Helping Groups Heal: Leading Groups in the Process of Transformation (Spirituality and Mental Health) - Softcover

Hook, Jan Paul; Hook, Joshua N.; Davis, Don E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1599474859 ISBN 13: 9781599474854

Publisher: Templeton Press, 2017

Synopsis

Life with others is messy. The bonds we form are often the source that drives us to helping professionals like therapists and pastors in the first place. And yet, it is from these relation­ships that our greatest moments of healing spring. Recogniz­ing the value of relationships, pastors and therapists have been leading small therapeutic groups for years. Yet few lead­ers have a specific, easy-to-follow, and researched framework to structure their groups.
Helping Groups Heal presents “The Healing Cycle,” a grace-based model that facilitates healing and growth in groups. It has been tested with a variety of settings, and can be adapted to nearly any small group, from sex addiction therapy to marriage therapy to Bible studies.
The basic components of “The Healing Cycle” are grace, safety, vulnerability, truth, ownership, and confession. Helping Groups Heal guides the reader through these elements, offering case studies and practical advice from the voices of researchers and practitioners. Each chapter shows how “The Healing Cycle” moves its members to share their truth, own it, and make positive change in their lives. Each step of the process allows participants to move past surface issues and find depth in their understanding of their pain.
Whether you have been leading small groups for years or are about to lead your first session, Helping Groups Heal is an accessible, easy-to-follow guide through “The Healing Cycle” that will give each group member what’s needed to grow, relate, and heal. 
 

About this title

About the Author

Jan Paul Hook, EdD is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in the state of Illinois. He does individual, marital, and group psychotherapy. He is in private practice in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Joshua N. Hook, PhD is an associate professor of psychol­ogy at the University of North Texas and is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Texas. His research focuses on humility, religion/spirituality, and multicultural counseling. Josh also blogs regularly at www.JoshuaNHook.com.
Don E. Davis, PhD is an associate professor of psychology at Georgia State University. His research and writing focus on humility, forgiveness, and religion/spirituality.
 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Leading small groups is difficult work. There is great potential for small groups to be a context for group members to experience healing and growth, but leading a small group isn’t easy. To make matters worse, sometimes group leaders step into their role without much knowledge or training for how to be an effective leader. Without a baseline set of skills and tools, small group leaders often struggle.

This book is designed to help small group leaders develop basic and advanced skills to create a group context in which members can experience healing and growth. The fact that you are reading this book probably means you are already involved in running small groups. Maybe you volunteer at your church and lead a Bible study or discipleship group. Perhaps you are involved in leading support groups, such as helping people grow in their marriages, recover from a divorce, or gain freedom from an addiction. Maybe you are a mental health counselor or psychologist, leading therapy groups as part of your work.
Perhaps you even are a graduate student, just beginning your training in leading groups. Whatever type of group you lead, and whatever amount of experience you have, I hope this book helps you to improve your skills in creating and maintaining a group culture that provides authentic, compassionate, and gracious relationships that bring life and growth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Templeton Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1599474859
• ISBN 13: 9781599474854
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296