Adlerian Group Counseling
The combination of key aspects of Adlerian
psychology with socially developed, “systemic,
and brief approaches based on the holistic model
developed by Dreikurs.” (p.159)
ADLERIAN GROUP COUNSELING
Refresher:
Alfred Adler believed that neurosis was the response
of a person withdrawing from life’s required
responsibilities.
*Their symptoms protect them from the feelings
of failure.
*Was a believer in the social nature of people
Adlerian view of the Person
 Is “socioteleological”- Views people as being primarily motivated by
social forces & we are aiming at attaining certain goals.
 Believed we create our own idiosyncratic view of self, life, & others
from which we develop our goals (both long and short term).
*This drives our behavior and influences our development.
 Our search for significance ties in w/ our feelings of inferiority in
comparison w/ others.
*This pushes us to become better or even chase after perfection
Adlerian view of the Person
 Emphasizes self-determination & consciousness as the foundation
of our personality.
 We are not victims of fate, but can control our destiny towards our
set goals (within limits).
 Our movement towards our goals and our future are more important
than what has happened in our past.
Adlerian Group Therapy
 A growth model: Stressed personal responsibility, aiming for
superiority, and value in searching for life’s meaning.
 Viewed primarily as an educational process
* “Helping people learn better ways to meet the challenges of life's
tasks, providing direction, helping people change their mistaken
notions, and offering encouragement to those who are
discouraged.” (p.160)
Holistic
 Focuses on understanding the entire person in their social constructs
of family, school, & work.
 “Individuals are always more than the sum of their parts.” (p.160)
 To fully understand a person, one must examine how they socially
interact.
*A group setting is a great place to do this. People often assume
the roles they play in their family/life in a group setting
*This can allow the person to experiment w/ how they interact w/
others & allow for their mistaken goals to be altered.
Phenomenologically Oriented
 Objective reality holds less importance than our
subjective reality.
 It’s how we interpret reality that causes us to attach
meaning through our experiences.
Community Feeling & Social Interest
 “We are primarily motivated by a desire to belong.” (p. 162)
 We have a strong desire to feel bonded with others, and
only after this is accomplished can we have courage at
facing life’s demands.
 3 Main tasks we ALL must master to be happy/healthy:
1. Building friendships (Social task)
2. Establishing Intimacy (Love/marriage task)
3. Contributing to society (Occupational task)
Community Feeling & Social Interest
 Having dysfunction in any of the stages is often a sign of
a psychological disorder.
 All of the areas can be addressed/discussed/worked on
during group.
 The group focus is on members incorrect assumptions
that hold them to feelings of inadequacy, thus from
being connected with others
*Therefore, pre-screening in groups is usually NOT
performed-doing so would only reinforce a person’s
imperfections & continue to cause further alienation!
Inferiority/Superiority
 Inferiority is not viewed as a negative- it is what pushes us to want to
do better.
 Both are crucial for group work.
 Leaders: Do not try to eliminate feelings of inferiority, rather use it
to explore w/ members their basis of inferiority feelings.
 Explore members current ways of dealing w/ their feelings of
inferiority & insignificance.
 Can lead to working w/ early feelings of inferiority & past failed
experiences
*This allows members to view these in a new way & to put a new
ending to a difficult time.
Style of Life
 In trying to reach our goals that hold personal meaning-
our behavior is influenced in what we believe about
ourselves, others, & the world.
*How we see the world in which we live attributes to
our private logic.
 Adlerian group counselors work w/ members living
patterns & logic that is used to support them & is a
means to help create a more socially fulfilled life.
Role & Functions of the Group Leader:
 They serve as models for group members who learn from
what their leader does during group more than from what
they say.
 Personal attributes of the leader:
*Presence
*Caring
*Self0confidence
*Acceptance
*Ability to listen for purposes & motives
*Demonstrate courage to be imperfect
*Willing to take risks
*Winning to model
*Sense of humor
*Collaborative spirit
*Belief in the group process
*Clear sense of personal identity, beliefs, & feelings
*Awareness of basic conditions needed for members growth.
Roles of Group Leader:
 Facilitate group process-lead each group as if it were the last.
 Create a structure that promotes:
*open interaction
*Involvement
*Nonjudgmental acceptance
*Confrontation
*Commitment
 Leaders are active in group process-especially at the
beginning
*Establish structure by helping members define personal goals.
*Perform psychological assessments
*Offer interpretation
*Guide group assessment
*Build a feeling of community within the group.
Adlerian Group Stages:
Stage 1 of 4
ESTABLISING & MAINTAINING COHESIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH
MEMBERS
 Based on cooperation & mutual respect
 Allows a foundation for cohesiveness & connection
 Developing this strong therapeutic relationship is key to successful
outcomes
Establishing relationships cont…
 Members are encouraged to be active in group process,
they are responsible for their participation.
