A Beginning Counselor’s Thought Process, Essay Example

Location and date of meeting attended

The meeting was held in Buffalo, New York last October 5, 2010.

Assumptions prior the meeting

My general assumptions for the meeting were that people were supposed to voice their fears and their worries. Of course, like many other people, I had thoughts of fears myself, such as being in a room with alcoholics, and to some point that might be dangerous. Some of the people attending this meeting may be agitated in some ways, and if I were to say something wrong, it might not end so well. Since the people I would be handling have prior problems relating to anger as well, it may also be difficult to try to control them if ever they have any verbal disputes against each other. However, the people in the meeting went there to get help, and I hoped that I would be able to be as much help as I can to facilitate them on their way.

I felt that some people might not want to join, and they were forced in by other people such as their family or even the law. The people who might not have joined because of their own free will might also be very reluctant in joining some exercises such as opening up, sharing and giving out their opinions. However, I was aware that there are some people who have been going to these meetings regularly, and they would know how things are flowing. This made me anxious as well, because I did not want to be judged for my teaching or facilitating methods.

Based on your identified assumptions were they accurate? False? Perhaps based on stereotyped impressions?

My assumptions were definitely based on stereotypes. I used my knowledge of alcoholics from movies I have watched to base my judgments of the people who attend the meeting beforehand. This was unfair to them and very closed-minded of me to do. I quickly let my fear get the best of me, and saw the people who attended the meetings as the people they did not want to be anymore – alcoholics. I based my judgments on them by their actions, not by which they are. This led me to stereotype them in to groups, categorizing them before getting to know who they really were.

These assumptions were not very accurate because I did not know the demographics of the people there. They all had their own reasons why they were there, and no matter what the reason was, the good thing is that they are trying to get help. The best thing for me to do was focus on the fact that they were trying to get help and really just facilitate them through this time period. Some people were definitely reluctant to join the activities, but that was not because they were being purposely rebellious, it is also because they are shy and they need to be able to trust me and those around them. Their problems did not spring from nowhere, and the point of the meeting is to try to get over them, not to judge people for them.

Personal reactions including thoughts, feelings, physiological reactions that you experienced

There were two general types of attendees. These were the beginner AA attendees and the regular AA attendees. The beginners were very hesitant when it came to sharing their past experiences and the regulars would be there helping to facilitate and urging them to “open up”.  This made me feel that the regulars had more impact and drive with the beginners, maybe in a way that they can relate more to the regulars, and they trust that the regulars had also experienced the same things as them. Maybe they thought of it as an “if they can do it, so can I” sort of thing, and this gave them more confidence.

I felt that I needed to know more about the people who attended the meetings before I could really help them. Each had their own individual case, and maybe even getting to know them one by one would help in establishing their own personal needs to face their problems. You can tell by how some people generally do not make eye contact, they shy away from the group and stay in their seats, hurdled like a ball, that they are definitely beginners, or someone who cannot open up to the group yet.

Significant learning points that you gained about yourself as a beginning counselor student

I have learned that I need to be more sensitive towards people who attend AA meetings, not necessarily placing myself in their shoes, but understanding where they are coming from and why they react in certain ways. There is a constant need for patience in this duty to facilitate these meetings, and not everything which is crucial is said out loud. People tend to mean more in what they do not say, and I have to be more attentive to those things in order to be able to truly grasp what it is the people who attend AA meetings need.

If you had been leading / facilitating the support group what would have been the most challenging component leading the group and why?

I believe the most difficult thing in leading a group is not only getting the people who attend it to share their thoughts or open up, it is gaining their trust. This trust has to be established right away, and needs to be a constant reminder that all we are there to do is to help them get through this time of need. If that trust is not there, no one would progress, and they may even backslide.