Journal Article Title: "Art-Based Occupation Group Reduces Parent
Anxiety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit:
A Mixed-Methods Study"
This article described a group of parents with children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that participated in an art-based occupation group doing scrapbooking. The aim of the study was to see if stress (i.e. anxiety) was reduced after participation in this group art-based occupation. The study was a mixed-methods study and data was collected in two ways. First, data was collected via an assessment to measure the anxiety of the parents before and after the session. Second, an interview was performed to assess the parent's experience of the group. As a result, this study found that anxiety did decrease after participation in the art-based group session. During the interviews, several themes emerged that were common among the parents. The main themes were as follows: distraction, calming and relaxing, fun and enjoyable, looking to the future, and time to share with other and reducing isolation.
I enjoyed that this article was a mixed methods study. I liked that the study not only quantitatively measured anxiety but also evaluated the experience of the subjects within the group. Within this article, it seemed that doing this activity in a group setting was beneficial because it allowed the parents to step away from their current situations and be with others that are in similar situations. Scrapbooking gave the parents a medium to express themselves and to describe their child and NICU experiences. Before my Groups course, I would have thought of the activity (scrapbooking) as the most important part of the intervention for these parents, but it seems, based on my experience in Groups class and the information in this article, that the group itself is just as essential. The group session provides a meeting place to share experiences and to be with others in similar situations. As stated in this article, isolation was addressed through the group process, a theme that would have never emerged in an individual scrapbooking session. I love the power of groups that I have seen in my Groups course and in this article. Having this understanding of the benefits of groups, I hope to incorporate more groups into my future occupational therapy practice. I truly believe that there are underestimated occupational results that can only be achieved using the group process.
Mouradian, L. E., DeGrace, B. W., & Thompson, D. M. (2013). Art-based occupation group reduces parent anxiety in the NICU: A
mixed-methods study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 692–700. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2013.007682
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
Post-Group Facilitation Reflection #2
Today, I facilitated a group of my classmates on the topic of safety and emergency maintenance. The group protocol was designed for a population falling into Allen's Cognitive Levels of 4.5 to 5.5 who seek to live independently. I paired Allen's Cognitive Levels with Cognitive Behavioral theory to focus on a change of mindset and habits in relation to safety. The title of my group was called "Living Safely in Your Home" and this session was focused on kitchen hazards and a fire escape plan. The group session followed Cole's 7 steps: introduction, activity, sharing, processing, generalizing, application, and summary.
In the introduction, I felt I adequately explained the purpose, communicated my expectations for the members, and provided a simple outline of the structure of the group session. In the activities portion, I felt my preparation was good and that I gave directions clearly to the group. I felt the timing of the activities was good as well, in that they were not too short or too long. After each activity, each of the group members were allowed to share. I felt I used appropriate communication, but I felt I could have done a better job of linking the comments of the members and encouraging more in-depth thinking through asking subsequent questions. In processing, I felt I could have done more to ask each group member about their feelings about the experience and each other. In generalizing, I think I could have done more to point out similar and dissimilar responses and generalize overarching principles. I felt that I did well with the application portion in pointing out the meaning of the activities and encouraging the members to think about how the activities apply and can be used in their lives. I felt that I summarized the group well by repeating important concepts that were covered. At the end of the session, I thanked each member for their participation and ended the group on time. During the group session as a whole, I felt that group motivation was excellent and that my listening and responses to comments encouraged more discussion. I felt that I limited unwanted behavior without changing the positive dynamic of the group.
Overall, I felt this group session went well. I feel that there are still ways that I can improve, but I can tell that I am more confident in my abilities as a group facilitator. From the last group session I led, I feel I am more succinct in my directions and comments and that I was better able to listen to each person's comments. I am excited to see these improvements and I am eager to continue improving!
In the introduction, I felt I adequately explained the purpose, communicated my expectations for the members, and provided a simple outline of the structure of the group session. In the activities portion, I felt my preparation was good and that I gave directions clearly to the group. I felt the timing of the activities was good as well, in that they were not too short or too long. After each activity, each of the group members were allowed to share. I felt I used appropriate communication, but I felt I could have done a better job of linking the comments of the members and encouraging more in-depth thinking through asking subsequent questions. In processing, I felt I could have done more to ask each group member about their feelings about the experience and each other. In generalizing, I think I could have done more to point out similar and dissimilar responses and generalize overarching principles. I felt that I did well with the application portion in pointing out the meaning of the activities and encouraging the members to think about how the activities apply and can be used in their lives. I felt that I summarized the group well by repeating important concepts that were covered. At the end of the session, I thanked each member for their participation and ended the group on time. During the group session as a whole, I felt that group motivation was excellent and that my listening and responses to comments encouraged more discussion. I felt that I limited unwanted behavior without changing the positive dynamic of the group.
Overall, I felt this group session went well. I feel that there are still ways that I can improve, but I can tell that I am more confident in my abilities as a group facilitator. From the last group session I led, I feel I am more succinct in my directions and comments and that I was better able to listen to each person's comments. I am excited to see these improvements and I am eager to continue improving!
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