Screening potential group members is an important step in forming an effective therapy group. Identifying ideal members is a multi-step process that often begins by examining the characteristics of potential group members. Characteristics to consider may include gender, presenting problem, personality style, level of insight, reasons for coming to group, willingness to participate, and interpersonal skills. For example, a therapy group for survivors of sexual assault might limit its membership to women who have been sexually assaulted.

Once group characteristics have been identified, the group leader determines how qualified clients will be selected and how the therapy group will be marketed. Will internal referrals be used, such as the leader’s own clients? Will other counselors, mental health professionals, and medical facilities be willing to promote the group? Will ads be placed on social websites? These are some of the factors that must be considered as part of the therapy group development process.

A screening interview is typically used to determine if the therapy group is a good fit for the potential client, and vice versa. When more than one therapy group leader is involved, it is best if all group leaders are present to meet with a prospective therapy group member. During this meeting, the group leader can inquire about why the person wants to be in the therapy group, their knowledge of group therapy, and their goals. A risk assessment can be conducted at this time to inquire about any past or current suicidal or homicidal thoughts/intent. Some screening for Axis II traits can also be conducted, as, often times, Axis II individuals are not effective members of a therapy group due to their inability to relate to others. The screening interview can conclude by going over rules for the therapy group, expectations, confidentiality, fees/insurance, and the signing of informed consent. Ideally, when potential clients are not accepted into a therapy group, the therapist should assist them by providing referrals for alternative therapy options. This process particularly applies to outpatient therapy groups. Inpatient or intensive outpatient therapy groups might have a different format and might be less likely to decline prospective members.

For this Discussion, review the media titled “Audio Therapist: Screening Potential Clients.” Evaluate the four potential clients. Consider which clients you might accept into a general therapy group and which you might not. Finally, think about how the clients’ characteristics align with your own strengths and weaknesses as a group therapy leader.

With these thoughts in mind:

WRITE a brief description of the clients you would select for your therapy group. Then explain why you did or did not select each client based on your strengths and weaknesses as a therapy group leader.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.