Summary

With an emphasis on developing the group leader's self-acceptance and self-understanding as a critical component of leading successful group counseling sessions, Becoming a Group Leader provides a well-organized and clear conceptual roadmap that guides students through the art and science of group leadership. As the text progresses, students learn how to think critically about their tasks and responsibilities as a group leader; develop clinical judgment; explore their own personal development; learn the stages of group development; and identify practical strategies and constructive uses of group dynamics.

Becoming a Group Leader integrates theory and practice so that group leaders learn not only the methods, models and philosophies surrounding successful group counseling but that they also learn how to apply these lessons through specific strategies for planning and facilitating unique types of both clinical and non-clinical groups. Unlike other texts that might focus on skill development over concept and theory, this book puts forth that understanding the ideas behind group dynamics and counseling is vital in applying them in real-life situations.

Highlights of this First Edition:

An integrative theoretical approach to group leadership throughout the text lends students a greater expertise and deeper understanding for leading both clinical and non-clinical groups. An emphasis on personal development for the group leader promotes self-understanding and self-acceptance within the group, which then leads to a greater understanding and acceptance of others as they are. Personal development exercises found in eight of the chapters also help build healthy adult narcissism and help to reduce the potential negative effects of countertransference in group settings. Explores and promotes the "Know, Be, Do" model of group leadership early in the book helps group leaders understand the knowledge base, the personal development, and the tasks and techniques they need to understand in order to smoothly run a flourishing group. Vignettes found throughout the book engage students in real-world situations and scenarios while Student Exercises help them to synthesize, review, and retain what they have just learned. Specific planning information for facilitating six types of non-clinical groups and two types of clinically focused groups give students a broader perspective for the different types of groups that counselors will be expected to facilitate and reduce anxiety surrounding facilitation skills. This information appears in chapters 9, 10, and 11.