: “ (1) emotional support; (2) esteem support; (3) information support; (4) tangible support; (5) social network support; (6) tension reduction; (7) attentiveness; (8) negative behavior” (p.4). There is a difference between the social support behavior (identified above) and the perceived social support which “assesses people’s subjective judgments about the extent to which members of their social network provide social support in times of need;” so the assessment includes measuring the following areas: “attachment, reassurance of worth, social integration, guidance, reliable alliance, and the opportunity to provide nurture” (p.6).

 The Individual and group process variables that effect social support in counseling groups literature review determined that attachment style is important and that it would have an outcome on the individuals social behavior; specifically, “people with high levels of avoidance and anxiety (italics added) either or both dimensions are viewed as having an insecure adult attachment orientation” (p.2). The individuals with high levels of avoidance and anxiety attachment styles also measured “to be positively associated with self-concealment, self-splitting, and personal problems, as well as maladaptive perfectionism and depression moods” (p.5). Individuals with these attachment styles tend to bring out “negative therapist behaviors,” so therapist should take care not to be too ‘confrontational’ with these individuals (p. 9).

 It appears that there are limitations to attending counseling groups for individuals that have high levels of avoidance and anxiety attachment styles. Individuals with these attachment styles need to learn skills through individual therapy, so that they can benefit from counseling groups. Counselors need to allow these individuals to participate without providing a lot of direction while in the group: instruction or direction should be given on an individual basis.

 The study noted that group size is important, because “the exchange of positive support was more frequent in smaller groups,” so individuals interested in going to counseling groups for support should try and find ones that are not large (p. 9).

 There are strengths to attending counseling groups, because they provide social support, perceived social support, self-awareness, education, and it allows the individual to build interpersonal relationship skills. Individuals should be encouraged to attend counseling groups when in individual therapy. The determination of when the client is ready to go to counseling groups should be determined by the counselor and the progress of the client.

 

Reference

 

Harel, Y., Shechtman, Z., & Cutrona, C. (Aug 15, 2011). Individual and group process variables that affect social support in counseling groups. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advanced online publication. doi: 10.1037/a0025058