Adlerian Group Counseling The combination of key aspects of Adlerian psychology with socially developed, “systemic, and brief approaches based on the holistic model developed by Dreikurs.” (p.159)

Refresher: Alfred Adler believed that neurosis was the response of a person withdrawing from life’s required responsibilities. *Their symptoms protect them from the feelings of failure. *Was a believer in the social nature of people

Adlerian view of the Person  Is “socioteleological”- Views people as being primarily motivated by social forces & we are aiming at attaining certain goals.  Believed we create our own idiosyncratic view of self, life, & others from which we develop our goals (both long and short term). *This drives our behavior and influences our development.  Our search for significance ties in w/ our feelings of inferiority in comparison w/ others. *This pushes us to become better or even chase after perfection

Adlerian view of the Person  Emphasizes self-determination & consciousness as the foundation of our personality.  We are not victims of fate, but can control our destiny towards our set goals (within limits).  Our movement towards our goals and our future are more important than what has happened in our past.

Adlerian Group Therapy  A growth model: Stressed personal responsibility, aiming for superiority, and value in searching for life’s meaning.  Viewed primarily as an educational process * “Helping people learn better ways to meet the challenges of life's tasks, providing direction, helping people change their mistaken notions, and offering encouragement to those who are discouraged.” ( p.160)

Holistic  Focuses on understanding the entire person in their social constructs of family, school, & work.  “Individuals are always more than the sum of their parts.” ( p.160 )  To fully understand a person, one must examine how they socially interact. *A group setting is a great place to do this. People often assume the roles they play in their family/life in a group setting *This can allow the person to experiment w/ how they interact w/ others & allow for their mistaken goals to be altered.

Phenomenologically Oriented  Objective reality holds less importance than our subjective reality.  It’s how we interpret reality that causes us to attach meaning through our experiences.

Community Feeling & Social Interest  “We are primarily motivated by a desire to belong.” (p. 162)  We have a strong desire to feel bonded with others, and only after this is accomplished can we have courage at facing life’s demands.  3 Main tasks we ALL must master to be happy/healthy: 1. Building friendships (Social task) 2. Establishing Intimacy (Love/marriage task) 3. Contributing to society (Occupational task)

Community Feeling & Social Interest  Having dysfunction in any of the stages is often a sign of a psychological disorder.  All of the areas can be addressed/discussed/worked on during group.  The group focus is on members incorrect assumptions that hold them to feelings of inadequacy, thus from being connected with others *Therefore, pre-screening in groups is usually NOT performed-doing so would only reinforce a person’s imperfections & continue to cause further alienation!

Inferiority/Superiority  Inferiority is not viewed as a negative- it is what pushes us to want to do better.  Both are crucial for group work.  Leaders: Do not try to eliminate feelings of inferiority, rather use it to explore w/ members their basis of inferiority feelings.  Explore members current ways of dealing w/ their feelings of inferiority & insignificance.  Can lead to working w/ early feelings of inferiority & past failed experiences *This allows members to view these in a new way & to put a new ending to a difficult time.

Style of Life  In trying to reach our goals that hold personal meaning- our behavior is influenced in what we believe about ourselves, others, & the world. *How we see the world in which we live attributes to our private logic.  Adlerian group counselors work w/ members living patterns & logic that is used to support them & is a means to help create a more socially fulfilled life.

Role & Functions of the Group Leader:  They serve as models for group members who learn from what their leader does during group more than from what they say.  Personal attributes of the leader: *Presence *Self0confidence *Acceptance *Caring *Ability to listen for purposes & motives *Demonstrate courage to be imperfect *Willing to take risks *Sense of humor *Winning to model *Collaborative spirit *Belief in the group process *Clear sense of personal identity, beliefs, & feelings *Awareness of basic conditions needed for members growth.

Roles of Group Leader:  Facilitate group process-lead each group as if it were the last.  Create a structure that promotes: *open interaction *Involvement *Confrontation *Nonjudgmental acceptance *Commitment  Leaders are active in group process-especially at the beginning *Establish structure by helping members define personal goals. *Perform psychological assessments *Offer interpretation *Guide group assessment *Build a feeling of community within the group.

