Group proposal free essay sample

Group Proposal: Interpersonal Relationship Empowerment and Stress Management Group For Asian International Students at the Pennsylvania State University Moran He The Pennsylvania State University 1 Group Proposal 2 Abstract The following proposal outlines a counseling group program for Asian international students. The program is formed to address issues regarding interpersonal relationship difficulties and life stress among Asian international students. The group is open but is limited to no more than eight group members. The group meet once a week for thirteen sessions and will be offered during the fall semester of the academic year. The areas of counseling focus of the group include consciousness-raising, assertiveness training, and stress management. The proposed group program fills the gap in services available to Asian international students. This proposal describes the rationale, group format, group process, and evaluation criteria. Group Proposal 3 Group Proposal: Interpersonal Relationship Empowerment and Stress Management Group For Asian International Students at the Pennsylvania State University Purpose and Objectives Rationale The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) ranked the 14th nationally among institutions with the largest number of international students (Institute of International Education (IIE), 2005). The presence of approximately 3,700 international students on PSU campus has enriched the cultural experiences of the campus community and improved the chances for developing global understanding. At PSU, Asian enrollments accounted for sixty-nine percent of all international students (University Office of International Programs, 2003). In this proposal, I describe a culturally responsive counseling group for these Asian international students with a focus on interpersonal relationship empowerment and stress management. Issues regarding its implementation are discussed. Unique Sources of Stress. International students in the United States (U. S. ) face chronic strains of enduring separation, adjustment problems, and social isolation (Thomas Althen, 1989). Among these stressors, the loss of familiar and social support and the void of new interpersonal relationships with the host nationals are identified as the biggest problems for international students (Pedersen, 1991). Misra, Crist, and Burant (2003) proposed five indicators of life stress among international students: language difficulty, acculturization stress, academic pressure, financial crisis, and interpersonal stress. Consistent with Pederson’s contention, Misra and her colleagues also concluded that of these five indicators, interpersonal problems had the largest predictive power of life stress among international students. Group Proposal 4 Conflicts between the Asian and American concepts of friendship, the disapproval in Asian culture of interpersonal qualities such as outspokenness and assertiveness, ethnic discrimination, and language barrier are the main factors that discourage Asian international students from attempting to form deep, nurturing relationships with Americans (Hayes Lin, 1994; Mori, 2002. Consequently, these students are forced to develop intimacy solely with their fellow nationals in the campus community. Given such a small socializing circle, developing romantic relationships, a significant developmental task in adulthood, becomes particularly impossible for the seventy-eight percent of the international students at PSU who are single. Manifestations of Symptoms. Important differences in reactions to stressors were found between Asian international and American students. Asian international students typically display cognitive or physiological reactions when coping with stress whereas American students exhibit more behavioral and emotional reactions (Misra Castillo, 2004). In other words, Asian international students tend to deal with the somatic symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, sleep problems, physical tension, and weight loss, but may fail to acknowledge the emotional or interpersonal problems that have caused such symptoms (Carr, et al. , 2002). Psychologically, at their arrival in the U. S. , Asian international students who held unrealistic expectations about the quality of their lives in the U. S. may experience profound feelings of loss and disappointment in the face of reality (Mori, 2000). Later on, as a result of prolonged endurance of interpersonal and social frustrations, Asian international students are likely to develop a sense of inferiority and a depreciative self-concept. Furthermore, difficulties in establishing nurturing interpersonal relationships and the lack of support to deal with life stress, coupled with family expectations and obligations, often lead to clinically significant Group Proposal 5 depressive symptoms, sense of hopelessness and helplessness, and suicidal ideation in the Asian student population (Yang Clum, 1994). Areas of Counseling Focus. Support groups and psycho-educational workshops for international students have typically revolved around issues regarding cultural orientation, cultural shock, academic transition, career planning, and resource location (Abe, et al. , 1998; Carr, et al. , 2002; Lacina, 2002). In discussing possible therapeutic interventions for international students, practitioners and scholars (e. g. , Hong Cooker, 1984; Mori, 2000) have long agreed upon three areas of counseling focus that are essential for the well-being of these students, namely, consciousness raising, assertiveness