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Characteristics of a Therapeutic Group Leader

A good number of clients that require therapeutic sessions have grown in environments of varying conditions with limited protection, support or safety (Chen & Rybak, 2017). Such patients need leaders who have distinct and admirable leadership characteristics.  Effective therapeutic leaders should recognize that the group they are handling is highly vulnerable and in need of support, especially during the first sessions of treatment (Brown, 2018). They are responsible for making decisions and relevant choices for the betterment of their clients. This papers seeks to highlight a number of characteristics that make an effective therapeutic group leader.

An effective therapeutic group leader must be responsive and affirming and in a position to choose how much leadership to exercise, how the group should be structured, the points where interventions are necessary, strategies to effect a successful intervention, how to strategize and handle the group’s collective anxiety, and approaches to solving numerous other related problems. They must be fully aware of the life choices they make and understand that the choices regarding the structure of the group will have possible consequences. Therapeutic group leaders must have excellent and active listening skills as these are essential in any effective therapy. Since therapeutic interventions majorly need clinicians who perceive and understand both verbal and non-verbal cues, the leaders must pay adequate attention to such contexts from which the meanings are generated (Brown, 2018).

The leaders should also have a firm identity because a strong sense of identity and clear reflection of diverse group experiences allow leaders to understand and easily manage their personal lives. For instance, a therapists who understands their personal tendencies and capacities are in a position to easily recognize defenses as they interact with the group members. Moreover, since these leaders operate between certainties and uncertainties, they need to have confidence. This element allows leaders to model group stability and remain attentive to clienteles’ concerns and experiences. Therapeutic group leaders must also be empathetic as this is a key characteristic that every leader must possess as it defines how best they can monitor progress without compromising the wellbeing of worrying.

The leaders should have a high sense of humor and be able to use it appropriately in support of therapeutic targets and not to disguise any form of hostility. Leaders should also be trustworthy and in a position to trust others (Brown, 2018). Without such a capacity, it is almost impossible to accomplish the core aim of the group. Integrity is yet another desirable characteristic of a therapeutic leader and a leader in in any other given setting. Basing on the nature of the material group heavily used by members in their process groups, it is obvious that ethical issues will come up (Moon, 2016). Leaders must conceptualize their organization’s policies and pertinent laws and regulations (Chen & Rybak, 2017). They must also be properly anchored with precise internalized code and standards of conduct and be in a better position to maintain professional ethical parameters.

I think I have all these characteristics and I can be a good therapeutic leader. However, through experience, I am flexible and open to better ideas on how to manage such groups and facilitate their general wellbeing. I can readily identify and understand other peoples’ feelings while remaining aware that those feelings are distinct from mine. Therefore, I must learn to coexist with them in a healthy way.

In conclusion, therapeutic group leaders must have distinct characteristics to enable them easily manage their assigned groups. Being a vulnerable group, leaders must be patient with their groups so that their health issues are easily and appropriately handled.