Please respond to this peer. One peer reviewed reference is required (at least 150 words)
Bobbi Meyer
Feb 14 3:36pmLast reply Feb 15 8:17am
Manage Discussion
My experience with groups includes committees, workgroups, and training classes. The most memorable of my group experiences has been with the labor union. I became an officer in the labor union and participated in many group activities with co-workers and other union members. The labor union for Healthcare Professionals was formed in response to a need for a collective voice to work with the management of the large health care organization. So our focus was on the needs of the professionals in the organization.
The power of being with others struck me as being strong and motivating. I realized the truth in the statement “each group member influences and is influenced by every other group memberâ€. (Marcus, p. 250.). We were able to discuss our common issues and concerns. We disagreed at times on what was most important and what was best to do. The solutions always were about what was best for the group. I was struck by the value of working in groups to accomplish larger goals. The members of the union were from all cultures, but we became a culture of diverse union members united with a singular focus. The various cultures represented made me aware of differences and similarities. Groups not only have value but are necessary for community evolution. “We are social beings and group phenomena seemingly pervades our lives and consciousness’, including anti-vaccination and anti-mask campaigns, social justice issues, insurrections, the growing need for efficient and effective mental health interventions, and issues of social cooperation or lack thereofâ€. (Tasca, p. 211.).
Group work in therapy has the potential to empower people who may feel less powerful than others by seeing the effects of their own interactions with others. Groups also can split apart if there are differences and disagreements. The role of the therapist is to guide the individuals as a group towards a common purpose.
I am not clear what type of practice I will have when I become a PMHNP. If my role is prescriber my interactions will be therapeutic but not therapy. If my role includes some therapy, groups therapy with patients with similar issues, fears, or insecurities would focus on what we all have in common not what we do not agree on.