Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 13 Groups for Adults Prepared by: Nathaniel N. Ivers, Wake Forest University

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Roadmap Adulthood Setting up Groups for Adults Types of Groups with Adults Strengths and Limitations of Group Work with Adults

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Adulthood Implies that a person has reached physical, mental, social, and emotional maturity In reality, it is a multidimensional stage of growth often characterized by a certain unevenness and unpredictability (Santrock, 2013) Conceptualized as the age period between 20 and 65 years. Includes young adulthood (20 to 40 years) and midlife (40-65 years).

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Setting Up Groups for Adults Coming up with a theme for the group Identifying necessities or obligations Making clear the purpose of the group

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Types of Groups for Adults Probably more types of groups available and run for adults than for any other age or stage of the population Work and task groups are a primary type of groups conducted for adults (Hulse-Killacky et al., 2001) Counseling groups also are used with adults to explore personal issues of adulthood and to help with lifestyle transitions Psychotherapy groups are employed for adults on inpatient and outpatient bases (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005)

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for College Students Formal and informal groups are found many places on campus. Millennial students tend to use college counseling centers more frequently and for more severe problems than previous generations Groups on college campuses for prevention and remediation

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for College Students Psychoeducational Groups Self-esteem Depression management Career-awareness and self-exploration Counseling groups Helpful for excessively self-critical students (Phelps & Luke, 1995) Psychotherapeutic Types of Groups Helpful for adult children of alcoholics Survivors of sexual abuse

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Adults in Midlife Psychoeducational Groups With the exception of task/work groups, these the most common Geared toward learning and wellness Counseling and Psychotherapeutic Focused on making choices and changes Common types of groups include grief/loss, career and job support, survivors of suicide, victims of abuse groups

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Men Types of groups Consciousness-raising (C-R) Group (Garfield, 2010) Support and psychoeducational groups for single, custodial fathers Groups can help men identify personal and general concerns of being male and ways to deal constructively with issues and problems they face Can be difficult to get men to participate in groups

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Women “Traced to the consciousness-raising groups of the 1960s and 1970s” (Horne, 1999, p. 232) For certain issues, women do better in women- only treatment groups (Kauffman et al., 1995; Singh & Hofsess, 2011) Chemical dependency Empowerment

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Women Rape survivors’ groups Relationship groups Eating disorders groups

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Couples and Families Parent Education Groups Couples and Family Group Therapy Multiple-Family Group Therapy

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for the Divorced and Widowed Group related to the emotional impact of separation (Addington, 1992) Groups related to the emotional response of separation Parents Without Partners (PWP)

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Remarried Couples Michael’s (2006) six-session group Emphasizes the following bonds: Developmental Nurturing Strengthening Utilizes group problem-solving as well as couples- focused activities

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Adult Offenders Offenders “People involved in the criminal justice system” “Includes both incarcerated and nonincarcerated offenders” (Morgan et al., 2014, p. 441) Problematic areas: Low level of trust High levels of anger, frustration, and sense of deprivation

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Groups for Adult Offenders Common groups Groups for individuals found guilty for sexual offense Grief counseling groups Cognitive psychotherapeutic groups

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Life-Threatening Illnesses Groups have been employed as a way of treating people with life-threatening diseases Offer the following: Education Support Release from stress and emotion that has built up

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Strengths of Adult Groups Save money Are effective Help to alter nonproductive behavior Motivate adults to work on concerns

Groups: A Counseling Specialty, 7e Samuel Gladding © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Limitations of Adult Groups Challenges with scheduling Difficulties associated with passive-aggressive behavior Difficulties in Screening and assembling group members who have a common focus Challenges associated with past beliefs and behavioral problems