The Psychoeducational Group Presentation Assignment is an

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Psychoeducational Group Plan: Supporting Sexual Assault Survivors with PTSD

Abraham De La Cruz Doctorate of Education-Community Care and Counseling- Marriage and Family, Liberty University EDCO 711: Advanced Group Counseling Prof. Dr. Gregory Mears March 23, 2025

I. Subject Synopsis

Members of psychoeducational groups can learn more about a specific issue, problem, or worry; develop their interpersonal skills and self-awareness; and improve their ability to comprehend and resolve issues that impact them (Brown, 2018). The purpose of this psychoeducational group is to assist survivors of sexual assault who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The main goals will be to educate people on PTSD symptoms, coping mechanisms, and resilience building. Numerous evaluations have shown that sexual assault is linked to an increased risk of being diagnosed with conditions such as acute stress disorder (ASD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and symptoms of PTSD (Stockman et al., 2023). Psychoeducational interventions have been shown to statistically significantly improve PTSD and depression in survivors and can significantly improve coping mechanisms, including trauma-focused therapy interventions like cognitive processing and exposure therapy (Heard & Walsh, 2023). To empower members, this group will apply evidence-based practices such as mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral approaches, and peer support.

According to Moring et al. (2023), giving patients psychoeducation before to starting CPT might boost their expectations, optimism, and perception of the therapy's legitimacy—all of which are essential for the best possible outcome. This group will be set up to provide a secure and encouraging setting where members may learn how to control their symptoms and enhance their quality of life. According to Brown (2018), members may experience significant feelings of guilt, wrath, resentment, and other upsetting emotions as a result of personal shortcomings and may blame others or themselves for what occurred to them. This group is extremely significant in the counseling industry since survivors of sexual assault frequently suffer from PTSD.

II. Group Outline

A. Group Purpose:

· To give survivors of sexual assault psychoeducation on PTSD symptoms and coping techniques.

· To promote self-efficacy and emotional resilience using evidence-based practices.

· To establish a secure environment where survivors may talk about their experiences and get assistance from their peers. These groups can offer a secure setting where people can freely express unpleasant and upsetting emotions (Brown, 2018).

B. Target Audience:

· Adult survivors of sexual assault have been diagnosed with or are suffering symptoms of PTSD.

· Individuals seeking formal direction and assistance during their recovery process.

· Participants are willing to participate in psychoeducational activities and conversations.

C. Goals:

1. Improve participants' awareness of PTSD's effects on mental health and daily life.

2. Provide participants with appropriate coping skills for managing PTSD symptoms and enhancing emotional control.

D. Objectives:

1. At the end of the group, participants will be able to recognize three typical PTSD symptoms and psychological repercussions.

2. Participants will grasp how trauma impacts cognitive and emotional processing.

3. Participants will learn and practice at least three evidence-based coping methods to manage PTSD symptoms, such as grounding techniques, mindfulness, and cognitive restructuring. According to Heard and Walsh (2023), these techniques help to reduce PTSD symptoms and improve coping skills.

4. Participants will develop a tailored coping strategy with at least three methods for high-stress situations.

E. Group Rules:

Heard and Walsh (2023) argue that activities to build trust and group norms are essential for effective treatments.

1. Confidentiality: To create a secure and trustworthy atmosphere, all group talks are kept 

2. private.

3. Respect: Participants will acknowledge each other's experiences, viewpoints, and limits.

4. Supportive, non-judgmental environment for healing and growth. Participation: Members are urged to participate while maintaining their comfort levels.

5. Safety: Any reports of injury to self or others will be handled following ethical and legal 

standards.

6. A major ethical concept is to do no damage; while this may seem straightforward, it is 

not, and group leaders must be cognizant of ethical standards to monitor the potential for 

harm (Brown, 2018).

F. Biblical Integration:

· Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." This scripture stresses God's compassion and consolation for people who are suffering.

· Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you and uphold you with my righteous right hand." This scripture reassures survivors that they are not alone in their healing journey.

· The Christian values of hope, restoration, and support will be used to promote faith-based healing and resilience.