training, and stress management. However, in group therapy practice, rarely found are counseling groups which concentrate on empowering Asian students for more fulfilling relationships or alleviating their stress symptoms. Considering that the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at PSU only offers one psycho-educational group for all the international students at University Park, I believe that the proposed counseling group fills a gap in the service currently available for Asian international students at PSU. Objectives Given that Asian international students who experience emotional and interpersonal difficulties might not be aware of the sources of their struggles and that they might develop unfounded assumptions about themselves and others, the preliminary objectives of the group experience are to sensitize clients to their sensations, feelings, and opinions, to develop an understanding of oneself as an individual and in relation to others, and to provide a safe space for them to explore and modify their self-image in a bicultural context. Group Proposal 6 Secondly, because of Asian students’ needs to enhance their sense of power and level of function in interpersonal relationships, the assertiveness training component aims to identify the etiology of group clients’ lack of assertiveness, to validate and express feelings in an appropriate manner, to enable differentiation between assertive, passive, and aggressive behavior, and to practice assertive rights and responsibilities in order to increase self-respect and reduce social anxiety. Finally, because of the significant level of life stress among Asian students, a third component of the objectives of this group includes developing various stress management techniques and practical relaxation methods in order to alter their physiological responses, challenge any dysfunctional thinking, and change maladaptive life-style patterns. Group Structure and Setting Group Length, Meeting Time, and Size This group will be free to all Asian international students at University Park. It will be promoted through CAPS, the University Office of International Programs, and international student organizations. The group will meet thirteen weeks (over the fall semester) for an hour and a half each week. The time span of fourteen weeks is practical because it will allow approximately two weeks for recruiting and screening potential clients and end before the final examination week. A semester-long group experience will also allow for increased opportunity for group members to experiment with changing their behaviors and more solid integration of changes already accomplished (Corey Corey, 2006). The group will meet in the evening hours to  accommodate the hectic class schedule of undergraduate students and the assistantship obligations of graduate students during day time. Group Proposal 7 Size is an important consideration when forming any type of group. Since this group is a counseling group, the optimum number of members is no more than eight. A group of ten or more is likely to divide into two subgroups (Posthuma, 1999). Two group leaders will be a CAPS counselor and a doctoral trainee who have interest in and experience with international students. Desirably, one facilitator either came from an Asian cultural background or had studyabroad experiences. Membership and Screening An essential aspect of this counseling group is a pre-group interview. Each prospective member will meet with both group co-leaders during the first two weeks of the semester. In order to insure the maximum safety, functioning, and cohesion of group members, prospective clients will be screened for ethnicity, identified problems, level of functioning, and projected goals (Corey Corey, 2006). The two major goals of the pre-group interview are to assess the appropriateness of the individual for the group and to describe the nature of the group and its structure and guidelines. The co-leaders will shape the interview to obtain a general psychological and developmental history, an evaluation of their insight related to their interpersonal relationships and stress symptoms, and some understanding of the clients’ view of group counseling services. Particular attention will be given to students who are during their first and third year of stay in the U. S. because research indicated that stress level among Asian international students became higher during the first and third year of stay (Cho, 1988). Prospective clients who are assessed as unable to function autonomously in a group will be referred to individual therapy. During the interview, it is critical that the group co-leaders de-stigmatize clients’ participation in this counseling group. Group Proposal 8 The co-leaders will try to achieve some heterogeneity of age, gender, country of citizenship, and presenting concerns. The co-leaders will also receive referrals from the University Health Services and individual counseling services at CAPS. Considering the large number of Asian international students at PSU, the group will be open to new clients as long as the number of group members does not exceed eight. Toward the end of the screening interview, the co-leaders will review the group guidelines and ask the prospective group members if they can commit themselves to group confidentiality, consistent attendance and punctuality, participation, and practicing behavior changes outside the group weekly. Physical Setting Environmental factors can contribute to successful recruitment of group members and prevention of premature