Human Service Workers; Group Therapeutic Intervention (Research Paper Sample)

Setting Up Group Therapeutic Intervention for Compassion Fatigue and Burnout among Human Service Workers
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CHAPTER ONE
UNDERLYING RATIONALE
1.0 Nature of the group
The aim is to assist human service workers to cope with the demands of work which is often featured by stress, lack of motivation, reduced work effectiveness and malfunctioned behaviors and attitude at work. The principle underlying how to select participants is by considering experts, who are providing human services, and these include counselors, nurses, pastoral ministers or psychologists. Burnout and compassion fatigue are caused by workplace stressors and are commonly found among social workers, nurses, counselors, psychologists, and other human service professionals. Every workplace remains unique, and it is inevitable to avoid burnout in a work context. According to Todaro-Franceschi (2013), the methodological technique used in this group will be existential therapeutic and client-centered method, which will apply concepts and ideas from spiritual psychology (transpersonal psychology). This method will introduce concepts such as self-actualization and self-realization, which will assist the group members to cope with the existential challenges triggered by burnout. These are important concepts that are borrowed from spiritual psychology’s technique to assist the group members to attain the capability to manage their lives based on vital things that bring significance into their lives. The group will constitute eight individuals whose ages will range between 30-50 of both women and men. The group will be expected to meet once in every week for thirteen weeks.
1.1 Major assumptions
Group counseling is the recommended technique for treating burnout and compassion fatigue in human service professionals. Group counseling (therapy) enhances the significance of spiritual, social, physical, and mental fitness while human service workers learn new ideas on how to cope with conditions which may have caused burnout. Group therapy is a better method to address the symptoms of burnout such as losing confidence, isolation, and loneliness (Vrettos, 2011). The technique will enable group members to discuss the essential skills that are important for preventing burnouts. Nicholas and Jenkinson (1991) present that group therapy creates social interaction and enables group members to have the opportunity of increasing understanding through sharing and trying new ways collectively to address their challenges. The members will share reactions facing them, and learn how to cope with such effects. Anything highlighted in the group will remain confidential; members will come into agreement not disclose their issues outside the group.
1.2 Understanding the significance of this group
Human service workers normally concentrate on addressing problems of other people, and often forget to take care of their needs. This usually leads to depersonalization, depression, poor work performance and exhaustion among these professionals. If not checked, this may lead to reduced productivity, increased turnover, and cases of absenteeism (Manor, 2000). Furthermore, the burned-out human service professionals deliver inefficient work that may lead to ethical liabilities or legal penalties. Many workers do experience burnout and if not address they can quit their jobs. In many cases, they burn out and decide to continue their jobs due to financial constraints. Severe depression can cause vulnerability which influence workers to emotionally detach themselves from their jobs as this is a way of protecting themselves. Dehumanized and hopeless workers often fail to perform their work effectively, which lead to other problems. Burnout psychologically affects workers, causes financial losses to organizations and put lives of clients at risk because of ineffective services they obtained from burned-out workers.
CHAPTER TWO
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.0 Theoretical principle of group therapy
The intention of this group aims to assist burned-out group members to obtain new approaches of how to create their lives and their work become meaningful to them. Existential model and spiritual psychology are important techniques that will enable the group members think creatively and find meanings in their lives. Existential model and spiritual psychology offer the opportunity for the group members to choose what is important in their lives and to cope with the situations they experience at workplace. Existential model and spiritual psychology concentrate on the kind of relationships being made; these are two known techniques important for the healing process which will help to efficiently address burnout (Kaplan and Sadock, 1994). Since the group members are professionals who are trained in various fields, client-centered therapeutic technique as well as non-directive psychotherapeutic model will promote flexible interaction when group members to work together, which will give them the opportunity to freely interact and create their own ideas; thus, make a dynamic group.
2.1 Leadership orientation
I will serve as a facilitator or the leader of the group. I participate actively in the group’s programs, though I have very weak commands of leading since I grew up in an environment which motivated me to serve rather than leading. I am the first born girl in a family of 14 while I am the second born the entire family. My mother divorced when I was only six years old. I come from African background prior migrating to England in my early 30s.
Leadership orientation for the group will be based on humanistic psychology. I will serve by leading the group to explore ways to enhance their spiritual, social, physical and personal development and to develop understanding of self and healing of their lives. Existential model is important because it encourages an environment where the group members will feel safe and free to engage in mutual interaction with the facilitator who empathically deals with people unconditionally. Johnson and Johnson (1994) view that transpersonal psychology, or spiritual psychological method will enable group members to attain self-actualization and self-realization, which will enable them to apply psycho-spiritual awareness to deepen their healing into their lives.
2.2 Intended objectives and goals
The group leader will facilitate group sessions and activities to enable members to identify symptoms of burnouts and be in a better position to reexamine themselves to improve the significance of their lives including their work. Group members will have a better opportunity to discuss and examine causes and symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout. Members will individually reflect on several effects affecting them including other areas of their concerns (Todaro-Franceschi, 2013). The group members will discuss possible approaches of how to relieve the symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout, and they will reflect how to assist preventing such happenings in the future. This discussion will assist in enhancing the fulfillment at a personal level including creating friendly workplace environment and mutual social interaction. The group will create a conducive and safe environment that will enable members to freely choose to reflect on their own life experiences, discuss possible causes of their burnouts, and develop objectives to enable them address their past experiences, and will also understand how to prevent burnout in order to improve their lives, remain productive at workplace and become socially resilient.
Based on the spiritual psychological model and the existential technique, the group will form attainable and realistic objectives and goals. Members will assess changes in behaviors and physical outlook, monitor new experiences and insights significant in the therapeutic process (Free, 1999). Spiritual Assessment Study survey will be used to measure changes in emotional status of the individuals. Measured results will help to tackle major areas of concern and show the progress made which will illustrate whether group members are still stuck in the emotional burnout or they are making positive progress by overcoming burnout and revitalize their works and their lives. Results based on the assessment questions that the group members will, tackle will show a change in attitude in reference to their experience during the therapeutic process and the objectives, which they are pursuing.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
There are thirteen sessions in which group members will be required to attend meetings so that to work on their objectives. Eleventh and twelfth sessions will be based on repeated units as it will be illustrated.
3.1 Leadership style of the group
The group will adopt democratic leadership style, which is a friendly and open style of running the group. Ideas will move freely amongst the members, and issues will be discussed openly. Every member will have a seat at the table facing each other and discussion will be open and freely flowing. Democratic leadership style will encourage members to share their ideas, facilitate conversation, and synthesize all the discussed information into the most effective possible decisions (Feld and Radin, 1982). The group leader will be selected democratically who will facilitate functions of the group, helps to achieve unity of the group, and ensures expected goals are met. The style is dynamic and gives room for improvement. This will be important for the group as the members will have a common goal to achieve self-development and fulfillment.
3.2 Creations of group expectations
Group members will be introduced to the therapist. Counseling theories incorporated will be explained, and general ideas of the session will also be highlighted. This is a sess...