Adlerian Group Stages: Stage 1 of 4 ESTABLISING & MAINTAINING COHESIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEMBERS  Based on cooperation & mutual respect  Allows a foundation for cohesiveness & connection  Developing this strong therapeutic relationship is key to successful outcomes

Establishing relationships cont…  Members are encouraged to be active in group process, they are responsible for their participation.  Group environment provides opportunity to work on issues of trust & strengthen leader/member relationship.  Allows members to witness positive changes in their peers, showing the process of group works.  Members & leaders work together toward mutually agreed-upon goals

Analysis & Assessment (Exploring the Individuals Dynamics) Stage 2  Aims at: Understanding members lifestyle & seeing how it’s affecting their current functioning in life’s many tasks.  Leader can explore how members are functioning in work/social settings & feelings about themselves and their gender role identities.  Leaders can use many different assessment techniques such as: *Family Constellations & their roles within them. *Birth order *Relationship difficulties *Dreams *Artwork *EARLY RECOLLECTIONS

Early Recollections (ER’s)  What a person remembers happening before age 10.  Can be grouped together to form a better understanding of how we feel & view ourselves, the world, life goals, our motivations, beliefs, & values.  Can help us learn about our: *Mistaken notions *guiding goals *Present attitudes *Social interests *Possible future behavior Leader can ask: “Think back to when you were younger than 10, & tell the group about a specific event you remember happening.” “One time, I _____”

Life Style Investigation  Explores member’s family background & life story *Reveals patterns of Basic Mistakes (5 types)” 1. Overgeneralizations 2. Misperceptions of life & its demands 3. False/Impossible goals of security 4. Minimization/Denial of ones basic worth 5. Faulty values

Live Style Investigation cont…  To help gather this info, both an objective & subjective interview are given (subjective 1 st ) *Ex of question that can be used: “What would change in your life if you could have a pill that would make you completely well?”  How the person answers this type of question is important-Helps uncover if their difficulties are organic or psychological.  The life style analysis is an ongoing process & helps clients & counselor develop a counseling plan.

Awareness & Insight: Stage 3  Views insight as a special form of awareness. Helps build a foundation for change- but is a means to an end, not an end in itself!  Adlerian’s believe change occurs through present- centered awareness *Members must recognize they have options/choices in regard to their perceptions & behaviors.

Awareness & Insight cont…  In groups, awareness is elevated due to feedback & support of others members.  This stage is concerned w/ helping members understand why they function the way they do  As members experience resistance in themselves, they can watch the others go through the same thing.  Members & leaders offer interpretation of underlying motives for peoples present behavior.

Awareness & Insight cont…  The interpretations are never forced & are offered gently *Ex: “Could it be that ___” *”It seems to me that ____” *”Perhaps _____”  The goal of interpretations is for members to gain a deeper awareness of their own role in the creation of their problems, how they are maintaining their problem, & ways to improve their situation.

Reorientation & Reeducation State 4  Group leaders & members work together to change incorrect beliefs about self, life, others, & to consider different beliefs, behaviors, & attitudes.  Adlerian groups are characterized by how they try to reorient poor living patterns & teach a better understanding of principles that lead to healthy interactions *And to teach individual how to be more effective at handling life’s tasks.

Reorientation & Reeducation Cont…  The groups challenge & encourage members to take risks & make changes.  Change is propelled by the discovery of hope!  Encouragement is essential-by both other members & group leader *The greatest encouragement comes from feeling that the members have found a place in the group!  This is the action phase-new decisions are made & goals are modified.  Members need to set tasks for themselves to change & do something specific about their troubles.

Rationale for a Group Approach  Based on the idea that problems of individuals are largely social in nature.  Allows for a social context where individual can form a sense of belonging, social connectedness, & community.  Members learn that their struggles are interpersonal, their behavior has social meaning, & their goals are best understood in a social framework.

Applications: Brief Group Therapy  Adlerian group counseling works well w/ brief interventions & short- term formats.  Criteria: *Time Limitation *Focus on desired outcomes *Counselor directiveness *Symptoms as solutions *Assignment of behavioral tasks  Self-selected goals are formulated once the group begins & becomes the focus  Members decide how they want to use their time  Works well in a school setting  Works well w/ multicultural Populations (It emphasizes understanding individual within their social context).

Contributions & Strengths  The use of early recollections  It’s integrative in nature  Allows for inventiveness among the leaders & for them to develop a personal therapeutic style.

Limitations  Leaders of more structured groups may find using early recollections & finding connections to their current problems difficult.  Group leaders NEED to be well trained or they can make significant mistakes!

Reference  Corey, G. (2008). Theory & practice of group counseling (7 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.