Essay On Group Observation
Al-Anon Group Observation
This paper will describe my experience attending an Al-Anon support group. It will examine the group composition, the various roles presented in the group, and the group dynamics. It will also evaluate the intervention strategy used, and the cultural competency of the group. Lastly, I describe how attending the group has expanded my development of group facilitating.
Group Description
I attended an open Alcoholics Anonymous (Al-Anon) family and friends meeting on April 19th, 2017 at 10:00 am. The meeting was held in a church and ended around 11:30 am. This was a support group for family and friends who have been affected by relatives and friends with alcoholism. There were about 20 people in attendance and the group was arranged with seats facing the front of the room. Most group members were at least middle-age or older, and most likely are parents of an alcoholic; I was the youngest member in attendance. There were a few people who may have been in their late 30’s, but overall, most members were 50s and above. There were slightly more …show more content…
The biggest issue I have with the 12-step intervention is its spiritual/religious connection. That could alienate a large amount of people who do not like the God and prayer aspects of the 12 steps. Another problem with the 12-step intervention is its focus on the individual; this works well for Western and individualistic cultures, but may not be effective for those with a collectivistic culture. This intervention works well with older individuals; the average age of members in 12-step programs is 56 (Timko et al.,2013). There are Alateen groups and meetings for adolescents and teenagers with drinking problems, therefore, the 12-step intervention can also be successful with younger populations. The spiritual and religious elements may also prevent some members of the LGBTQ community from engaging in 12-step support
This paper will describe my experience attending an Al-Anon support group. It will examine the group composition, the various roles presented in the group, and the group dynamics. It will also evaluate the intervention strategy used, and the cultural competency of the group. Lastly, I describe how attending the group has expanded my development of group facilitating.
Group Description
I attended an open Alcoholics Anonymous (Al-Anon) family and friends meeting on April 19th, 2017 at 10:00 am. The meeting was held in a church and ended around 11:30 am. This was a support group for family and friends who have been affected by relatives and friends with alcoholism. There were about 20 people in attendance and the group was arranged with seats facing the front of the room. Most group members were at least middle-age or older, and most likely are parents of an alcoholic; I was the youngest member in attendance. There were a few people who may have been in their late 30’s, but overall, most members were 50s and above. There were slightly more …show more content…
The biggest issue I have with the 12-step intervention is its spiritual/religious connection. That could alienate a large amount of people who do not like the God and prayer aspects of the 12 steps. Another problem with the 12-step intervention is its focus on the individual; this works well for Western and individualistic cultures, but may not be effective for those with a collectivistic culture. This intervention works well with older individuals; the average age of members in 12-step programs is 56 (Timko et al.,2013). There are Alateen groups and meetings for adolescents and teenagers with drinking problems, therefore, the 12-step intervention can also be successful with younger populations. The spiritual and religious elements may also prevent some members of the LGBTQ community from engaging in 12-step support