Experiential Groups in Counselor Education: Student Attitudes and Instructor Participation

Abstract

Students in master's‐level courses in group work were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the use of an experiential group activity as a component of their training, as well as the level of instructor involvement in these experiential groups. Students agreed that the experiential group was an effective and necessary teaching tool; however, a substantial minority indicated discomfort with the activity. Also, although the majority of instructors did not directly lead the experiential group, most either observed or received feedback on participation.

Endorsement of Growth Factors in Experiential Training Groups

“…The majority of participants in this study expressed positive views regarding their experiential group experience. These positive sentiments expressed echoed those in some of the earlier anecdotal and empirical studies (e.g., Anderson & Price, 2001;Furr & Carroll, 2003;Kline et al, 1997;Luke & Kiweewa, 2010) and underscore the importance of experiential groups in counselor training. As such, counselor education programs are advised to design and structure the experiential group in ways that enable students to get the most out of it.…”

Mindfully Educating Our Future: The MESG Curriculum for Training Emergent Counselors

“…The ASGW professional training standards (2000) recommend at least 10 hr and promotes 20 hr of experiential training for CITs as group members, leaders, and observers. CACREP provides standards and guidelines; however, each counselor education program is challenged uniquely to develop specific strategies and educational experiences to Downloaded by [University of Nebraska, Lincoln] at 13:57 06 April 2015 260 THE JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN GROUP WORK/September 2014 meet these standards for group work in their curriculum (Anderson & Price, 2001;Merta, Wolfgang, & McNeil, 1993;Shumaker, Ortiz, & Brenninkmeyer, 2011). Programs have chosen to meet these experiential requirements in a variety of ways such as instructor led groups, self-directed groups, non-instructor led groups, activity based groups, and psychodrama groups.…”

Self-awareness Group Counseling Model for Prospective Counselors

“…Experiential learning, which is defined as learning by doing (Anderson, 2001& Armstrong, 2002; is proposed as the vital educational experience for therapeutic work and not only self-awareness but also basic skills need to be attained by this method (Rogers (1957). Experiential learning in counselor education can be accomplished by role-play activities, case studies, observation of professionals, games or comprehensive group counseling activities (Anderson, 2001). Experiential group works helps counselor students to increase their self-knowledge and their awareness about their defense mechanisms in self-expression and to develop their skills in receiving and giving feedbacks (Armstrong, 2002).…”