Group counselling: Theory and Practice
Curriculum guideline
The course will involve a number of instructional methods, such as the following:
- Lecture
- Skills demonstration/practice of specific group counselling skills
- Small group activities
- Group discussions
- Computer simulations
- Video/DVD Case Studies
- Guest lectures
1. Group stages and processes
2. Group goals
3. Planning and early stages of groups
4. Basic group leadership skills
5. How to use and debrief exercises
6. Middle stage of groups
7. Major group counselling theories
8. Group counselling and psychotherapy
9. Group termination
10. Professional issues and ethics
11. Diverse client groups
At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:
1. Identify appropriate purposes and goals for various types of counselling groups
2. Outline group stages and describe the tasks in each stage
3. Describe basic group leadership skills
4. Plan a skills counselling group with clearly defined outcomes
5. Demonstrate the ability to introduce, conduct and debrief a group exercise
6. Describe the ethical issues involved in conducting groups with diverse client groups
7. Analyze how major counselling theories apply to group counselling processes
8. Identify common group processes and problematic behaviours
The course evaluation will be in accordance with Douglas College and Psychology Department policies. Evaluations will be based on the course objectives. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:
Two exams at 10% each 20%
Group Leadership Skills demonstrations 40%
Written assignments/Reflective papers 40%
Total 100%
Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:
Jacobs, E.E., Masson, R.L., Harvill, R.L., & Schimmel, C.J. (2012). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (7th Ed.). Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
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