 Group environment provides opportunity to work on
issues of trust & strengthen leader/member relationship.
 Allows members to witness positive changes in their
peers, showing the process of group works.
 Members & leaders work together toward mutually
agreed-upon goals
Analysis & Assessment (Exploring the
Individuals Dynamics) Stage 2
 Aims at: Understanding members lifestyle & seeing how it’s
affecting their current functioning in life’s many tasks.
 Leader can explore how members are functioning in work/social
settings & feelings about themselves and their gender role
identities.
 Leaders can use many different assessment techniques such as:
*Family Constellations & their roles within
them.
*Birth order
*Artwork
*Relationship difficulties
*EARLY RECOLLECTIONS
*Dreams
Early Recollections (ER’s)
 What a person remembers happening before age 10.
 Can be grouped together to form a better understanding of how we
feel & view ourselves, the world, life goals, our motivations, beliefs,
& values.
 Can help us learn about our:
*Mistaken notions *guiding goals *Present attitudes
*Social interests
*Possible future behavior
Leader can ask: “Think back to when you were younger than 10, & tell
the group about a specific event you remember happening.” “One
time, I _____”
Life Style Investigation
 Explores member’s family background & life story
*Reveals patterns of Basic Mistakes (5 types)”
1. Overgeneralizations
2. Misperceptions of life & its demands
3. False/Impossible goals of security
4. Minimization/Denial of ones basic worth
5. Faulty values
Live Style Investigation cont…
 To help gather this info, both an objective & subjective
interview are given (subjective 1st)
*Ex of question that can be used: “What would change in
your life if you could have a pill that would make you
completely well?”
 How the person answers this type of question is
important-Helps uncover if their difficulties are organic
or psychological.
 The life style analysis is an ongoing process & helps
clients & counselor develop a counseling plan.
Awareness & Insight:
Stage 3
 Views insight as a special form of awareness. Helps build
a foundation for change- but is a means to an end, not an
end in itself!
 Adlerian’s believe change occurs through presentcentered awareness
*Members must recognize they have options/choices
in regard to their perceptions & behaviors.
Awareness & Insight cont…
 In groups, awareness is elevated due to feedback &
support of others members.
 This stage is concerned w/ helping members understand
why they function the way they do
 As members experience resistance in themselves, they
can watch the others go through the same thing.
 Members & leaders offer interpretation of underlying
motives for peoples present behavior.
Awareness & Insight cont…
 The interpretations are never forced & are offered gently
*Ex: “Could it be that ___”
*”It seems to me that ____” *”Perhaps _____”
 The goal of interpretations is for members to gain a deeper
awareness of their own role in the creation of their problems, how
they are maintaining their problem, & ways to improve their
situation.
Reorientation & Reeducation
State 4
 Group leaders & members work together to change incorrect beliefs
about self, life, others, & to consider different beliefs, behaviors, &
attitudes.
 Adlerian groups are characterized by how they try to reorient poor
living patterns & teach a better understanding of principles that lead
to healthy interactions
*And to teach individual how to be more effective at handling life’s
tasks.
Reorientation & Reeducation Cont…
 The groups challenge & encourage members to take risks & make
changes.
 Change is propelled by the discovery of hope!
 Encouragement is essential-by both other members & group leader
*The greatest encouragement comes from feeling that the
members have found a place in the group!
 This is the action phase-new decisions are made & goals are
modified.
 Members need to set tasks for themselves to change & do
something specific about their troubles.
Rationale for a Group Approach
 Based on the idea that problems of individuals are largely social in
nature.
 Allows for a social context where individual can form a sense of
belonging, social connectedness, & community.
 Members learn that their struggles are interpersonal, their behavior
has social meaning, & their goals are best understood in a social
framework.
Applications: Brief Group Therapy
 Adlerian group counseling works well w/ brief interventions & short-
term formats.
 Criteria:
*Time Limitation *Focus on desired outcomes
*Counselor directiveness
*Symptoms as solutions
*Assignment of behavioral tasks
 Self-selected goals are formulated once the group begins &
becomes the focus
 Members decide how they want to use their time
 Works well in a school setting
 Works well w/ multicultural Populations (It emphasizes
understanding individual within their social context).
Contributions & Strengths
 The use of early recollections
 It’s integrative in nature
 Allows for inventiveness among the leaders & for them to develop a
personal therapeutic style.
Limitations
 Leaders of more structured groups may find using early
recollections & finding connections to their current
problems difficult.
 Group leaders NEED to be well trained or they can make
significant mistakes!
Reference
 Corey, G. (2008). Theory & practice of group counseling (7th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.