Group Counseling: Strategies and Skills

GROUP COUNSELING: STRATEGIES AND SKILLS, Eighth Edition, provides an in-depth look at group counseling with an emphasis on practical knowledge and techniques for effective group leadership. The authors discuss the many facets of group counseling and provide examples of how each skill can be applied in a wide range of group settings to produce effective and efficient group sessions. The book's active approach focuses on the skills necessary for starting and ending a session, as well as on how to make the middle phase productive and meaningful. Through its integration of traditional theories and concepts of group process with thoughtful strategies and specific skills, this reader-friendly book meets the needs of practicing or future counselors, social workers, psychologists, and others who are leading or preparing to lead groups in a variety of settings.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction. 2. Stages of Groups, Group Process, and Therapeutic Forces. 3. Purpose of Groups. 4. Planning. 5. Getting Started: The Beginning State and Beginning Phase. 6. Basic Skills for Group Leaders. 7. Focus. 8. Cutting Off and Drawing Out. 9. Rounds and Dyads. 10. Exercises. 11. Introducing, Conducting, and Processing Exercises. 12. Leading the Middle Stage of a Group. 13. Using Counseling Theories in Groups. 14. Counseling and Therapy in Groups. 15. Closing a Session or Group. 16. Dealing with Problem Situations. 17. Working with Specific Populations.

About the Author :
Ed Jacobs is the coordinator of the master's program in the Counseling, Counseling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Counseling Department at West Virginia University. He is also the founder and director of Impact Therapy Associates. He teaches courses in techniques, theories, group, and addictions and conducts workshops throughout the United States and Canada on group counseling and Impact Therapy. Ed has written five other counseling books: HOW TO SELECT AND APPLY CHANGE STRATEGIES IN GROUPS, IMPACT THERAPY: THE COURAGE TO COUNSEL, LEADING GROUPS IN CORRECTIONS, IMPACT THERAPY, and CREATIVE COUNSELING TECHNIQUES: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE. In the past few years, Ed has traveled worldwide, introducing counselors to his group counseling and impact therapy ideas. Christine Schimmel is the coordinator of the school counseling program in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counseling Psychology program at West Virginia University. She has been a counselor educator for over 15 years and has taught courses in school counseling, counseling techniques, group counseling, and counseling children and adolescents. Chris has written two other counseling books: HOW TO SELECT AND APPLY CHANGE STRATEGIES IN GROUPS and IMPACT THERAPY: THE COURAGE TO COUNSEL. Chris currently serves as the secretary for the West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling, the licensure board for professional counselors in the state. A former school counselor, her teaching and research interests are in the field of school counseling. Bob Masson is Professor Emeritus at West Virginia University and remains active in the counseling field by teaching courses at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Florida. Bob was a professor for more than 30 years at West Virginia University in the Department of Counseling, Counseling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Counseling. He also served on the State of West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling and remains a Licensed Profession Counselor. He has taught courses in counseling techniques, theories, group counseling, and rehabilitation counseling. Riley Harvill is the president of The HarBeck Company, a leadership training and consulting firm located in Dallas, Texas. Over the past several years, his work has focused on individual and team coaching with U.S. and Canadian police and fire departments. Before co-founding The HarBeck Company, Riley was an associate professor at University of North Texas in the Counselor Education Department, where he taught courses in individual and group counseling.

Review :
"It is very easy to read, lots of great examples are given, and the group skills are clearly described and labeled." "This book covers things not covered by other textbooks, and it is incredibly practical and approachable. The information is supported by examples, and that makes it very useful in real life."