Chapter 15: Case Study – : The Closing Phase and … X
Charlie is leading his first counseling groups at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Both his group members and other therapists who work at the center are frustrated at times because Charlie’s groups often exceed the time limit and interfere with other planned activities. When confronted by his supervisor, Charlie admits that he loses track of time and often finds that the most interesting topics are raised by members toward the end of the session. He says he’s bad at cutting off members when they raise topics that they’ve never shared before or topics that seem interesting to most members.
The supervisor asks Charlie if he sees value in the closing phase, and Charlie admits he does not. He says it just does not seem important to him, and nothing was mentioned about closing in his group course. His group course professor always kept them over and abruptly ended the group when students waiting for the classroom kept opening the door. When Charlie completed his practicum, he led up to the end of the hour and members simply got up and left. The supervisor tells Charlie to read up on the closing phase of groups and watch the videos that accompany the book, paying particular attention to Dr. Harvill’s introductory comments about the importance closing. Charlie also admits he does not sit where he can see the clock.
1. What would you say to Charlie about the importance of the closing phase?
2. What would you tell Charlie about stopping, and what he could do to make sure his groups end on time?
3. What are some techniques Charlie could use to make sure no new issues are raised in the last five minutes of a session?
