Mental Health Matters: Women's Group Matters

By Social Work Intern Dulce Vallejo

Working in the Mental Wellness department, I get to see how much time and effort goes into planning the Women’s Group sessions every week. Seeing the process and development of the group sessions helps me realize how important these sessions are for our female residents.

A large portion of the families we serve find themselves experiencing homelessness because they are challenged with inadequate life skills, social supports, knowledge of resources in their own community, new coping mechanisms, and a sense of community and feeling like they belong.

During my observations in group therapy, I find that it offers an organized and protected space to bond with other women in such an authentic and comfortable way. It is a place for women to feel comfortable revealing parts of themselves; the fair, the immoral and the unpleasant. In such an environment it is easy to discovery the many ways in which they are alike.

The group’s purpose serves as a “mutual-aid system” where individuals learn and support each other while building helping relationships. Not only do they build them with each other, but also with the group leaders. Having common problems helps facilitate the development of the relationship. 

Sometimes residents just need to realize that they are not the only one going through this hardship and that there are others who feel the same. The group utilizes strengths such as independence, coping skills, empathy, relational abilities, self-reflection and recognizing their own strengths, among others.

According to an article I read about women’s group therapy by Joan Berzoff’s, she mentions that being comfortable enough to disclose similar traumatic events within a group increases a sense of belonging but it cannot just be the groups responsibility, the group leader must work at creating a safe environment as well as model positive behavior and that is exactly what I have seen the group leaders at Community LINC do (Berzoff, 2013). Berzoff, also believes psycho-education and advocacy can help empower women experiencing homelessness in group therapy, and that learning about other women’s stories can increase self-cohesion and esteem (Berzoff, 2013).

Not too long ago I met Rachel a resident who said to me “I don’t like counseling or therapy but I do like doing group stuff because it lets me know that I am not alone. It’s not that I am glad that they are going through hard times too, but just the sense that I am not alone in this is good for me.”

Go to our Face Book page and you will see pictures of some of the expressive therapy (art) items that the residents in the Women’s Group have made and are very proud of. The most recent pictures are from a group activity when the women were given art supplies and a small canvass and invited to make a collage depicting the ways “I Have the Power and Control” in making my life better. Several women who participated in the group process shared ways the activity helped them to focus on their strengths and remain hopeful that they will be able to move from homeless to hopeful.

Works Cited

Berzoff, J. (2013). Group Therapy With Homeless Women . Smith College Studies in Social Work , 83 (2-3).

Mental Health Matters: Why Recognizing Your Strengths Matters

By Director of Mental Health Services Griselda Williams

Why does recognizing your strengths matter? Because when you recognize your ‘good stuff’ you can build on it.

It seems that as humans we tend to recognize the ‘bad stuff’ in ourselves and in others and say that we are being boastful or bragging, if we speak about our strengths.

I have seen this happen, especially with female clients that I have worked with over the years in human services. There is a young woman-Miss Q, in residence at Community LINC who was like that when she first came with her family. However, over the course the two months that she has been here, she has begun to recognize her strengths and now feels that it is appropriate to speak about them. 

When she first came she would only do what others told her and did not feel it was appropriate to make her own choices. When she came to program group, she would sit at the end of the table by herself and would not speak. She often looked down and would not make much eye contact and she appeared sad and lost.

Much has happened in Miss Q’s life this year, most of it taxing and traumatizing. However, as Miss Q flexes her strengths muscles she is sharing a renewed sense of empowerment. She has begun setting boundaries with partner, family members and even an abusive boss.

In program group last night the topic was “strengths” and attendees were to identify 5 of their strengths and make a collage of pictures that represented those strengths. Miss Q sat in the first chair, she smiled with her head high and she freely shared her strengths as she made a collage. In addition Miss Q helped a fellow group member identify her 5 strengths when the member shared that it would be bragging to say them out loud.

Now that Miss Q recognizes her strengths and is not embarrassed or feels guilty about speaking them, I believe there is no limit to what she may accomplish. It is exciting to see what will come next for Miss Q, now that her strengths muscles are so strong.