Justification for Formation of Counseling Group to Assist Students Struggling with Alcoholism

National Survey on Drug abuse conducted a research in 2013 whose results revealed that 26 percent of college-age male students abuse drugs, compared to 19.2 percent of the female counterparts. College alcoholics have been abused in some way, forced into sexual activity, members of family break-ups, have been in serious arguments and quarrels and have been put to face some life threatening situations (Quinn & Fromme, 2011). These statistics mean that college students who drink alcohol excessively are in very many risks. Alcohol therefore, is not and cannot be a solution to any problem. There are so many of such students in learning institutions who require counseling programs to assist their healing and make their lives purposeful.

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According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 86.4 percent of college age or older people claimed to have drunk alcohol at certain stages in their lifetime. (SAMHSA, 2015). 70.1 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 56.0 percent reported that they drank in the past month. About 1.3 million young adults were treated for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in a special facility in 2015. Out of this, 8.8 percent were males while 7.5 percent were females ("Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)", 2017). 1.3 million is a massive number of young people, if multiplied by a decade, that would be 13 million lives at risk. Alcohol disorders have caused trauma, loss of lives, and risky behaviors. If nothing is done about this, the number might even be bigger hence a reason to find various ways of curbing this problem of drinking.

Consequently, 1,825 college students die annually from unintentional accidents. 1 in 4 students misses class fails exams or slips behind because of alcohol. Death, assault, sexual assault and academic problems are some of the effects associated with binge drinking ("Alcohol Facts and Statistics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)", 2017). When almost two thousand alcohol related death are witnessed per year, the effect can be very damaging in a decade, more than a hundred thousand lives will be lost if the society sits back without any various forms of interventions. These statistics can be minimized by forming counseling group to assist college students struggling with alcoholism.

The Higher Education Centre for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention Education Development Centre reported that 10 percent of college students get injuries associated with alcohol while 8 percent engage in unprotected sexual activities because of drinking. Depression, loss of purpose for life, school dropouts, and disillusionment are some of the results which come with alcoholism and drug abuse in learning institutions (Arria et al 2017). In order to help bring the purpose to life and refocus to young people, This Counseling group takes back the meaningfulness of life back to the affected and those willing to live positive lives.

Heavy drinking in colleges has become a major problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. The majority has dropped out, as a result, mental illness has caught up with them, and others die under preventable circumstances while others contract sexually transmitted diseases. Colleges should not be death dens but academic and social institutions. This is the reason why I came up with Counseling Group to counsel college students, raise awareness and emphasize the importance of living a positive life to full potentialities.

Steps for formation

It is important to first develop the rationale in which states the groups reasons for formation, the group roles and objectives. As the leader, it is important that I expound the group purposes clearly at the beginning so that the members chose to belong or quit if their needs are not met. This Counseling Group targets students struggling with addiction to alcohol in college. The group is formed to give support, educate, raise alcohol awareness, and teach alcohol addicts how to cope with addiction. Members seeking help from this group get social and psychological support, learn tips on how to quit drinking, and learn other ways of managing stress other than turning to alcohol. Counseling group is important to the society because it reduces the aftermaths or troubles created as a result of drinking, for example accidents, assaults, and deaths which come as a result of drunkenness.

Next, theoretical format of operation is where boundaries stretch further as different styles of operations can cause conflicts. The intrapersonal, interpersonal and extrapersonal interactions of group members come into considerations. The format of operation for Counseling Group is centered on the participants. As the leader, I maintain a well-distributed order of leadership in this Counseling Group because I believe that all its members should be responsible in their own ways. I maintain order through communication with each member, and as a group. The theoretical format dictates how instructions or information is issued within the group. The excessive use of I' perspective shows egocentrism. We' or us' format are more unifying as members have a right to air their opinions freely. For example, I want us to explore causes of alcoholism rather than I want you to explain why you take alcohol. As the group leader, I treat members like we are all in this together rather than you are there alone.

