Self-Esteem Group Lesson Plan

Name of Facilitator: Shanelle Muse

Date group will be led : Two groups will be held, one on each of the following days:

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 for a 45 minute duration

Thursday, July 12, 2012 for a 45 minute duration

Overall goal(s) for the group:

Group members will develop more effective ways to relate to themselves and the way in which they relate to others.

Group members will develop a greater sense of awareness regarding their personal development.

Group members will further develop and modify their skills, in order to become effective problem solvers.

Short description of group dynamics in the last session: On Tuesday, July 10, the group will be meeting for the first time in a formal session. Therefore, there have not been any previous sessions conducted with this group.

Theme or topic for the group, rationale for theme or topic, how this is connected to the last session:

Topic: Getting to know one another & Self-Esteem

Title of Session:

Rationale 1: The rationale behind “getting to know one another” is simple in the sense that this is our initial meeting. In order to build a group founded on trust, understanding, and positive regard, the group members must get acquainted with one another. This will allow the group members to explore the natural curiosity they may have about their fellow members.

Rationale 2: The rationale behind “Self-Esteem” is because as a group, we decided to conduct all of our sessions on topics related to “Personal Development”. Self-Esteem was brought up by the group and all of the members responded positively to the idea and appeared engaged immediately. Self-Esteem is a commonality that all the group members, at one point or another, have had bouts with. This topic will allow the members to be aware of whether or not they have a low or high self esteem, explore

the roots of where their beliefs came from, and start building on increasing their self-esteem.

Goal(s) for this session:

Group members will be able to create and identify norms for their group, in order to set boundaries and a framework for a successful group.

Group members will be able to establish initial stages of rapport and trust with one another, in order to begin to effectively share.

Group members will be able to increase their awareness related to their self-esteem.

Group members will engage in the sharing of positive feedback with their fellow members.

Theoretical Framework: Ellis - REBT

Brief Description: This theory is based on the premise that thoughts cause feelings. In the mid 1950’s, Ellis concluded that humans, in most cases, do not merely get upset by unfortunate adversities, but also by how they construct their views of reality through their language, evaluative beliefs, meanings and philosophies about the world, themselves and others. In theory, upon resolving the client’s issues, the client will be able to lead a happier and more fulfilling life because they will understand that their self-talk is what’s causing their feelings and in turn resulting in a particular action. This theory allows the client to feel more in control by knowing that their feelings are caused by their own thoughts.

Application to Group Counseling: In a group setting, REBT can be easily taught to the members, who can quickly learn how to apply it to themselves and to other members. As a facilitator, we could assist the members in focusing on changing their feelings by looking at what they are telling themselves. In a group session, the facilitator could use REBT to (A) clarify the event, person, or situation, (B) Clarify the negative self-talk, and (C) Clarify the feelings and/or behavior. This ABC model will eventually give the member an opportunity to change their feelings by changing their self-talk.

Application to Present Group: REBT can be applied to this group because we will be using Ellis’ Irrational Beliefs to generate an open discussion about how the irrational beliefs potentially fuel their negative or positive self-esteem. Self-esteem can be a direct result of outside situations or experiences, however, a major part of self-esteem is the self-talk you engage in. The self-talk you engage in directly effects your self-esteem because it is the final determinant in how you feel about yourself. REBT could prove to be effective in reaching this group’s goals for the two upcoming sessions because it can

allow the members to become more aware in the self-talk they engage in, in turn, becoming more aware of how to build their self-esteem.

Materials needed: The following materials will be needed over the course of the two, scheduled sessions:

Chart Paper

Sharpie Markers

Beach Ball

List of Ellis Irrational Beliefs

Post-It Notes (variety of colors)

“MagicBox”

Tape

Writing Utensils (pens/pencils)

Detailed timeline of events (include which co-leader will be responsible for which part; note: this is projected – discuss your flexibility with the group and how you will follow the group’s lead):

It is extremely important to place emphasis on session planning. In doing so, it involved identifying the topic of self-esteem, developing group activities to accompany it like the “MagicBox” and the affirmation activity, as well as allotting the appropriate time for each. Particular to this type of group, where the members are not exactly attending the group sessions to work on specific issues to discuss, it is important to organize the sessions with activities and discussions that will allow the group to be interesting, productive, and worthwhile to each member. As it is imperative to remember that plans do not always go as well as expected, consideration and flexibility will be given to the natural flow of the group and allowing the members to lead the group in the direction they may want.

Timeline of Planned Events:

Welcome the group members: introduce ourselves, introduce the group’s theme of personal development Shanelle & Arielle

Establish and discuss group’s rules & expectations: Discuss the reason why we need to discuss this is because we want this to be meaningful for every single member. Stress the advantages of group such as we all can serve as resources to

one another. Allowing yourself to open up will in turn allow you to learn through one another, see new perspectives, and identify commonalities amongst us. (Chart Paper Norms To Be Posted and Added To By Members) Shanelle & Arielle

Ice Breaker Activity: Beach Ball questions will be posed after discussing the rules of the game. Prior to answering a question, group members must state their name aloud and all group members will respond by saying, “Hi, _____”. Shanelle & Arielle

Introduction of today’s topic: Ask the members to define what self-esteem means to them in dyads and how they would identify their own. Define self-esteem as the way in which we view ourselves after a lifetime of messages we receive and perceive about ourselves. Discuss how today we hope to identify how we feel about ourselves, explore some experiences that have attributed to our self-esteem, and take a small step in improving it. Arielle

Open Discussion/Rounds: Encourage the members to share their goals for the session related to self-esteem in a rounds format. At this point, facilitators may pose additional questions to explore and connect the members, all related to self-esteem. Shanelle & Arielle

Ellis Irrational Beliefs: Provide a list of Ellis’ Irrational beliefs and ask the members to circle the one that they identify with most. In rounds, discuss how they related to the irrational belief in a description of a time directly connected to that. (*May provide group members with ABC model briefly for future work sessions down the road) Shanelle & Arielle

Self-Esteem Building Activity: MagicBox – This activity will require the explanation of the game, open discussion amongst members, and two rounds of responses provided by the group members. Shanelle

Open Discussion/Rounds: Open forum prompted by the questions: How did the magicbox activity make you feel? Was it easy or difficult for you to identify positive qualities about yourself in front of others? Did this activity negatively or positively remind you of another experience you’ve had? Arielle

Affirmations Exercise: Prior to closing the session, summarize the topic and reiterate important points brought up by the group. Define what an affirmation is and share the one we will chant,

“I accept and acknowledge all of my strengths and weaknesses. For they make me the unique and valuable person I am.” Shanelle & Arielle

Closing Phase: Summary and round of sharing one thing the members may do between this session and next that can positively relate to their self esteem. Shanelle

**Although each event is preplanned and designated for a particular counselor in training, it is important to note that facilitator will be working during all events.