Describe a minimum of three strategies that group leaders can use to incorporate learning principles into psychoeducational group work

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The following strategies or approaches are recommended to incorporate learning principles into psychoeducational group work:

Develop goals and objectives that are specific, realistic, clearly articulated, and appropriately challenging (Bridbord, DeLucia-Waack, Jones, & Garrity, 2004; Brown, 2011). Leaders should consider the impact of the group intervention on members’ lives and evaluate their own expectations of how participants will change or grow following the group’s completion (Burnes, & Hovanesian, 2017). While goals may be broad, objectives should articulate specific learning or behavioral changes.

Consider the developmental level of group members (Burnes & Hovanesian, 2017). With children, it is important to choose learning activities that approximate their reading or processing levels (Haen & Aronson, 2016). Adolescents may greet activities geared toward grade-school children with disdain (Haen & Aronson, 2016). Likewise, educational factors including reading level and appropriate content must be considered in learning activities for adults (Cheng et al., 2015).

Incorporate culturally meaningful learning activities (Burnes, & Hovanesian, 2017). As with all counseling interventions, group leaders must develop an understanding of, and communicate respect for, diversity and cultural differences. Learning materials should be culturally appropriate (Cheng et al., 2015). When a group is culturally homogeneous, culture-specific learning activities can be incorporated into the group design (Cheng et al., 2015).

Vary methods of instruction to accommodate different learning styles (Burnes & Hovanesian, 2017). As a general rule, leaders should keep in mind that few members will attentively absorb more than 15 minutes’ worth of content lecture, and that members who learn primarily through visual or kinesthetic pathways, may be limited in the amount of information they can hear and process at one time. Visual strategies, such as incorporating video or other visual images, are often helpful as auxiliary teaching methods. Activities involving movement help kinesthetic learners master new material (Huang, Liu, Shadiev, Shen, & Hwang, 2015).

Incorporate active and/or discovery teaching methods. Hands-on activities and activities that allow members to reach conclusions during the group session are likely to create more lasting impressions. Directed learning exercises that promote active participation and interaction are powerful teaching tools. Educational games often are applicable to group settings and may provide an effective balance between content and process (Maarif, 2016).

Tie content to relevant examples or stories. The best teachers are often described as the best storytellers. In relating didactic material, real-life examples are often helpful. Depending on the purpose and structure of the group, some leaders use self-disclosure (Song, Kim, & Luo, 2016). In this way, the leader serves as a model for the participants and gains credibility as someone who understands their challenges. This teaching technique is most common in groups that incorporate support and psychoeducation, such as a group on parenting skills led by a counselor who is also a parent.

When teaching behavioral skills, break the overall task into small stages or component parts. These should be taught systematically, from the simple to the more complex.

Give opportunities for feedback and be willing to adapt to members’ learning needs. Although it is critical to develop a structured plan for a psychoeducational group, an effective leader will solicit formal and informal feedback throughout the group and make changes when necessary (Burnes, & Hovanesian, 2017).