termination. Asian international students, even when they do experience psychological difficulties, are less likely to walk into counseling centers because of the cultural stigma against emotional expression in public and seeking counseling (Yoon Portman, 2004). An emphasis on family fame and face often prevents Asian students from accessing professional services. Poyrazlie and his colleagues (2004) recommended that when offering group counseling, counseling centers could work in conjunction with international student office to lessen any stigma related to the use of counseling services among international students, especially among Asians. The University Office of International Programs at PSU has always been a favorite social location for many international students. Therefore, the two group co-leaders will work with the international student office and to secure a meeting room in that office. Desirably, the office will also help decorating the meeting room with Asian artwork or symbols to create a safe and culturally friendly environment. Group Proposal 9 Group Process This counseling group is formed in light of the interpersonal problems and life stress experienced by Asian international students. Therefore, this group is interventive and remedial in nature and focuses on problem-solving. In the following section, I describe in detail the counseling theories the co-leaders will used in the group process, themes and techniques to be used in each session, and the roles of co-leaders and group members. I also provide a list of ethical considerations for working with Asian international students. Group Approach According to Trotzer (2006), the counseling group approach is used to address the task of â€Å"helping group participants resolve the usual, yet often difficult, problems of living through interpersonal support and group problem solving† (p. 41). Groups of this type are usually conducted in nonmedical settings to serve clients who have not been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Because of the emphasis on personal and interpersonal problems, the co-leaders need to work together with the clients to determine the focus of the group and its sessions. In the proposed counseling group, clients will be invited to discuss interpersonal problems or life stress with which they can identify, at least to some extent, and to work toward â€Å"dissolving the group by resolving their problems† (p. 44). Throughout the process, clients will be encouraged to take responsibilities for their own growth in the group experience. The two coleaders will be primarily facilitators who use verbal techniques and leadership skills to keep the group oriented to member concerns and the here-and-now group interaction. However, from time to time, there will be educational moments when the co-leaders need to teach and model for the group social or conversational skills and stress management skills. Group Proposal 10 The group co-leaders will draw on the integration of theoretical approaches to group therapy in developing and implementing this counseling group (Corey and Corey, 2006). Specifically, the co-leaders will refer to the Relational therapy when dealing with awarenessenhancement issues (Enns, 1992), Cognitive-Behavioral theories as applied to assertiveness training and stress management (Romano, J. 1992; Ulman, 2000), and the multicultural counseling meta-theory as applied to working with Asian students. Advantages and Limitations The literature on consciousness-raising, interpersonal problem-solving and stress management counseling groups reveals that clients join these groups to realize that they are not alone and to gain validation for their experience (Corey Corey, 2006; Trotzer, 2006). The opportunities for Asian international students to share similar concerns in the group can be empowering. The counseling group in itself will serve as a form of social support to the Asian international students who struggle with social isolation at different levels. In addition, through their group participation, these clients will learn that their stress and interpersonal problems are rooted more in the culture and the environment surrounding them than in their personality. Furthermore, this counseling group will provide them with a safe space to observe, compare, model, and gain insight into thoughts and behaviors of others’ and their own in relationships and in stressful situations. Most importantly, the challenges of engaging themselves in self- disclosure and feedback in the group process can increase the Asian clients’ capacity to engage in mutually empowering relationships outside of the group. This group counseling approach is not without limitations. Devan (2001) pointed out that Asian international students’ difficulty in expressing intimacy in public could be enhanced in a group situation. Such defense against intimacy is often manifested as group silence, prolonged Group Proposal 11 silence from individuals, somatization, gender bound groupism (i. e. , same sex members group together), and avoidance of cultural taboos such as sexual topics. In addition, Asian clients might be threatened by the consequences of another member in the group breaching confidentiality to their acquaintances in the close Asian community. Also, because of the male gender role expectations in Asian culture, it will be extremely challenging for Asian male clients to admit their struggles or weaknesses in front of women clients. Client resistance, if left unattended, can very likely lead to early termination. Thus, this group requires