Description
Assignment 3: Developing a Psychoeducational Group Proposal
(First draft to be submitted no later than 10/19 on Blackboard, Final proposal due 11/10/19.
Background: Health professionals are often called upon to develop and lead psychoeducational groups for their clients, community members or other health professionals. It is therefore important for students pursuing careers in the health professions to develop basic competency in leading such groups.
As college students potentially pursuing a graduate education, it is essential to understand ways to improve your educational experience. The psychoeducational groups will focus on topics that can benefit all of you as students. You will choose one of the topics below to be the basis of your psychoeducational group protocol. During class #3, you will choose this topic in collaboration with your small group members. Each group member will explore and lead a group on a different topic. Two students in the same group cannot focus on the same topic.
Topics
Make the Most of your Study Time
Brain Foods: (or what to eat before you take an exam)
How does understanding your learning style impact your success as a student?
Don’t put it off anymore! Learn to effectively manage your time.
Writing a Resume
Preparing for an Interview
Group Protocol Format
You will lead your group at the end of the semester (12/2 or 12/9). You will need to research and gather available resources, develop a timeline, and write a plan that outlines the session. You will need to identify the rationale for your group, describe the objectives of your group, how you will keep your group members interested, activities you will use, list the materials needed, and write a procedure that outlines the time segment for each segment of your session. This plan is your group protocol.
The format for the group protocol is clearly outlined in the Psychoeducational Group folder on Blackboard. Protocols must be written according to the protocol to be considered as complete. Protocols must include all the listed sections. The protocol should be specific and detailed. A well written protocol will be several pages in length.
Format your group as follows 30-minute group: the first 5-7 minutes is your introduction and mini-lecture, 15 minutes of activity, and 5-8 minutes of processing at the end.
A. Introduction (5-7 minutes)
B. Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
C. Strategies to engage participants:
Include the main points of your mini-lecture, and how you plan to engage your members.
D. Preparation:
E. Procedure:
F. Process Questions
G. References
Description of each section of the Group Protocol
A. Introduction: Describe what your topic is and why it is relevant to your potential group members. Include in this section at least three current (2013-2018) citations (cited APA style) from your literature review which describes the relevant research you will use to support your topic. An average introduction is 3/4 – 1 page.
B.Objectives for your session: Objectives are not what you are doing- the objectives are the end results of what your members will know/learn as a result of being in this group. What type of changes will you be able to see after your session? Identify three objectives that are observable and measurable. Objectives are not your activities, rather they are the result of what you implement in your activities.
Think about what your group members will be able to DO as a result of this activity. What is the desired outcome? The objectives focus on what the group members are doing, not on what you are doing.
Use verbs that you can observe. Verbs such as demonstrate, verbalize, identify, describe, complete, perform, and explain are good examples of observable actions.
Do not use verbs which are not observable when writing your objectives. Do not use learn, understand, increased awareness, or any other words which are not concrete and observable.
For example:
At the end of this stress management group, participants will be able to:
1- Describe two personal sources for their stress
2- Identify two-three strategies for reducing stress.
3- Identify two-three times in the next week when they can implement the strategies.
C. Strategies- Describe how you plan to engage participants in exploring and learning about the session’s topic.
Please note: All psychoeducational groups have an interactive component- members need to be actively engaged. Any group in which you are solely lecturing your group members is a lecture, not a group. This approach will result in a score of “0” for the group
Your strategies are simply what you are doing as the group leader. This should include a bullet list of the following:
• The main points of your mini-lecture (7-10 min)
• Activities that you will be using such as paper and pencil activity, game, or exercise (briefly name/describe any activity, game or exercise you will be using (Activities should comprise 15 minutes of your session).
D. Preparation: Describe what you will do to prepare for the session PRIOR to the group session (i.e. make handouts, obtain materials, ensure adequate set-up, etc, practice the group session with family and/or friends).
E. Procedure: Significant time and preparation should be spent on writing this section. This lays out the plan for your session. Your procedure section must include an estimated timeframe
for each part of the session. In the procedure section, include the following:
a) How will you begin your session? What information will you include when you introduce your topic?
b) How will you introduce each activity/exercise?
c) What exactly will the group members do?
d) Describe each activity in detail, and how you will organize each activity.
e) Include any handouts that you will be using.
F. Processing: Provide a description of how you will process the group activity with your members in the last 5-7 minutes of the session. Develop and write 4-5 questions that you can ask which will help you to learn how your members have benefitted from the activity.
Consider questions that focus on what the group members will have just experienced within your group, how their group experience might relate to their everyday life, and how the group members may consider using what they learned in the future.
You may also want to relate your process questions to your objectives- this can help to determine if your objectives are met.
For example,
How has this group been beneficial for you? Or What have you learned as a result of this group?
Tell me about two areas of your life that cause you stress.
Of the strategies we discussed, which strategies do you plan to use?
When will you implement those strategies over the next week?
G. References
Identify at least three references (listed APA style) on a separate page.
Some resources for APA style
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/apa/website
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/quick-guide-on-references.aspx
Sample Solution
