group experience

informed consent agreement (GEICA)

Group Experience Rationale

Change, Inc. intends quarterly Group Experiences as an opportunity for its clinicians to access support for the emotional, intellectual, and physical labor that is inevitable to therapeutic work with clients. For example, most of us performing therapeutic work are routinely and consistently (and often, simultaneously) impacted by our clients’ narratives, our own histories and present circumstances, as well as the environment at-large, and more. If left unaddressed, these kinds of experiences can lead to negative repercussions for clinicians, including but not limited to:

• Vicarious trauma: negative changes in the clinician’s view of self, others, and the world resulting from repeated empathic engagement with patients’ trauma-related thoughts, memories, and emotions (Quitangon, 2019)

• Secondary trauma: a form of trauma experienced by the trauma worker where symptoms similar to those seen in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be seen (Jones, Drass, & Kaimal, 2019)

• Compassion fatigue: empathic strain and general exhaustion resulting from caring for people in distress (Figley, 1995)

Change, Inc. acknowledges that these kinds of negative outcomes and the original therapeutic work with our clients which precipitates them are unlikely to be entirely resolved as a result of Group Experiences. However, congruent with Change, Inc.’s Overarching Philosophy and Conceptual Frame, we do believe that relationship and bearing witness to others’ difficulties can offer an atmosphere of connection, consolation, and relief.

References

Figley, C.R. (Ed.) (1995). Compassion fatigue: Secondary traumatic stress disorders from treating the traumatized. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Jones, J. P., Drass, J. M., & Kaimal, G. (2019). Art therapy for military service members with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury: Three case reports highlighting trajectories of treatment and recovery. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 63, 18-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2019.04.004

Quitangon, G. (2019). Vicarious trauma in clinicians: Fostering resilience and preventing burnout. Psychiatric Times 36(7), 18-19. Retrieved from https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/vicarious-trauma-clinicians-fostering-resilience-and-preventing-burnout

Attestations and Consent

Effectiveness and Safety through Self-Support Attestation and Consent(Required)

I recognize that in order to maximize Group Experience effectiveness and safety (defined as "the ability talk about difficult issues with the trust what is said will be heard and explored as a means to deepen group process/group member relationships, or resolve presented issues, rather than ignored, discounted, or unduly criticized."), Change, Inc. depends on me to develop and sustain internal discernment and support when connecting with others in the Group Experience setting. Specifically, I will be mindful and aware of my felt needs and capacity to share in both content (“what” I share) and depth (“how much” I share). Issues shared in a group setting naturally include disclosures of a variety of types as indicated by the Group Experiences Overview & Guidance Document. As such, I will share only in the Group Experience what I have a sense of being able to “self-support” with respect to the present circumstances of the group (time, space, environment), where “self-support” is defined as “recognizing that interpersonal-professional functioning is integral to being an effective counselor to the extent that some degree of healthy vulnerability is essential, but also balancing that recognition with the discernment of my own needs regarding personal disclosures in an employment environment, including but not limited to pre-Group Experience reflections or discussions with my clinical supervisor or personal therapist, mid-Group Experience self-evaluation and engagement/restraint in line with my awareness of feelings, thoughts, and reactions, and post-Group Experience supportive interventions such as various forms of reflection (e.g., journaling, creative expression), self-care, clinical supervision, or personal therapy to effectively metabolize all of the above.” While I recognize that most persons in most any group setting feel the need to push past some initial discomfort, sharing in a wholesale way in Group Experiences that is beyond my felt mental or emotional capacity could not only be counterproductive to my experience, but is inconsistent with Change, Inc.'s intent for Group Experiences. I recognize that I am primarily responsible for developing an internal locus of self-support and caring for myself before, during, and after Group Experiences, and I understand that both Change, Inc. and external resources are available to me if I need help and will make use of them as necessary.

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