on the coleaders’ part a high sensitivity to the hidden agendas in the clients and the capability to assess clients’ behaviors in the group. Co-Leadership and Methods The use of co-leaders in counseling groups is common practice. Given the multicultural nature of this group, the use of co-leaders from different ethnic backgrounds is even more appropriate. The challenges of working with Asian international students over one semester can be stressful for one counselor. The co-leadership helps prevent the co-leaders from burning out. It also provides the co-leaders with the opportunity to process, conceptualize, offer and receive feedback, and brainstorm (Corey Corey, 2006). Given the complexity of the integrative theoretical approach used in this group, the two co-leaders need to discuss and share a common view of the basic structural issues of the group. It is also crucial for them to be aware of each other’s leadership style and any possible biases they hold towards the client group. As I have mentioned earlier, the co-leaders in this group will take up a primary role of facilitators, and occasionally that of educators. In addition to these two major roles, the coleaders will seek to create healthy group norms such as acceptance, validation, sense of hope, and balance between self and the group. At the initial stage of the group work, the co-leaders Group Proposal 12 will work together to create a sense of group cohesion by stimulating the sharing of similar experiences and pointing to the commonalities of struggles and symptoms of members. It is important for the co-leaders to normalize clients’ experiences of difficulties in order to prevent them from labeling their symptoms as signs of â€Å"mental illness. † In each weekly meeting, the co-leaders will encourage curiosity about individual resistance and difficulties in implementing desired changes. Co-leaders might use projective techniques to deal with cultural resistance toward self-disclosure (Devan, 2001). The co-leaders will also be responsible for inviting the clients to think of effective and ineffective ways they have responded to stressful life situations. In doing so, the co-leaders help the clients develop insights into the psychological and contextual factors that influence their current difficulties. Another responsibility of the co-leaders will be creating a therapeutic â€Å"experimenting space† for members to try out new behaviors and experience new options. During the counseling process, co-leaders may also encourage clients to express their feelings in their first language and have other members help them express their feelings in English. Group Format and Learning Activities The co-leaders will utilize a semi-structured approach to introduce specific activities related to certain topics of discussion while at the same time allowing the flexibility to address clients’ presenting problems in each session. In the pre-group interview, co-leaders will help the prospective clients identify problem areas in their lives and ask them to specify particular problems they want to work on in the group. Based on the content of the pre-group interview, the co-leaders will adjust the preliminary group format described below: Sessions 1 and 2. Group rules such as confidentiality and limits, safety issues, voluntary membership, commitment to the group, voluntary self-disclosure and so on will be reiterated. Group Proposal 13 Formal informed consent will be obtained from each client. Co-leaders will also hand out the Goal Attainment Scale (Trotzer, 2006, p. 430) to clients for weekly self-assessment. These two sessions will be primarily devoted to getting acquainted with each other and sharing individual goals. Session 3. This session will be focused on identifying specific problem areas in clients’ lives. The group will start to build cohesiveness and acceptance and engage in active listening. Session 4 and 5. The focus of these sessions will be on consciousness-raising. Clients will use creative ways to express their thoughts and feelings about their presenting problems. The coleaders will facilitate the discussion of specific personal, interpersonal and sociocultural influences on the clients’ experience of these problems. Session 6 and 7. In session 6, co-leaders will provide Asian snacks and tea to celebrate clients’ perseverance through half of the group experience. Communication skills and assertion skills will be integrated into these sessions, using role play and behavioral rehearsal as well as out-of-group assignments. The clients will focus on their here-and-now feelings about trying out these skills. Clients will also differentiate assertion, manipulation, and aggression. Cultural barriers regarding assertiveness will be addressed. Permission will be obtained from clients to videotape part of one session so as to evaluate members’ participation and group interaction. Session 8 and 9. The focus of these sessions will be on stress management and corrective self-care cognition and behaviors. Clients will learn to attend to their physiological responses to stress. They will also identify how they typically cope with common stressors in their lives. Clients will pay attention to their cognitive distortions which can lead to emotional stress. The co-leaders will facilitate the clients with developing a repertoire of stress management techniques as well as enhancing their self-esteem. Group Proposal 14 Session 10 and 13. These sessions will be devoted to problems on which clients want to work. Clients will also begin to assess their progress and the progress