Weighing practical considerations are important after the two initial steps have been solidified; the proposals that arise are channeled to more concrete, specific objectives which are realistic and practical. Counseling Group has a set of dates for meetings, how often the meetings are carried out and the specific venues for the meetings. Meetings of Counseling Group are scheduled once per week and the venues vary depending on the objectives laid down. Meeting once per week allows students enough time for academic and other responsibilities. Counseling Group sets limits in this stage as well as the rules for its operations. More meetings than academic and other responsibilities are insensitive to being a student because students need more time to study. Meetings are done from 6pm in the evenings since daytime hours are spent for attending classes.

The manner, in which Counseling Group is received by the potential members, hugely depends on how the group is publicized. The personal outreach to experienced individuals in the field of drug use and rehabilitation is one of the ways we reach the targeted people. Within the learning institutions, which are the major targets, fliers and social platforms are the major channels through which Counseling Group finds potential participants. Social platforms attract and also merge so many of the target student population which requires direction through counseling.

Screening and pretraining are vital as I would need to conduct screening to find out how the potential members can benefit from my group. To get other members' views, I would conduct the screening in front of other group members to test whether the screened persons can express themselves in front of a crowd. At this stage, I would also test the commitment of the new members to the Counseling group. During pretraining, I would prepare members on what to expect when the Counseling Group finally meets. Pretraining saves time as it enhances how this group works, minimizes drop-outs. Prescreening for my group members comes prior to interviews and questionnaires to assess the depth of their alcoholism issues and see whether my group can fit their counseling needs. This group is for students aged between 18 and 24 who are struggling with alcoholism. Without prescreening, other categories of abusers like smokers can find their way into this group and might interfere with the chemistry of the group.

Selecting Counseling Group members is a process that involves both the potential members and me as the group leader. Counseling Group membership is meant to be of crucial importance to those willing to join. Highly individualistic nature, self-centeredness, potential to cause threat, intolerability and hostility are some of the personalities that Counseling Group uses to sieve membership. This group target members from alcohol addiction backgrounds, broken families, and social minorities because such people require counseling and support more than any others. These individuals from various backgrounds would bring diversity of experiences, like common causes of alcoholism from varied environmental and social settings, and the extent of damage that alcoholism has brought in different backgrounds.

Screening for Counseling Group

Screening is a perfect way of finding the perfect individuals motivated enough to belong to a group. The group leaders sell the goals and objectives during the screening process to spot abilities, expertise, and skills that can aid in achieving the group purpose. This group conducts interviews for new members in front of the whole group. The focus lies on commitment, expectations and the needs of the entrants. The ability to challenge the long-standing myths, misconceptions and the convincing power, are very important tools that Counseling Group is looking for. My group is also looking for people with the drive to bring change, empower and influence young people for success

Ethical issues

Ethical issues in Counseling Group focus on values as grounds for making decisions on the acceptable behaviors within. Ethical issues in Counseling Group include conflict of interests and confidentiality all revolving around gender, age, race or sex. Conflict of interests is an ethical issue dealing with emotional attachments among group members and or between particular members and the group leader. It could be challenging for me as the group leader for example, to have an intimate relationship with any of the members of my group. Such conflict might cloud my judgments and put my interests before those of the Counseling Group. It is unethical to get emotionally attached to members of a counseling group. Confidentiality this ethical issue is meant to keep secret the dark secrets of the members' lives. A member of Counseling Group should not leave the counseling section and tell everyone about other members' lives from the sharing. Conflict of interests as an ethical issue comes up in the counseling group as a form of attraction or intimacy. Confidentiality as an ethical issue arises when a member of my counseling group creates cheap gossip about a certain condition of a fellow member. It is unethical to tell other people outside the group about other people.

My role as the group leader in minimizing ethical issues

It is my responsibility as the leader to take ethical decisions using laid down principles as guidelines. I would ensure that the members do self-analyses and know their interests in order to keep clear of conflict of interests. I would lead by an example, by keeping an emotional distance to prohibit emotional attachments to my group members. It is my responsibility to lead by example by keeping a social and psychological distance as well as keep my personal matters outside the Counseling Group. I highly discourage breaking the confidentiality of my group by telling others outside the group about internal affairs. I would create an environment where confidentiality is a priority in line with the code of ethics that govern my group. To achieve this, I would use empathy techniques in that people badmouthing the others put themselves in the shoes of the victims.

Diversity issues in Counseling Group

Not all members...