References

Brown, N. W. (2018). Psychoeducational Groups, 4th Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from vbk://9781351689410Heard, E., & Walsh, D. (2023). Group Therapy for Survivors of Adult Sexual Assault: A Scoping Review.  Trauma, Violence & Abuse,  24(2), 886–898. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211043828

Heard, E., & Walsh, D. (2023). Group Therapy for Survivors of Adult Sexual Assault: A Scoping Review.  Trauma, Violence & Abuse,  24(2), 886–898. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211043828

King James Bible Version. (2025). KJV Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Moring, J. C., Peterson, A. L., Straud, C. L., Ortman, J., Mintz, J., Young, M. S., McGeary, C. A., McGeary, D. D., Litz, B. T., Macdonald, A., Roache, J. D., Resick, P. A., & for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2023). The interactions between patient preferences, expectancies, and stigma contribute to posttraumatic stress disorder treatment outcomes.  Journal of Traumatic Stress,  36(6), 1126–1137. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22982

Stockman, D., Haney, L., Uzieblo, K., Littleton, H., Keygnaert, I., Lemmens, G., & Verhofstadt, L. (2023). An ecological approach to understanding the impact of sexual violence: a systematic meta-review.  Frontiers in Psychology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1032408

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EDCO 711

Psychoeducational Group Presentation Assignment Instructions

Overview 

The Psychoeducational Group Presentation Assignment is an extension of your Psychoeducational Group Plan Assignment. For this assignment, you will develop the introductory material from Psychoeducational Group Plan Assignment of your psychoeducational group. This material will reflect a well-organized plan grounded in scholarly literature and aligned with best practices in psychoeducation.

Instructions 

Based on the Psychoeducational Group Plan Assignment you previously developed, you will create a detailed written plan and accompanying slide presentation that outlines the content and flow for the introductory session of your psychoeducational group. Your submission should be comprehensive, including the following components:

1. Objectives for the Session Clearly define the objectives for this introductory session. Each objective should be measurable, using Bloom’s Taxonomy and align with the overall goals of the psychoeducational group. Ensure the objectives are supported by evidence-based practices, citing relevant scholarly, peer-reviewed sources.

2. List of Planned Activities Provide a detailed list of the activities you plan to implement during the session. Each activity should have a clear purpose and be tied to the session's objectives. Include information on any materials or resources required to facilitate these activities. Support your choices with scholarly references where appropriate.

3. Mini-Lecture of the Topic Develop a mini-lecture that introduces the group members to the key concepts and foundational knowledge related to the topic of your psychoeducational group. This lecture should be concise yet informative, grounded in current research, and reflective of doctoral-level critical analysis. The mini-lecture should incorporate the scholarly sources from your week one assignment. These should be peer-reviewed from within the last three years.

4. Tentative Schedule Outline a tentative schedule for the session, indicating the time allocation for each activity, discussion, or lecture segment. The schedule should reflect careful planning to ensure the session remains engaging and focused on achieving the session's objectives.

5. Slide Presentation You will create a slide presentation that articulates your written plan. The presentation should be 10-15 slides in length (excluding title and reference slides) and should be formatted in the most current APA professional style. Avoid overloading the slides with text. Instead, use the speaker notes section to provide detailed explanations of what would be presented verbally during the session. Each slide should include a minimum of 150 words in the speaker notes section. Utilize appropriate graphics, charts, or other visual elements to enhance clarity and engagement. Proper credit is required for graphics not student created.

6. References Your presentation must include a reference slide formatted in current APA professional style. The same scholarly references used in your Psychoeducational Group Plan Assignment should be incorporated, with the option to add additional sources as needed to support your content.

Formatting and Submission Requirements

· APA Style: Ensure that both the written plan and the slide presentation adhere to APA formatting guidelines, including proper citation of sources and formatting of references.

· Scholarly Sources: Incorporate a minimum of five scholarly sources, published within the last three years. These sources should support your objectives, activities, and lecture content.

Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.

