ESSAY: Practicum – Week 8 Journal Entry –

Students will:
Develop effective documentation skills for group therapy sessions *
Develop diagnoses for clients receiving group psychotherapy *
Evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for groups *
Analyze legal and ethical implications of counseling clients with psychiatric disorders *
Select two clients you observed or counseled this week during a group therapy session. Note: The two clients you select must have attended the same group session.

Then, in your Practicum Journal, address the following:

Using the Group Therapy Progress Note in this week’s Learning Resources, document the group session.
Describe each client (without violating HIPAA regulations), and identify any pertinent history or medical information, including prescribed medications.
Using the DSM-5, explain and justify your diagnosis for each client.
Explain whether cognitive behavioral therapy would be effective with this group. Include expected outcomes based on this therapeutic approach.
Explain any legal and/or ethical implications related to counseling each client.
Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

ANSWER

Develop Effective Documentation Skills for Group Therapy Sessions

Effective documentation skills are essential in group therapy sessions. A counselor must employ the right approach in the development of such skills to ensure that they receive positive feedback from the clients. For instance, the counselor should avoid favoring particular groups as they may be discouraging others from advancing others from growing personally (Brekke, Lien & Biong, 2018). To avert this, they may avoid carrying out activities on behalf of the groups, especially if the members can carry out the task on their own.

The counselor may also encourage the group to learn skills that enhance their support of each other. By encouraging each other, the members may not have to seek approval from the clinician, thereby promoting growth and independence. However, this may occur in phases as the therapist must first encourage communication among the members, which allows them to be free with each other and to share freely (Brekke, Lien & Biong, 2018). The counselor should also not assume the responsibility for any losses or pain that the clients may have gone through. Instead, they should encourage the clients to be healthy and devise ways of coping with such challenges.

Develop The Diagnoses for Patients Receiving Group Psychotherapy To reduce the patient’s stress, I use a lavender patch that I usually put the gowns of the patient. Lavender has conclusively been proven as a remedy that is natural by leading researchers for treating anxiety signs. Additionally, it has been shown having no sedative side effects and also no potential for the abuse of drugs and being dependent (Hwang, 2017). I did encourage the patient to engage in mindfulness meditation, which is a method that helps in stress reduction too. This meditation includes focusing when breathing, sitting in a comfortable state, and bringing the mind’s attention to the present moment. The implications…