The capstone project provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to apply the theories, techniques, and considerations discussed in the course to the development of a short-term (8-10 session) intervention, for a closed group. The proposed group should target a particular disorder, life stressor, which will be Job Stress.
Specifically, after identifying a disorder/problem for the group intervention, students will:
1)Provide a background of the group’s target focus including the definition of the problem, prevalence, effectiveness of a group treatment approach for this problem, as part of establishing and discussing a rationale/need for the group.
2) Articulate specific, measurable, and attainable objectives for the group, providing an evidence-based rationale for the objectives.
3) Discuss specific practical considerations in creating the group, including but not limited to a) type of group (e.g., school-based, outpatient, etc.) and group size, b) inclusion/exclusion criteria for members and how they will be screened, c) frequency, duration, and location of meetings, and d) theoretical orientation (if any) guiding the group, providing rationale and support for choices.
4) Discuss how a multicultural perspective informs the format of the group and what legal/ethical issues are inherent. (Please note: This is not part of the sample paper, but should be included in the students’ projects).
5) Develop an outline of the group’s weekly topics with a brief explanation of each.
6) Provide a detailed description of one full session following treatment manual format and including examples of objectives and interventions.
7) Utilize a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed journal articles and adhere to APA formatting and stylistic guidelines including, but not limited to: a title page, abstract, and reference page.
