The student will participate in an observational Support Group Experience. This experience usually lasts 1½ – 2 hours. Choose a Support Group that meets the course objectives, (i.e., Caregiver group, NAMI-National Alliance for the Mentally Ill support groups, Compassionate Friends-Grief support groups, Family-Survivors of Suicide support groups, cancer support groups). Each student is responsible for contacting the selected facilities/agencies and arranging the participant-observer experience. Call the Group Leader to obtain permission to attend.
{will use the Catholic Hospice Bereavement Support Group.}
Catholic Hospice Bereavement Support Group experience.
· Support Group Experience Assignment. Pls, look and STICK to the rubrics. Check your grammar. PLAGIARISM IS NOT ACCEPTED!!!
· Use the Turn it in Originality Submission under “Assignments” to check discussions and assignments before you submit.
· FYI: We now have APA 7.
· Pls stick to the rubrics.
Support Group Experience Assignment/Paper
Purpose: Support groups are a place for people to give and receive both emotional and practical support as well as to exchange information. The purpose of this assignment is to help the student understand and evaluate group dynamics, group facilitation, and group processing.
Assignment: The student will participate in an observational Support Group Experience. This experience usually lasts 1½ – 2 hours. Choose a Support Group that meets the course objectives, **{Catholic Hospice Bereavement Support Group}** (i.e., Caregiver group, NAMI-National Alliance for the Mentally Ill support groups, Compassionate Friends-Grief support groups, Family-Survivors of Suicide support groups, cancer support groups). Each student is responsible for contacting the selected facilities/agencies and arranging the participant-observer experience. Call the Group Leader to obtain permission to attend. [Be professional and state that you are an advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing student wishing to gain knowledge about the group and that this is a course assignment.] Maintain professional appearance and behavior while in groups – remember you are a guest and represent your Nursing program.
Write a 4 – 5 page (excluding title page and reference pages) paper on this experience. Follow the following criteria:
Subheadings
· Discuss the purpose of the support group attended.
· Describe the demographics of the group (e.g., number of members in attendance, gender, ages)
This is equal to the Introduction on the Grading Rubric
· Discuss the roles of the support group leader in relation to the group members.
· Identify the therapeutic factors (Yalom, 2005) you observed in the group. Give an example of each factor identified.
This is equal to the Focus & Sequencing on the Grading Rubric
· Discuss your observations about the needs of the group.
· Describe your feelings about this experience and how it personally enriched you.
This is equal to the Conclusion on the Grading Rubric
Instructions:
Use an
APA 7 style and Write a 4 – 5 page (excluding title page and reference pages
. Provide support from a minimum of at least three (3) scholarly sources. The scholarly source needs to be: 1) evidence-based, 2) scholarly in nature, 3) Sources should be no more than five years old (
published within the last 5 years), and 4) an in-text citation.
citations and references are included when information is summarized/synthesized and/or direct quotes are used, in which
APA style
standards apply. Include the Doi or URL link.
• Textbooks are not considered scholarly sources.
• Wikipedia, Wikis, .com website or blogs should not be used
@@@@ I put some ideas that may help but feel free to write whatever is more appropriate. Also, I attached another paper, done by another student, that can serve as a sample to guide. @@@@
Several years ago, I worked for a catholic hospice as a nurse. I know the company’s mission well, giving individual plans to each terminal patient and their family, which helps deal with this complex process. Catholic hospice brings multiple therapies, like Camp Erin for young grieving the death of a significant person, pet therapy, and grief support. Even though I know about these therapies now for the first time, I attended to Catholic Hospice Bereavement Support Group. This group has sections Every 2nd & 4th Monday, from 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm, in David Posnack Jewish Community Center 5850 S Pine Island Road, Davie, FL 33328. The support group leader or facilitator was Anthony Nguyen, Bereavement Counselor at Catholic Hospice. Broward County, Florida, United States.
