Case Scenario Analysis - Assignment Example

Case scenario analysis Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: The scenario In this case, a support group has been formed for care givers both men and women, with the responsibility of taking care of relatives with dementia. The group has the aim of offering care givers with some break over the weekend while the relative is in respite care. The goal of the group leader is to assist care givers in discussing the many emotional and practical issues which emanate with caring for their relatives. The outcome intended was that the discussions will offer the care givers with resources, knowledge, and emotional stamina that are renewed for caring for their affected relative. The first session involves knowing each other. The leader explains the aim of their gathering and asks individuals to share their hopes for the weekend. Many of the participants demonstrate a high level of devotion for caring for their relatives. They are seeking practical and emotional support, time out and chance to share their frustrations. One of the group members, Joan, has possesses varying expectations from the weekend. She is taking care of the mother to her husband. They do not relate well and the stress she is experiencing has almost cost her marriage in the last six months. She is desperate to get advice on what she can do to make her marriage stay put. She is blaming her mother-in-law and wants to find the solution from the group. Potential problems in group functioning and probable causes The group has one objective of offering carers with some break over the weekend. Despite this goal there are bound to be problems which may emanate with the functioning with the group. One of the challenges is inappropriate disclosure of sensitive issues. In this case, Joan, one of the participants goes ahead to reveal some information that can be regarded sensitive. She has a bad relationship with her mother-in-law in spite of Joan taking care of her. She is looking forward to the group to give her direction on how to handle this case. If such disclosure of sensitive information is allowed in the group then there will be countless of problems to be solved. This is a group formed to give members a break from their daily routine over the weekend and not to overburden them with solving complex situations. Joan’s case requires a professional counselor who may be found elsewhere and not in the group. Such cases like Joan’s, may make some members to become unnecessary aggressive in trying to out do each other in drawing the attention of the group to themselves. This can bring in nasty incidences which may lead to personal attacks and destructive confrontation occurring. With the composition of the group being dynamic, it is very easy for misunderstanding to occur between members. There could be other factors which may interfere with the operation of the group like age difference of the group members and their marital status. Joan is married but not all group members may be married and are willing to listen to marital issues (Winefield, Barlow & Harvey, 1998). There will be also discrepancy between the leader’s expectations and group members’ expectations. Every individual group member will be having his or her own expectations from the group. The case of Joan in the group expresses the reality of this challenge. Agreement concerning the meeting place and time may pose another challenge. Other people who are members may have a personal commitment when the group is meeting. Members are coming from different homes and it may not be easy to decide on one meeting point without other people feeling disadvantaged. There will be members who are ever absent or may come late always. This will distract the constructive progress of the group as there will be forward and backward movement all the time (Bunker & Alban, 1995). The leader also may lack enough time to prepare for the group meetings and hence be ineffective in coordinating the activities of the meeting. On the other hand, he may be strong in control that he makes members feel they are caged. Appropriate leadership skills are required to make the leader realize his mistakes. There will be members within the group who will be overactive and aggressive and therefore, denying other members a chance to express themselves. There will be people who speak a lot and other who want to preach to anyone any time so long as a forum is presented to them. Possible interventions to prevent or recover from these problems The group leader has to look keenly at the composition of the group and try to moderate the behaviors of different group members. The group is cohesive in such a way that they all share a common problem. They are faced with stress of having to take care of relative patients suffering from dementia. The group leader has to take time before deciding on appropriate ways of intervention. The group leader has to tell what kind of a group he is leading before trying to tackle anything. Understanding the group keenly is the best way of looking for ways of intervention in case of a problem in the group (Cummings & Worley, 2008). The level of intervention may be interpersonal, individual or group depending on the nature of the challenge. Group, is for the whole group. Interpersonal is between individuals, while individual is specifically for one person. The type of intervention may be experiential, structural, or conceptual. The intensity of the intervention will be decided by with the intensity of the problem. The group leader has to start with observing the problem, categorizing the problem and analyzing the problem to find the best solution. An intervention should be chosen according to the developmental stage of the group (Winefield & Harvey, 1995). Concerning the meeting place and time, members should decide on appropriate venue during the initial stage of screening the group. The guidelines governing the group should be laid down in writing and conveyed to all group members to take note of. Every member should be made to feel involved and responsible for the group development (Alban & Bunker, 1997). With commitment being instilled, cases of absenteeism will not be observed. From when the group commences, the group members should specify how they are going to deal with different challenges that may surface in the course of the existence of the group. The group leader should help the group members to solve some of their problems away from the group activities. The group leader should make sure that every group member takes part in the affairs of the group. Every individual should be addressed so that he feels that he is part of the group. Making every member feel important and appreciated is important. Appropriate correctional actions should be engraved in the constitution of the group at its inception. Every member should be encouraged to stick to the code of conduct and observe only the relevant areas that move the group forward. Unsolicited