Individual vs. Group Counseling: Approaches for New Counselors

Theoretical Approaches for New Counselors

Successful theoretical approaches vary between individual and group therapy; nevertheless, there is meaningful overlap in the efficacy of certain methods. For example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has a strong success rate in both group and individual contexts (Beiling, McCabe, & Antony, 2009). Although CBT was originally implemented in an individual setting, there are specific reasons why it is adaptable to a group format. Specifically, CBT endeavors to alter the way in which people distinguish between internal and external reality, changing how one responds to their environment rather than addressing psychological insight (Beiling, McCabe, & Antony, 2009). Additionally, many CBT patients have anxiety disorders, and many find the group setting less intimidating than a private one-on-one dynamic.

CBT is particularly successful in either individual or group contexts because it is adaptable to many different settings and is action-based; therapists can therefore engage the entire group at once rather than needing to focus on one individual at a time. For individuals, another successful theoretical approach is psychodynamic psychotherapy, which focuses on altering one's psychological makeup. Although both CBT and psychodynamic therapy are amenable to new counselors, CBT may be more applicable for those just entering the field, since it relies less on the interpretations and insights of the counselor and is more grounded in structured exercises and activities.

Challenges in Individual and Group Counseling

There are many aspects of both individual and group counseling that present significant challenges for a new counselor. One such challenge, relevant to both settings, involves the hostility that many therapists encounter from their patients. Many patients are placed in therapy against their will or are susceptible to drastic mood changes that may result in an angry outburst directed at the therapist. Consequently, therapists are tasked with not only managing their own emotions but also attempting to regulate those of the client.

Both tasks can be particularly difficult for new counselors, who have often not yet developed sufficient confidence in their own abilities to avoid internalizing hostility from patients, nor do they yet have a record of empirical success with past patients from which to draw confidence. It is therefore imperative that new counselors accept the fact that while they must do everything in their power to help their patients, the actions and emotions of their patients ultimately lie outside of their control.

Personal Values and Their Impact on Counseling

There are many motivations for this tendency, though it is invariably the result of the therapist's inability to maintain critical distance between themselves and their patient. As the therapist matures professionally, they are typically better able to establish and sustain that boundary.

All counselors hold personal values that will positively or negatively affect their work. As they gain experience in their profession, it becomes imperative that therapists develop the ability to distance themselves from personal biases or prejudices and focus exclusively on how to successfully treat their patients. New counselors, however, often struggle in this regard. If a new therapist holds a particularly open-minded worldview, those values are likely to endear them to patients and facilitate lasting therapeutic relationships. Conversely, new therapists with culturally discriminatory or chauvinistic perspectives are likely to experience significant difficulty both in building rapport with patients and in providing intellectually honest therapy.

Such prejudice is especially problematic in the group counseling setting, where clients are often culturally diverse. For example, when working with a racially diverse group of patients, a therapist may unconsciously align with those patients who share their racial profile or cultural worldview (Bemak & Chung, 2004). Although such discrimination is contrary to the APA Code of Ethics and generally diminishes as the therapist gains experience working with diverse populations, bias against culturally different patients continues to pose a problem for those new to the profession.

Conclusion

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