• Anthony Nguyen Bereavement Counselor at Catholic Hospice: Provides individual and group counseling services, including facilitating support groups, utilizing telehealth services, and implementing educational services. Conducts community outreach efforts and collaborates w/ other company directors and coordinators to engage, aid, and assist with areas of high need. Performs bereavement and social work assessments to assess complicated grief, bereavement risk, priority, family dynamics, crisis control, conflict management, etc., and documents accordingly in Suncoast and MyUnity database.
The purpose of the Catholic Hospice Bereavement Support Group…
https://www.catholichealthservices.org/catholic-hospice/programs/grief-support/
According to the leader, the average group size ranges between 15-20 members; however, since the covid is around, sometimes they do online or zoon sections with 8 to 12 members.
Feelings Regarding this Experience: After participating in this group therapy, influenced by this experience, I want to do more to help people to deal with grief, so I decided to become a catholic hospice volunteer.
Catholic Hospice provides compassionate in-home/in-facility care through various comprehensive hospice services. Along with their loved ones, each patient will receive an individualized plan of care tailored to their specific needs. From practical respect to grief counseling, our
interdisciplinary staff
goes above and beyond to support you in this difficult time. We’re here for you — on call 24/7. We offer music during an individual or group session, pet therapy.
Camp Erin
Camp Erin®
South Florida is a weekend bereavement camp for youth grieving the death of a significant person in their lives. Led by Catholic Hospice professionals and caring volunteers, campers are provided a safe environment — at no cost — to explore their grief, learn essential coping skills and make friends with peers who are also grieving.
Grief Support
We understand that you are coping with very tough emotions during our care. Our grief support and counseling programs ensure that you won’t be alone.
Highly trained psychosocial professionals walk beside both the patient and their loved ones. Social workers assist with resource arrangements, while religious figures and mental health clinicians exhibit signs of anticipatory grief. The bereavement team is dedicated to offering emotional support for 13 months following a death. Our services also extend beyond those who have chosen Catholic Hospice.
Our volunteer program provides even more compassion and companionship for patients. From keeping patients company to providing administrative help, you are an essential part of se,rving our mission as a Catholic Hospice volunteer.
Running head: SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 1
Support Group Experience
Wilkes University
SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 2
Abstract
Support groups are fundamental in providing emotional, as well as practical support to
caregivers of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. It has
been estimated according to Drossel, Fisher & Mercer (2011), “Seventy percent of
individuals who have been diagnosed with a progressive, degenerative dementia receive
support and care within their families” (p. 109). The commitment to advocate and care
for a family member or friend suffering with dementia can have a devastating toll on the
caregiver’s emotional and physical well being. Drossel, Fisher & Mercer further state
“To manage increasing demand, primary caregivers tend to progressively restrict their
lives to care giving activities, thereby increasing the dyad’s social isolation” (p. 110).
Dementia support groups are vital in helping the caregiver understand the disease
process, behaviors and, feel supported and heard. Participants in dementia support
groups share a bond that can last a lifetime.
This paper focuses on the purpose and dynamics of the support group. The role of
the support group leader, dynamics and demographics of the group as well as the
therapeutic factors observed as a participant-observer will be discussed. An in-depth
discussion of my personal observations and feelings and how attending this group has
affected me will be explained.
Purpose of Support Group
The purpose of the Alzheimer’s caregiver support group according to the
Alzheimer’s Association (2012), “Is to offer individuals support and information that is
specific to dementia. It provides a forum for family members and friends to share
feelings, concerns, and information” (p. 2). This support group is sponsored by the
SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 3
Alzheimer’s association and Charlotte Hungerford hospital. It meets the third week of
every month and there is no fee. The local Alzheimer’s chapter in Connecticut provides
the group meetings with literature and booklets on various topics of concern. Some
pamphlets were how to be a healthier caregiver, personal care for the Alzheimer’s
patient, handling behavioral issues, and pamphlets listing local community agencies
who offer support. The group is intended to empower caregivers to share their stories
and exchange coping skills. According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2012), “Sharing
those ideas in a caregiver support group can prevent care partners from having to re-
invent the wheel” (p. 3).