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Read: Brown: Chapters 13

Leading Psychoeducational Groups for Adults

Major Topics

Examples and research for adult groups

Descriptions for categories

Adult group settings

A basic framework for creating the adult group

Major considerations for facilitating adult groups

Introduction

This chapter will focus on general guidelines for adult psychoeducational groups categorized as educational such as parenting, task or work related such as meetings and professional development, teams such as sports teams and work teams, and life transitions such as retirement and divorce. Presented are the definition and descriptions for the categories, some examples of groups for adults, general guidelines for creating and facilitating adult psychoeducational groups, differentiation concerns for the various categories, and sample plans for an educational group, a one-session task or work-related group, a work team development procedure, and a multisession life transition group. Chapter 14 addresses adult psychoeducational groups for medical and psychiatric diagnoses.

Psychoeducational groups for adults differ from groups for children and adolescents in some important ways that have implications for the group leader.

Adults are more likely to be voluntary participants as they can choose to attend many of these groups.

Adults will more often have specific objectives or learning they expect from the group, and they are more aware of these expectations.

Behavior, especially disruptive or aggressive behavior, is not usually a concern.

Adults have life experiences that add to the richness of the group.

Adults can be more task focused.

In addition, adults, in contrast to children and adolescents, tend to be more focused, have specific knowledge or skills they are seeking, value the leader’s organization and wise use of time, are eager to see progress or results, desire a personal connection to the material, and may be less flexible in their thinking and attitudes. Their beliefs, attitudes, values, and life experiences are major components for their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and responses, and will be significant and important parts of their levels of participation in the group. These are also factors that play roles in how the leader creates and develops the group’s goal, objectives, and the strategies and techniques to use. While a more directive stance can be helpful with children and adolescents, this may be less effective with adults, and the group leader may have to adopt a more collaborative and flexible stance with an adult group because of these differences. These traits can make the planning and facilitation of groups for adults much easier in some ways.

However, adults can also be more demanding and critical, impatient for results, desirous of more personalization and individualization, and very adept at resistance and defensive behavior. These traits can make the group leader’s tasks more difficult.

Examples of Groups for Adults

There are numerous examples for the effectiveness of psychoeducational groups for a variety of adult issues, concerns, and problems. Examples include the following.

Self-esteem—(Swell, 1992; McManus et al., 1997)

Social skills—(Stein et al., 1994; Martin & Thomas, 2000)

Parenting—(Morgan & Hensley, 1998; Vacha-Haase et al., 2000)

Stress—(Ulman, 2000; Jones, 2001)

Work-related groups—(Hall & Cockburn, 1990)

Teams—(Sverfrup et al., 2017) classroom; (Gevers et al., 2016) industry; and (Beersma et al., 2016) military (Dutch)

Domestic violence—(Levesque et al., 2012)

Descriptions of Adult Groups

It can be helpful to provide descriptions for the variety of adult groups presented in this chapter. The categories for this discussion are educational, task or work group, teams, life transitions, and life skills.

Educational Groups

Educational groups have a primary focus of information dissemination, can be single or multisession, have a narrow focus, and are designed to prevent or solve specific problems. Leaders will make considerable use of instruction although there are numerous opportunities for activities, and for expressing feelings. Examples for educational groups include the following:

Parenting

Career development and exploration including career changes

Training groups

Classroom project groups

Study skills and test taking

Some leadership objectives for these groups are to disseminate a needed body of information, learn and practice new skills, learn how to work in groups, explore personal needs related to cognitive topics, and to increase understanding of an issue, problem, or concern. Leaders are expected to be able to plan and present material in a variety of ways so as to engage the adult learner, to present material at the learning/educational level appropriate for the target audience, to use techniques to engage participants, and to also address and attend to the affective needs of the group.Some educational groups can be a single session, such as an information session for parents of prospective college attendees, or a workshop for college professors on how to integrate culture and diversity material into their courses, or explaining a new policy to a work group in a business. Some educational groups are intended to have multiple sessions over a period of time to allow for considerable information to be disseminated, and to provide opportunities for members to integrate the material.

