This often brings up memories of working with counselors, especially in a group setting, where the therapist was asked, “were you an addict?” Countless times, I watched as an entire group’s demeanor and eagerness shifted, depending on the answer to that question. I thought it was particularly interesting when Page, Campbell, and Wilder (1994) noted that during their study they found more therapeutic benefits occurred when counselors took on a less formal role in a group setting. This brings me to what I believe my second effective characteristic for group counseling: a firm identity. Flores (as cited by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005) noted that often times clients are seeking assurance that a counselor is going to be able to understand them. Through minimal self-disclosure, it not only enables a level of understanding, but also will encourage openness amongst the group itself and enhance the group process (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2010). This technique and identity also challenges the idea of a “formal role”, creating a more egalitarian and, hopefully, cooperative …show more content…
Being a White, straight male, I found it interesting to learn the historical cultural values that are typically held in the highest regard for my demographic. McGill and Pearce (as cited in Langman, 1997) described White Anglo-Saxon Protestant values by using the term “hyperindividualism”. They stated:
They tend to be good at self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-control and rather less good at maintaining mutually giving relationships, tolerating dependency, and integrating and expressing emotional experience. Keeping a stiff upper lip, muddling through, and taking it like a man, all reflect English values (p.