Demographics of the Group
There were 11 members in attendance. This included the support group leader
and myself as a participant-observer and another student who is in the process of earning
her baccalaureate in nursing as a second career. The normal group size according to the
leader ranges between 10-15 members, however; on this evening it was snowing with
freezing rain and she had considered canceling the session but decided to keep it as
scheduled. There were two male members and the rest were female. The age range was
between 40 years of age to 80. Of the 11 members, four had a parent with some form of
dementia and six had a spouse with dementia. The other student did not have any family
member with dementia and her role was to observe and write a similar paper as to the
dynamics of the support group. The setting took place in a dining room in the hospital.
Role of the Support Group Leader
The support group leader played the part of many roles in relation to the group
members. She was the group facilitator, educator, supporter, advocate and counselor.
She waited a few minutes until after the usual start time due to inclement weather. She
started the meeting by introducing herself and her position to the group. Her name is
Karen and she is a licensed clinical social worker. She shared with us her personal
experiences with family members suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia. She stated
the intent of the group is to have an open forum for discussion for caregivers to be
heard, and ideas to be shared regarding what strategies were successful or not successful
when caring for a loved one with dementia. She presented the two rules of the group:
every person has a chance to speak one at a time, and what is said in the group session
stays in the group session. All members took a turn speaking about whatever was on
their mind and she facilitated the group interactions by offering an educational
component regarding the disease process and expected behaviors to be aware of as the
family members evolve throughout the dementia stages. She played the role of counselor
to a woman (Harriet) who just lost her husband three weeks ago to Parkinson’s dementia
by offering her support and showing empathy and compassion when she first spoke. She
initially was considering cancelling the session due to the weather but decided to keep it
scheduled as she sensed someone may have a special need that night.. When she heard of
her husband’s passing she hugged the wife, and they spoke for a brief time before the
beginning of the meeting.. It was very clear to me they had shared a special connection
to one another. The wife said she needed to be there to talk and listen to others. Karen
referred to this as a “Godcident” as she stated we were all there for a special purpose
after hearing of this loss. Karen spoke to the other student in the group as she had
questioned she thought the group was only for caregiver’s of Alzheimer’s patients. She
educated her saying the group is for caregiver’s of any type of dementia and then
SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 5
discussed briefly the different types of dementia to her. Other participants shared the
type of dementia their loved ones had at this time. Karen offered many pamphlets and
handouts to the group regarding available community services and healthy ways to care
for ourselves. Her role changed throughout the duration of the session from listener,
educator, and counselor depending on the participants’ concerns. There are four key
themes how support groups affect caregivers’ experience and they are according to
Hornillos and Crespo (2012), “Helping to construct an identity as a caregiver; promoting
a sense of personal competence in the role of caregiver; fostering the use of formal
support services; and building a community context in which the caregivers feel
understood” (p. 158). I believe Karen had all of these qualifications and was an effective
group leader.
Therapeutic Factors Observed in the Group
According to Yalom (2005), “One of the most fascinating aspects of group
therapy is that everyone is born again, born together in the group and is on equal footing”
(p. 183). One therapeutic factor I observed is altruism. Group members gain by giving of
themselves and helping others (Yalom, 2005). Examples of this include Harriet, who
desired to come to the meeting to share the peaceful passing of her husband and to offer
suggestions to other group members when appropriate. Harriet spoke how she was with
her husband when he took his last breath and she was at peace with his passing. Harriet
also helped me when I shared my story about my mother. My father asked me to promise
him I will do whatever it takes for my mother to stay at home and not be placed in a
nursing facility. Harriet almost immediately informed me this is not possible and cannot
be promised. Harriet said a time may come when she may need nursing home care and
to promise otherwise would place a significant burden of stress on me. Karen then used
the therapeutic factor of guidance by suggesting if asked this again to say, “I will do
everything I possibly can to keep her home”. Karen also used universality by having
other members tell their stories about the time they needed to make a decision to place
their loved one in a nursing home. Another factor observed was group cohesiveness.
