Group Counselor Reflection

First off, I can say that I truly enjoyed this experience as a facilitator for my group. Not only was it fun, but I also learned some very valuable lessons that I can now put into my repertoire as a counselor. I always enjoy learning from others and hearing new perspectives on different concepts such as my topic of stress, which made it fun. I once again was reminded that individuals handle stress in many different ways, including habits such as smoking, procrastinating, and eating, but also through positive methods such as mindfulness, journaling, and venting to other individuals. As far as counseling tools go as a group counselor, I learned that sessions often don’t go as planned; that is, even if you come with a list of questions that you think would open up discussion, it is often best to

At times, I felt the urge to interject with more questions, but I stopped myself because I remembered that it is my clients’ group and not solely mine. I believe my job is to help them connect the dots with the information they discuss, not completely run the group through my power and role of being a counselor. Additionally, I learned that being a group counselor differs from being an individual counselor as it is not all about one individual, it is a group collaboration process. From this, I learned that I can be more effective as a counselor if I allow my group to grow together versus having them depend on me for all the answers. It was a joy to hear my group laughing and maintaining a positive flow together despite the issues they were talking about from their own lives. The vibe I felt from them at the beginning was one of true stress but relaxation from the mindfulness activity they had just participated in, but then the vibe became one of togetherness, relief, and happiness towards the middle and end of the