of the group. More reflection, self-adjustment, and feedback will be initiated by the clients in these sessions. The primary purpose will be for the clients to internalize what they have learned and report on their changes outside the group. The co-leaders will shape the discussion by reminding the clients often of the upcoming ending. In the final session, clients will deal with separation, recognize, and celebrating individual and group gains. Information of future services and useful resources will be given to clients. Exit Interview. An exit interview will be arranged with individual client to discuss the Goal Attainment Scale that has been distributed in the first session. Materials and Resources Lazarus and Folkman (1984), Posthuma (1999), and Trotzer (2006) gave examples of best practices in group counseling for consciousness-raising, assertiveness training, and stress management. In this counseling group, discussion topics, journaling, videotaping, drawing, structured exercises, and homework are the major types of learning activities. Materials such as videotape recorder, CD player, printed handouts and manuals, posters, flip chart or whiteboard, colored pencils, magazines, and paper bags will be needed. Most of the activities involve acting and drawing. Most of the required materials are readily available at the university. Ethics and Multiculturalism It is essential for any group leaders to be professionally trained and have a solid understanding of the Ethical Guidelines for Group Counselors (Association for Specialists in Group Work, 1990). The co-leaders should be aware of personal styles and biases. At the recruitment and screening stage, co-leaders need to provide prospective clients with a statement Group Proposal 15  of their professional qualifications (Corey Corey, 2006). It is critical for the clients to feel that participation in learning activities is voluntary. In addition, co-leaders need to review with the clients the importance of confidentiality from time to time throughout the length of the group. Carr and her colleagues (2002) contended that when working with Asian students from abroad, counselors must reevaluate the Eurocentric ethical guidelines for conducti ng group therapy in the context of Asian culture. They suggested that counselors consider boundary issues, helping roles, worldviews, cultural competence, and confidentiality when applying ethical standards. For example, the western concept of confidentiality must be carefully explained to group members if they are already acquainted with each other in the small community of students from their home countries. Another issue for the co-leaders to consider is the devaluing of assertiveness in the Asian culture. According to Wood and Mallinchrodt (1990), Asian clients may feel uncomfortable role-playing assertive behaviors. Asking them to apply assertion skills outside the counseling session may cause considerable anxiety or even carry social costs. Therefore, the co-leaders need to be culturally more sensitive as they address the passivity and indirectness of Asian clients’ communication behaviors. The co-leaders also need to understand that filial piety and respect for authority are fundamental values in Asian culture. Asian international students may expect a hierarchical order in the therapeutic relationship. In other words, they may expect the counselor to be more directive and authoritarian. Therefore, the co-leaders need to negate the â€Å"cultural fear of authority† by allowing a fairly directive and supportive leadership style in the beginning (Devan, 2001, p. 574; Zhang Dixon, 2003). Group Proposal 16 Finally, co-leaders need to attend to the gender difference in the counseling group (Misra and Castillo, 2004). Female international students have higher reactions to stressors than their male counterparts. In Asian culture particularly, they struggle more to free themselves from role expectations than male students in general (Misra, Crist, Burant, 2003). Thus, stress management and assertiveness training, in the presence of Asian male clients, might be more challenging to Asian female clients. Group Evaluation I consider the evaluation of group counseling to be pivotal to both the individual group experience and the ongoing development of this group program. According to Trotzer (2006), the effectiveness of individual sessions and the overall effectiveness of the group experience can be assessed through member evaluation, group process evaluation, self and other reports of outcome, and co-leader evaluation. In the first session, the co-leaders will distribute a weekly self-report in the form of Goal Attainment Scale (Trotzer, 2006). These self-assessment forms will be collected and evaluated when the co-leaders meet with individual clients in the exit interview. Clients will be asked to identify specific and measurable problem-solving goals they want to attain and rate their performance each week on a 5-point scale. The combining Goal Attainment Scale score across all group members demonstrates the overall effectiveness of the group counseling process. Meanwhile, the co-leaders will ask the members to keep logs of their honest reactions to each group meeting as well as suggestions for improvement on 3 x 5 index cards. Halfway through the group process, an evaluation of video replays of a group session will be carried out. Clients will be asked to analyze their actions and the interaction of the group. At the end of the group experience, clients will give each other feedback on the visibility and positivity of their