Group Counseling Essay

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support group for women who have been incarcerated in relation to the necessary steps in this process. The discussion begins by providing an overview of the significance of support groups in dealing with various issues affecting groups or populations with common characteristics. The author also includes a general outlook of developing and starting a support group. This is followed by an analysis of the significance of such a group to women who have been incarcerated and necessary considerations in this process. The final segment provides a discussion of the various steps and important factors on how to start a support group for women who have been incarcerated.

Support Group for Incarcerated Women

There are several kinds of support groups that are created to offer support to different groups of people depending on the respective situations. Some major examples of issues addressed by the creation of support groups include parenting, skills development for seriously mentally ill patients, psychotherapy for certain population groups, and eating disorders. An example of a support group is one that provides support for women who have been incarcerated. The need for such a support group is influenced by the increase in the rates of female incarceration that have been increasing steadily in the past three decades. These women undergo several issues that contribute to a sense of isolation and powerlessness that contributes to the need for support groups to address these issues. Some of the issues that need to be addressed by the support group include violence, substance abuse disorders, stress disorders, and several behavioral, emotional, and psychological issues.

Developing and Starting a Support Group

As previously mentioned, support groups are less costly and effective means to provide help to individuals dealing with several concerns and issues. Consequently, support groups have become the most common way of addressing or serving people's needs depending on the problems they are experiencing in life ("Creating and Facilitating Peer Support Groups," 2014). These groups are commonly known as self-help groups and are characterized by sharing common problems and experiences linked to a specific condition, concern, problem, disease, or personal situations. Generally, these groups comprise of peers, tend to be relatively small in size so that every individual can share, characterized by voluntary attendance and participation, and have a discussion facilitator or leader. As individuals share their personal experiences in support groups, they provide practical insights to help deal with their issues.

The main goal or objective of creating a support group is to provide a platform where individuals with common characteristics can share their experiences and provide practical insights for dealing with the issue. The other benefits of support groups include empowering members to work towards solving their own issues, members become each other's role models, and help in lessening anxiety, boost self-esteem, and generate an overall sense of well-being among the group's members. Moreover, support groups provide a safe environment for individuals or members to share their own thoughts, concerns, struggles, and experiences.

Starting a Support Group for Incarcerated Women

The dramatic increase in female incarceration rates in the past 30 years has contributed to the need for effective correctional strategies that are not only gender-specific but also community based (Conly, 1998). These strategies and programs need to be specifically designed to address the specific needs and issues of women, contribute to the development of peer networks and support, provide individualized case management, and ensure constant attention to establishment of community support. While there are several strategies and programs that are considered to help achieve these goals, support groups are increasingly emerging as major ways of addressing the specific needs and concerns of women who have been incarcerated.

Women who have been incarcerated have different experiences, thoughts, concerns, and issues as compared to their male counterparts. In most cases, these women are subjected to increased victimization and become survivors of trauma and violence. As a result, these women need safety and support groups that deal with these issues and the increased victimization. The need for such groups is also fueled by the fact that women who have been incarcerated are released to neighborhoods and communities. Upon release from custody, these women need to develop relationships that help in avoiding pathways that contribute to recidivism, those that lead to mental disorders or those that lead to vices like substance abuse and criminality.

Therefore, starting a support group for women who have been incarcerated is crucial towards creating supportive peer networks. Support groups for these women act as the platform for development of healing relationships that in turn contribute to behavior change.

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However, the support group should be open and promote insightful discussions that offer valuable information on the various issues and struggles they face. The support group for women who have been incarcerated should promote healing by taking initiatives and through developing relationships by learning from each other and creating connections (Blanch, Filson, Penney & Cave, 2012). In this case, these women will challenge each other to develop beyond present circumstances in order to experience desired lives.

Process of Starting a Support Group for Incarcerated Women

Even though starting a support group for women who have been incarcerated is important as shown in the analysis, the process of how to start such a group should be adhered to. In this case, there are several stages that should be followed when establishing a support group for women who have been incarcerated. These various steps include

Identifying the Group's Purpose and Objective

The first step is to identify the purpose and objective of the support group for women who have been incarcerated. When starting this group, it is important to clarify the type of group to be established and what should be achieved through the support group process. Articulating the objectives and goals of the group helps in ensuring that participants and facilitators have a clear picture of its purpose and enhances the likelihood of securing the support of the administrators of correctional facilities. The establishment of the group's specific objectives and goals helps in aligning the appropriate group format and structure as well as identify suitable facilitators. An example of a support group's objective for these women is to provide healing for all experiences these women may have undergone while incarcerated.

Structural Considerations of the Group

In addition to the identification of the group's objectives and goals, the structural considerations of its format is crucial when starting a support group for women who have been incarcerated. Making decisions regarding the format and structure is important just like with groups with women who have never been incarcerated (Bible, 2011). The need to make structural considerations is also fueled by the existence of various types, models, and formats of groups. The choice of the structure and format of the support groups for these women is influenced by its specific goals and objectives. During this process, the legal risks associated with the structural format of different kinds of support groups for women who have been incarcerated should be evaluated to help ensure the effectiveness of the group with regards to format. The evaluation of legal risks also plays a crucial role in avoiding any legal implications.

Establishing Criteria for Participation

The third step in starting a support group for women who have been incarcerated is developing the criteria for participation. The need to establish a criterion for participation by the group's members is the fact that a vast majority of women who have been incarcerated have relatively similar experiences, which implies that nearly all of them may wish to join the group. Moreover, the correctional setting creates discreet information issues and sessions that contribute to the need for specific services to address these issues. These two factors generate the need to ensure a criterion for participation is established so that the support groups will be effective in addressing the specific needs and issues of the members. This implies that the determination of participation of group members will be dependent on several factors. Some of these factors include the number of women, preferences of facilitators, and expertise.

Frequency and Duration of Meetings

The frequency and duration of meetings is an important consideration when starting a support group for women who have been incarcerated. It is important to allocate adequate time for group meetings in order to enhance the likelihood of achieving the group's objectives and goals. The determination of frequency and duration of meetings involves dealing with pre-group issues related to the formation of the support group. Some of these issues include establishing guidelines for orientation and dealing with multicultural considerations when preparing group members. These pre-group issues are addressed through the use of pre-group issues that also address practical issues to consider in the group's formation (Corey, 2016).

Determining the Therapeutic Factors of the Group

The determination of the therapeutic factors of the group is also an important element in starting a support group since it has a direct link to the daily operations of the group. The therapeutic factors of the group….....

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