Group Counseling Observation Personal Statement

Group Counseling Observation - Personal Statement Example His name is "PB". "PB" is the husband of my supervisor and he was more than willing to take me to a meeting and show me what Alcoholics Anonymous was all about. Before leaving for the meeting, I asked "PB" several questions. They ranged from the length of the meeting to specific problems some of the members. He told me not to be surprised if there were some members who were admitted alcoholics and narcotic addicts. As I questioned him further, he said that many of the people in that predicament were also former criminals. One person in particular was so involved with both drugs and alcohol that he nearly died at the emergency room from an alcohol overdose. Now that my questions were answered, I felt much more at ease and ready to go to the meeting. The building where the meeting took place is located in a school basement. It is dismal but there is an inviting scent of coffee with friendly voices. I don't know whether this is a cheerful setting but I quickly learned that the setting didn't matter. When "PB" and I arrived, he introduced me to all of the members who made me feel welcome. As I surveyed the participants, I noticed that they were from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. As the meeting started, we began with a serenity prayer and read the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The second step was the focus of the meeting. ... The first speaker was named Jack. Jack is a successful attorney and has been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over ten years. He relayed his story about how his Power restored him to sanity. Jack said that prior to becoming a member, he knew everything. "I could do anything I wanted to when I wanted to. If anyone disagreed with me, I would do whatever it took to have that person agree with me. It was my way or the highway." With those statements, Jack admitted that when he was drunk, his temper got the best of him. After becoming a member, Jack along with many of the members of the group was able to complete the first step with ease. The second step, however, was going to be a problem. "When I looked at that sign, I was scared because I have been an atheist for most of my adult life." He was hoping that he could skip step two and return to it later, but he was told that he had to complete it before he could advance. Jack said it took quite some time but that higher Power did come to him and it wiped out the "insanity" that was ruining his life. After listening to his speech, I was wondering to myself why these members felt they were "insane". If I saw one of these people on the streets, I would never know that they were alcoholics or they were "insane". I marveled at how they all seemed to speak their own language and somehow have the same experience. Mike was celebrating his second anniversary. He is a parolee and in addition to fighting his demons, is walking the line to make sure he does not go back to jail. He too though mentioned the word "insanity" in reference to discovering a higher Power. The words he used were: "I came, I came to and now I believe." To me, it seems as