Description

Discussion: Positive Regard

Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist, believed that individuals must feel accepted for who they are in order to have a high level of self-worth (Farber & Doolin, 2011). Rogers coined the term “positive regard” to explain this concept of feeling accepted. Also, he believed that positive regard is essential to personal growth and self-actualization.

For this Discussion, view the “Johnson” video (Episode 3

BY DAY 3

Post your description of the purpose of this group. Explain the use of empowerment and strengths-based strategies. How does “positive regard” impact the group session in this video? How might you respond to Talia when she voices her skepticism of the usefulness of group sharing?

BY DAY 5

Respond to a colleague who has a different response to Talia. Discuss the benefits of using a strengths-based strategy in this group setting.

Colleague 1: Caneshia

Purpose of Group

The purpose of the group is to provide emotional support for women who have experienced being sexual assaulted. The group provides a space for women to be vulnerable and feel comfortable with expressing feelings and emotions towards being sexually assaulted. In additional to physical support for the patient. Receiving a hug from someone who has been down the road can mean much more. I have been a victim of sexual assault and a hug from a stranger was healing. Although I had a great support system, the hug from someone who suffered the assault was healing. One group member shared how she could realize she was not to blame for the actions of her perpetrator (Laureate Education (2013). This illustration provided an example of support of other group members. The statement provided by the group member allows other group members to understand it is not their fault. Often individuals fault self for the assault. Even though this is not the case. Hearing personal testimonies can serve purpose of finding connection with individuals sharing similar traumatic experiences. The purpose of the group is to allow healing using the support of others. Another purpose is to educate and witness how others face challenges and how the group members have overcome those presented challenges.

Empowerment and Strengths-based Strategies

When an individual has experienced trauma, particularly sexual assault empowerment is required. There is a feeling of worthlessness. Worthlessness comes to mind when I reflect on my trauma. I felt hopeless and lost. I was not able to focus on my mental strength. Thus, I needed empowerment just as the women presented in the video. Self- confidence is a factor I needed. I needed to know I was going to be emotional successful in overcoming the trauma. I could not figure what my strengths were. Hence, empowerment within a group is essential. The group members will require empowerment to overcome the mental struggles of healing from the trauma. Empowerment will also assist group members when group meetings are in session. This simply implies the empowerment will go beyond group meetings and into the daily living. Empowerment can be completed through strength-based strategies. An illustration of this can be to focus on the strength of each group member. Group members can employ strengths resulting to empowered. When members come into session explaining they tried new approaches, other members should be encouraged to praise them for their achievements (Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F., 2017). The overall goal of the group is to empower the members to take control of the group and their lives (Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F., 2017).

How does “positive regard” impact the group session in this video?

Positive regard refers to as treating patients in a consistently warm, highly regarding manner to inevitably allow them to grow psychologically, to fulfill their potential (Farber, B. A., & Doolin, E. M., 2011). An illustration of positive regards was the positive reinforcement provided to group members testimony. The group leader educated group members on the importance of expressing support for one another. Often group members reserved and refrain from self-disclosure, the member must receive positive regard of the positive outcome of being transparent with others.

Respond to Talia Skepticism

Talia expressed reservations of sharing to the group members due to disconnect of emotions. Talia was not prepared to face her trauma. Thus, Talia became skeptical to present within group. Talia is new to the group; I would approach her skepticism with reassurance that her emotions are normal. I would express empathy for her feelings and assure her that she is not alone. Additionally, I would praise Talia for the progress she has done since her sexual assault.

Reference:

Farber, B. A., & Doolin, E. M. (2011). Positive regard. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 58–64.

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013b). Johnson (Episode 3) [Video file]. In Sessions. Baltimore, MD: Producer. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Colleague 2: Stacey Jones

Group Purpose

Talia Johnson was recently sexually abused while attending a fraternity party(Laureate Education, 2013). The purpose of the Counseling Center (RCC) group is to help young women overcome their trauma, eliminate their self-blaming behaviors, and empower them to feel in control over their life. For instance, Talia’s peers were able to help her understand that she is not responsible for Eric’s actions.

Empowerment and strengths-based strategies

As a group facilitator, there are various ways in which I can empower my group members. According to Toseland & Rivas (2017), empowerment is the power of the group to help members feel good about themselves and enable them to use their ability to help make a difference. The group facilitator utilized empowerment strategies such as asking the group members to process their feeling associated with a traumatic event. Creating an open and safe environment allows group members to share their experiences without being judged. As depicted in the process group, Talia is having difficult time processing and blaming herself for the abuse. A strength-based strategy that can assist Talia in removing self-blaming thoughts is cognitive restructuring. Cognitive restructuring is focused on correcting cognitive distortions and deprecating self-talk. This was depicted when one of the group members shared that she used to blame herself for being raped, but her thought process changed with the group’s help.

Positive Regard

According to Farber & Doolin (2011), positive regard such as warmth, empathy, genuineness are necessary and sufficient in a therapeutic process. The social worker used positive regard with the following statement, “thank you for sharing your thoughts and for your support”. The social worker’s positive regard impacted the group session by encouraging other members to share their experiences. For instance, this was depicted when other group members shared their experiences and growth with Tilia. Furthermore, positive regard aims to build a therapeutic atmosphere that encourages members to share their emotions.

Talia’s skepticism

As depicted in the video, Talia is skeptical about the effectiveness of the group because she is hurt, betrayed, and blames herself for the assault. As a group facilitator, I have to meet Talia at her current level of change and understand that she is new to the group process. As the facilitator, I can utilize interpersonal interventions that focus on members’ cognition and affects; thought, beliefs, values, feelings, sensations, and emotions. On the other hand, I can utilize the social relations model (SOREMO), which allows the client to share information to gain positive feedback from group members that can help therapeutically. As mentioned by Piper et al. (2006), a therapist uses SOREMO to answer questions about characteristics of the perceiver, the person receiving the feedback, an interaction between the characteristics of the perceiver and the person receiving the feedback, characteristics of the group, and any errors. Furthermore, this model assist the social worker in gaining insight into the interpersonal relationship and irrational belief system.