Guidelines for Facilitating Discussions

The guidelines for activities focused on an expansion of personal feelings and reactions. Following are the guidelines for expanding cognitive content, such as that which is used in educational groups, but are also applicable to other adult groups with cognitive content such as training workshops and skills development. The following is presented on the assumption that the discussion follows a mini-lecture, presentation, video or DVD, or after participants have read some material such as in handouts.

Prepare questions in advance. The questions or statements posed help focus attention on relevant information, encourage participants to present their own ideas and opinions, promote airing of diverse perspectives, and can trigger critical thinking. It is best that these be created in advance so that the focus is kept on the most significant and important material.

Begin the discussion by asking for reactions from participants. When they are asked for their reactions, they have an opportunity to express their initial reactions free from any expectations for what these reactions should or ought to be. Their reactions can then be spontaneous and will provide some information about their perceptions and ideas.

Ask participants what was focal, meaningful, or seemed important to them as a way to trigger and focus their expressions. Exploring what seemed most significant can be useful to help participants sort out the material that they absorbed, and to provide an opportunity to make personal connections to the material. Hearing what others found significant and meaningful can also provide an additional avenue for thoughts and ideas.

Listen carefully in order to link participant’s responses. Listening and observing to what participants found to be meaningful and significant provides some material for linking among them. They can be similar in their perceptions and/or associations even though these may be phrased differently. Listening carefully also helps the group leader to discern the theme, and to identify where there may be resistance. This information can then be used to better understand the group and its needs, identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding that may need to be addressed in order to make the best use of the material, and to highlight areas of members’ sensitivity.

Give paraphrasing and reflection responses. Paraphrasing and reflective responses help participants to feel heard and understood. It can also be helpful to open it up to the group by asking if others share the opinion, thought, perspective, and the like. Refrain from exploring the speaker’s feelings at this point, as this can sidetrack the discussion. If it seems that the speaker has intense and/or important feelings about the material, topic, or his/her input, this can be acknowledged by saying something on the order of, “I can see that you have some strong feelings about this,” and move on or, if appropriate, remark that these feelings will be explored later.

Make it a habit to only correct important misinformation. Small errors in understanding can be ignored or considered as a difference in perceptions. The most important thing is to listen and encourage expressions of thoughts, ideas, feelings, perspectives, and the like. It is not helpful to question or challenge speakers in a discussion, to engage in debate with him/her, or to bring in additional material to refute what the speaker is saying. Doing so may have a chilling effect on the discussion, causing others to be reluctant to openly express their reactions. Further, challenging can redirect the discussion to the conflict rather than keeping the focus on the presented material.

Keep to the time limit and stop even when the discussion is lively and interesting. This can be hard to do when the discussion is energized and significant material is being disclosed. However, for the sake of the group’s schedule and agenda, it is very important to respect the time boundaries and to terminate the discussion in time to do a summary.

Try to involve as many participants as possible. Involving as many participants as possible promotes airing of diverse perspectives, encourages ownership of responsibility for the group’s work, and can help promote universality by hearing that others have similar thoughts and reactions. One technique that can be helpful is to ask after a speaker has made input, if there are others who have similar perspectives and the like. This would help ensure that the speaker would not feel ignored, the perspective overlooked or discounted, and could identify connections to other group members. One way to reduce the possibility of monopolizing is for the leader to state that he/she needs to hear from as many people as possible.

Summarize the major points revealed by the discussion. Bring closure to the discussion by summarizing the major points that emerged during the discussion. It can be helpful to write these down as they emerge, or to post them on a chalkboard or whiteboard, or a large newsprint pad.

Task or Work Groups

Task or work groups are usually found in business and other organizations, and are focused on training, skills development, problem solving, decision making, and other such topics related to the world of work and productivity. While there can be some overlap with the descriptions of other categories such as with education and teams, these groups function in a work environment and their group topics related to their work. Wheelan (2005) developed a list of learning and leadership objectives relative to task groups.

