A.

Group Counselling Session Plan

The sessions:

• Take place in a secure environment, in a room that is sufficiently soundproof to

ensure confidentiality.

• Involve a maximum of 6 - 10 participants with one counsellor for victims.

Occasionally, resource persons are asked to address the group on a specific topic.

• Direction of the sessions to be led by counsellor.

• Couples counselling is also offered if it is wanted by both members of the couple, and
if the counsellors both feel it is appropriate and safe for both.

• The victim must agree that couples counselling is desirable.

• English depending on the language of the group members. If a translator is needed,

one is employed.

• Goals:-

 Operating the program with input and support from the community.

 Delivering a therapeutically sound and culturally appropriate program,

focusing on changing submissive behaviour and intense emotional
dependence.

• Each session follows this general plan:

- Opening of session:

• Counselor takes attendance and reminds everyone of group rules.

- Check-in:

• Each person has a chance to say how he or she feels, explain problems that he/she
had since the last session and talk about what happened.

• This helps people clear their minds from other thoughts before the activities and
promotes awareness of other people’s feelings.
• Coloured markers can be used to fill out the attendance sheet for check-in. A person
is asked to choose a colour to show his/her feelings (ex: red for angry, yellow for sad,
green for happy, blue for moody, etc.).

- Agenda:

• The counselor explains the agenda for the session.

• Counselor briefs on different techniques to handle abusive spouses and the different
ways of abuse (video examples may be shown).

- Activity:

• Generally there is one activity per session. The purpose of the activity is to help
people stay safe, heal, learn more about themselves, learn new ways to act and how
to see things differently (use of flipchart, hand-outs and videos). The counselor can
ask members of the group to do a “homework” exercise for the next session(s), and
often encourage participants to keep a personal notebook.

- Check-out:

• Each person has a chance to say how he/she feels after the session and what
he/she learned.

• Useful for summing up the session and can help people feel positive about what will
happen after it.

• The counselor may ask members of the group to think about something or write
something in preparation for the next session.

• The counselor reminds everyone to keep in mind his/her safety plan.

* There is a 10-minute break at a convenient time during the session.

- Premature and Normal Completion of Sessions

• Upon completion of program and depending on needs, a person can spend 2

to 4 hours on individual exit interviews and concluding counseling.

• Clients who feel that they are ready to leave the group before the end of the
program may consult the counsellor and seek closure.
- Home Visits

• Session Counselor may conduct home visits as and when clients are available.

• Visits done without the presence of children (e.g. visits during school hours).