advice should not be given unless a member asks for it. The leader should prepare adequately before any of the meetings to avoid confusions. A good leader is a good moderate who makes sure that each member has been given a chance to express himself (Dunne & Fitzpatrick, 1999). Every problem should be discussed in detail and every individual involved in an incident should be described fully and let other members interact with him. Every member should be made to understand the rules of the group in order for cohesion to be created. Allowing one member to dominant in the group discussions is not healthy and consequently other members should be given an opportunity (Cuijpers & Stam, 2000). The essence of this support group is embedded in the reality that carers carry the responsibility that is challenging of devoting most of their time to patients and sacrifice all their free time. The failures and success of the group should be highlighted and the positive encouraged while encouraging improvement where there is a failure. A group response to a certain challenge should be chosen very carefully. A group should be set on a certain course before starting its operations. Skills used for potential interventions The group leader should be a good listener and very impartial at all costs. The group leader has to establish a caring and trusting relationship between himself and the group members in order to lead them well. He should be able to demonstrate recurring themes that will make him draw common factors among the group members. He has to successfully or relate to group or individual goals (Chapman, 1997). Goal leadership skills should be demonstrated by the leader, and he should be able to spot any problem within the group and draw the attention of the members to it. The group leader should be able to identify the context within which the critical incident happened in order to successfully deal with it. The mood or climate of the group has to be determined well in advance as this will tell why the critical incident happened. The group leader should target normalizing needs, concerns and fears of the group members. Tentative interpretation of behaviors should be offered to make members to learn from each other over time. The group should inculcate the spirit of togetherness and encourage each other to be supportive of one another (Pickett-Schenk, Cook & Laris, 2000). All group members should good listeners and should be able to take time to understand others. Versatility and flexibility is required in dealing with the challenges of the group. The group leader should be able to interpret the behaviors of the group members and give clear direction. Punctuality should be cultivated by the group leader. The challenges of the group will end if the group members work together for a common goal. Anticipation of expected outcomes of interventions It will be anticipated that other people will not be happy with the arrangement of the group and may opt to quit if their views are not considered. Members who will find the rules to be very stringent may decide to leave the group. Majority of the challenges faced by the group can be resolved leading to smooth running of the group activities. If all members feel appreciated, it will be important for them to stick together for the sake of the group. The group can move forward if all small problems are solved. There will deeper understanding as group members relate with one another each day. Latent feelings in modeling acceptance are required. Every motive of each member will be resolved with time (David, Pennebaker & Dickerson, 2000). Problems that will not be solved by the group require seeking of expert’s advice from some where else. An environment which will permit constructive discussion to be held will be created. Every member will look towards each other for support and encouragement in their quest to relax over the weekend. Sometimes problems could overwhelm a group leading to its disintegration. It is upon the members and the group leader to work towards the success of the group. In the long run, if the group does not disintegrate, it will lead to moderation of behavior and accommodation of each other (Karp & Tanarugsachock, 2000). The group leader has to anticipate some of the reaction or outcome after intervention and look for appropriate ways of giving morale to the members who want to forge forward with the group plans. Conclusion A Support group is very important in bringing down the stress of carers given the mandate of taking care patients with dementia. Patients with dementia pose a great challenge to the care givers and if they are not properly counseled, they can break down under stress. A group is composed of many different characters from different members that may bring to the group different challenges in their quest of looking for help. Consequently, appropriate intervention methods should be applied to deal with challenges that come about in the group. Resolving conflicting interest in the group is something that will occur from time to time. Every member should be supportive and work for the interest of the group. References Alban, B. T., & Bunker, M. B. (1997). Large Groups Interventions: Engaging The Whole System for Rapid Change. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass. Bunker, B. B., & Alban, B.T. (1995). The Handbook Of Large Group Methods: Creating Systemic Change In Organizations And Communities. London: John Wiley & Sons. Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C.G. (2008). Organization Development and Change. New York: Cengage Learning. Chapman, H. (1997). Self-help groups, family carers and mental health, Australian & New Zealand Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 6 (4), 148-155. Cuijpers, P., & Stam, H. (2000). Burnout among relatives of psychiatric patients attending psychoeducational support group, Psychiatric Services, 51 (3), 375-379. Dunne, E. A., & Fitzpatrick, A. C. (1999). The views of professionals on the role of self-help groups in the mental health arena, Irish Journal Of Psychological Medicine, 16 (3), 84-89. David, K. P., Pennebaker, J. W., & Dickerson, S. S. (2000). Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups, American Psychologist, 55 (2), 205-217. Karp, D. A., & Tanarugsachock, V. (2000). Mental illness, caregiving, and emotion management, Qualitative Health Research, 10 (1), 6-25. Pickett-Schenk, S. A., Cook, J. A., & Laris, A. (2000). Journay of hope program outcomes, Community Health Mental Health Journal, 36 (4), 413-424. Winefield, H., Barlow, J., & Harvey, E. (1998). Responses to support groups for family caregivers in schizophrenia: who benefits from what? Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Mental Health Nursing, 7 (3), 103-110. Winefield, H., & Harvey, E. J. (1995). Tertiary prevention in mental health care: Effects of group meetings for family caregivers, Australia & New Zealand Journal Of Psychiatry, 29 (1), 139-145. Read More