Relation of the skills to specific work situations

Understanding when the skills are appropriate or inappropriate to use

Observation of competent modeling of the skill(s)

Cognitive practicing of what is to be learned

Assessing practice, observation, and the like of self and of others

Giving and receiving feedback about performance

Receiving encouragement and support, especially for engaging in or trying new behaviors

Wheelan also provides a different perception for how leaders can make group interventions with task groups. While the concern, issue, or problem is generally phrased as interpersonal difficulties, it is more likely that the real difficulties lie more in a lack of work goal(s) clarity, an ambiguous role expectation, and confusing or non-existent procedures for decision making. Examples for task groups include staff development, stress management, and management and supervisory skills such as performance evaluation.

Many such task or work groups may be one or two sessions. They too are cognitively focused as are educational groups, but there can be an additional element of skills training. When skill training is a component for a task group, planning should include enough time for group members to practice the new skills with appropriate feedback.

A major constraint for many task/work groups is that they are composed of peers who have an existing relationship including some conflictual ones, and who will have to work together after the group is completed. This constraint should be taken into consideration when planning group activities as well as the constraint that there may be cliques in the group. Group leaders should take care to not have activities that will promote shaming or conflict as there may not be enough time to resolve these during group time, and that these can cause future detrimental work relationships.

Teams

Teams are formed in many settings and are composed of several individuals who have and work toward a common goal. Some teams are mainly permanent, such as a department in a business or university or a sports team, and continue to work together over a period of time. Members of permanent teams can change with members being added and released at any time. Some teams are temporary in the sense that they are formed to accomplish a specific and defined task such as is found for committees, classroom teams, task forces, and projects. Once the defined task is completed, these teams usually cease to exist.

Permanent teams with changing membership usually have a leader or a designated leader who is charged with structuring the administration of a unit such as a department. This is the person who assigns tasks, projects and the like, chairs meetings, and provides performance evaluation for team members, or has significant input into their evaluations. Although this is considered a team, this discussion will focus on just one major task of the leader, that of chairing meetings. These kinds of teams can also have the constraints of the task/work team described in the previous section of being peers, having preexisting relationships including some that are conflictual, and having cliques as a possibility.

Meetings for permanent teams can include those for special projects such as accreditation, brainstorming for new endeavors or to solve problems, strategic planning for the future, and developing or explaining new policies. There are some actions the leader can take to make meetings of any kind more meaningful and productive. These include having a purpose or goal, providing informative materials in advance of the meeting, having an agenda that is reasonable in length considering the time that is available, and providing for all members’ input. While the cognitive component is important, it is also essential that the group leader attend to members’ affective needs and to not ignore these trying to get the task finished.

Temporary teams are usually task and time bound. That is, they are created for a specific task or reason, and once that is accomplished, the team is dissolved. For example, a team can be formed in an academic course to complete a project and once that project is submitted, the team disbands. However, during the time period that the team is working, there should be a group leader who, along with group members, structures the tasks, helps to make assignments for duties and responsibilities, and holds and facilitates meetings to ensure that all team members are working, have the resources needed and the like. Leaders of temporary teams have many of the same tasks and responsibilities as do leaders of other types of groups.

Sample Format for Meetings

The following is an example for the format for meetings. It is recommended that any format used be consistent for all of the meetings of a task or work group, department, unit, task force, and other such groups.

Name of Organization (Group, Task Force, and the like)

Date of Meeting

Agenda

Opening (welcome, remarks and the like)

Responsible person’s name

Roll call (or other form of taking attendance)

Responsible person

Approval of previous meeting minutes (distributed in advance)

Agenda (review and ask for additions)

Responsible person

ITEMS (List the items in order they will be considered and only list those that need decisions.)

Responsible person

Review or discussion items (These are items that are open for discussion, input, brainstorming and so on.)*

Responsible person

Informational items (This material does not call for a discussion.)**

Responsible person

Announcements

Summary of meeting’s decisions, needs for additional information, assignments such as a committee report, and date and time for the next meeting

Responsible person

* See the section on leading discussions presented earlier in this chapter. Set time limits for the review or discussion, for example 20 minutes.

** Clarifying questions may be asked.