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Reflection #1 "Think Happy Thoughts"

Yesterday, Virginia and I led a group session about cultivating a positive attitude we named, "Think Happy Thoughts." I then used the exercise provided in our groups book to lead my reflection on the experience of our facilitation. Although nervous to lead the group, I feel that we did a great job engaging the group members. We led off with a warm-up activity where the group members could state how positive/negative they felt at the moment. I think this was a good way to start the group because it was Monday morning and many of us were feeling negative about the upcoming week. The warm-up prepared the group for the session and allowed them to get their feelings out about the upcoming week.

I think the activity we chose was good in facilitating the group goals. Because the group members were my classmates, I found it difficult to know how involved to be in the activity. I think it will be interesting to lead my first client group and compare the differences of facilitation between clients and classmates/friends.

Following the activity, Virginia and I shared responsibilities of processing, generalizing, and application of positivity. I think we did a good job of sharing similarities among the feelings of the group. We also allowed the group members to share with us how they can apply what they learned in the session into their lives.

Overall, I think the experience as a facilitator was helpful in my learning. I think I did well at leading the activities, but also need to become more comfortable in leading a group session. This experience and the upcoming facilitation are just the beginning and I can only get better with practice!

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