With the composition of the group being dynamic, it is very easy for misunderstanding to occur between members. There could be other factors which may interfere with the operation of the group like age difference of the group members and their marital status. Joan is married but not all group members may be married and are willing to listen to marital issues (Winefield, Barlow & Harvey, 1998). There will be also discrepancy between the leader’s expectations and group members’ expectations.

Every individual group member will be having his or her own expectations from the group. The case of Joan in the group expresses the reality of this challenge. Agreement concerning the meeting place and time may pose another challenge. Other people who are members may have a personal commitment when the group is meeting. Members are coming from different homes and it may not be easy to decide on one meeting point without other people feeling disadvantaged. There will be members who are ever absent or may come late always.

This will distract the constructive progress of the group as there will be forward and backward movement all the time (Bunker & Alban, 1995). The leader also may lack enough time to prepare for the group meetings and hence be ineffective in coordinating the activities of the meeting. On the other hand, he may be strong in control that he makes members feel they are caged. Appropriate leadership skills are required to make the leader realize his mistakes. There will be members within the group who will be overactive and aggressive and therefore, denying other members a chance to express themselves.

There will be people who speak a lot and other who want to preach to anyone any time so long as a forum is presented to them. Possible interventions to prevent or recover from these problems The group leader has to look keenly at the composition of the group and try to moderate the behaviors of different group members. The group is cohesive in such a way that they all share a common problem. They are faced with stress of having to take care of relative patients suffering from dementia. The group leader has to take time before deciding on appropriate ways of intervention.

The group leader has to tell what kind of a group he is leading before trying to tackle anything. Understanding the group keenly is the best way of looking for ways of intervention in case of a problem in the group (Cummings & Worley, 2008). The level of intervention may be interpersonal, individual or group depending on the nature of the challenge. Group, is for the whole group. Interpersonal is between individuals, while individual is specifically for one person. The type of intervention may be experiential, structural, or conceptual.

The intensity of the intervention will be decided by with the intensity of the problem. The group leader has to start with observing the problem, categorizing the problem and analyzing the problem to find the best solution. An intervention should be chosen according to the developmental stage of the group (Winefield & Harvey, 1995). Concerning the meeting place and time, members should decide on appropriate venue during the initial stage of screening the group. The guidelines governing the group should be laid down in writing and conveyed to all group members to take note of.

Every member should be made to feel involved and responsible for the group development (Alban & Bunker, 1997). With commitment being instilled, cases of absenteeism will not be observed. From when the group commences, the group members should specify how they are going to deal with different challenges that may surface in the course of the existence of the group. The group leader should help the group members to solve some of their problems away from the group activities. The group leader should make sure that every group member takes part in the affairs of the group.

Every individual should be addressed so that he feels that he is part of the group. Making every member feel important and appreciated is important.

Read More