The group seemed to show a genuine caring and acceptance of one another and all
members at one point self-disclosed some embarrassing stories of how they tried
unsuccessfully to change their loved ones behavior before learning it is our behavior that
has to change. I could sense the group felt they all belonged and were accepted. Another
therapeutic factor I observed was instillation of hope. Harriet and other group members
shared the importance of being aware of the times when the person has moments of
clarity. Another member named Tony suggested writing in a journal to capture those rare
moments, as he as well as other members in the group have journals, and feel this brings
them a sense of hope and peace.
Observations About the Needs of the Group
According to Zemlin (2014), “In order to ensure quality of life for people
suffering from dementia, caregivers need to have both a suitable attitude to their clients
as well as the corresponding expertise in caring for them” (p. 81). Knowledge needs to be
communicated practically and simply to ensure understanding (Zemlin, 2014). I
observed the needs of the group to be fairly simplistic. I sensed the group needed to feel
included, empowered, heard, supported, and valued. I felt all the needs of the group were
met by either the leader or another member of the group. They all shared a common
bond and longed for commonalities with one another.
SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 7
Feelings Regarding this Experience
To be honest, I was nervous going to this meeting. I have never been to a support
group before and this ended up enriching me two-fold. I was both a student and also
have a family member with dementia. I knew I could have played it safe by not sharing
my own personal story, but quickly felt such a sense of community and compassion from
the other members and found myself opening up to these wonderful strangers. There was
no criticism or judgment, only caring. I came away from this meeting feeling grateful. I
also knew the support group leader and worked with her many years ago when I was a
new nurse. I had no idea she was the group leader before entering the session. After this
I realized I am not alone in my fears at all and I can be open to many others who have
similar situations and learn how they coped and adjusted to their “new normal”. I am
planning on attending next month and it is my hope to encourage others to give support
groups a chance. They may discover there is a whole other world they weren’t aware of.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the purpose of caregiver support groups and the role of the group
leader was discussed. The therapeutic factors evident were reviewed as well as the
individual needs of the group. My observations and personal experience regarding this
will help enrich my life by gaining further insight into the disease process and the various
strategies needed to effectively care for those with dementia. According to Chen, Chu,
Guo, Liao, Chang, Chen & Chou (2011), “Studies show that caregiver support groups
where members are attentive and supportive to one other and share experiences and
knowledge, are able to help individuals relieve the pressures and burdens of caregiving”
(p. 1090).
SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 8
References
Alzheimer’s Association. (2012). Get the emotional support you need. Retrieved from
http://www.alz.org.
Chien, L., Chu, H., Guo, J., Liao, Y., Chang, L., Chen, C., & Chou, K. (2011). Caregiver
support groups in patients with dementia: A meta-analysis. International Journal
of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(10), p. 1089-1098. Retrieved from http://av4kc7fg4g.
search.serialsolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com
Drossel, C., Fisher, J. E., Mercer, V. (2011). A DBT skills training group for family
caregivers of persons with dementia. Geriatric Behavior Therapy: The Challenges
of a Changing Environment, 42(1), p. 109-119. Retrieved from http://www.
sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/science/article/pii/S00057894
10001115
Hornillos, C., Crespo, M. (2012). Support groups for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients:
A historical overview. The International Journal of Social Research and Practice,
11(2), p. 155-169. Retrieved from http://dem.sagepub.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.
com/content/11/2/155
Yalom, I. & Leszcz, M. (2005). Theory and practice of group psychotherapy (5th ed.).
New York: Basic Books.
Zemlin, C. (2014). Transfer and implementation of knowledge and attitude-a particular
challenge for caregivers in dementia care. Journal of Nursing Education and
Practice, 4(1), p. 81-88. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy
apollolibrary.com/docview/1441912244
SUPPORT GROUP EXPERIENCE 9
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