Service Alternatives

Keats, P. (2008). Time-Limited Service Alternatives: Using Therapeutic Enactment in Open Group Therapy. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33, 297-316. The increasing numbers of students that require counseling and the growing severity of problems that are being faced by these students in the campuses have prompted counselors to study and apply alternative means of providing the students’ counseling and therapy needs.

The technique that was presented in the article is one which is considered an innovative counseling approach combining group therapy format and therapeutic enactment intervention techniques to address the needs of the clients. The approaches were based on different theoretical foundations of experts and were designed in a way that will be both effective and efficient. An open group therapy was opted because it facilitates cohesiveness as well provide a venue for greater interaction among clients. On the other hand, therapeutic enhancement is a group-based model that involves the client’s re-enactment of experiences using actions.

Clinical and ethical considerations were based on guidelines set by Association of Specialists in Group Work and the American and Canadian Counseling Association . The qualifications for being in the session would depend on making sure that the well-being of the client will not be jeopardized by a group setting. As the approach employs an open-group structure, it also requires a co-facilitation of the group. The group activities are divided into the warm-up section, the central activity, and a closing exercise.

In addition, the concerns that may pose as challenges to the format were thoroughly discussed such as student reluctance, confidentiality, timing and training concerns. The qualitative evaluations at the end of the sessions provided positive results from clients who appreciated being in a group where there was opportunity to interact with other students. Some considerations will be evaluated in the future such as extending evaluation procedures, adapting a more extensive questionnaire, comparisons of evaluations by returning and non-returning clients, as well as using a quantitative measure to improve further understanding.

A. How is this work useful to me as an aspiring counselor? This work is useful because it provides insights which are vital for a counselor. The results of the study as well as the approaches used can be utilized and applied in future undertakings. The innovation of the approach presented in the article can provide flexibility and additional knowledge that may be useful under some circumstances. Being an aspiring counselor, one must be adept in assessing the needs of the clients and providing the best approach for their concerns.

This article provides just that and gives a reminder to be more critical and observant in dealing with the client as well as being open to learning better strategies. b. How does this work contribute to the field of counseling? This work contributes new ways of approaching group counseling because it deals with something that addresses the concern of finding innovative means to solve the growing number of clients as well as the increase in the intensity of their problems.

Combining the open group therapy approach and therapeutic enhancement provides the field of counseling an approach that is conducive for interaction, counseling in a large-scale setting, as well as allows counselors and facilitators an opportunity for co-leadership and provides more resources for them as well as reduces the possibility of frustration by both counselor and client when in an individual setting. c. What new research do the authors generate by writing this article? The authors generate new research which will involve further evaluation of the results and application of the approach in a different setting.

It also foresees the possibility of employing other tools such as a more extensive questionnaire and the use of other forms of quantitative measures. Another consideration for future research is exploring the comparisons of evaluations between those who are not returning for the sessions and those who are actually returning. Ultimately, it opens the research of finding means of making clients satisfied after the first session. References Keats, P. (2008). Time-Limited Service Alternatives: Using Therapeutic Enactment in Open Group Therapy. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33, 297-316.