The PARS Model in Group Counseling
BSHS481

The PARS Model in Group Counseling Group work is a commonly used practice in the world of counseling that is effective for all ages and a variety of issues. It is important group workers, especially group leaders, know there is more to group counseling than coming together to talk story. Proficient group leaders understand group dynamics and know the significance of group is to help clients reveal, comprehend, and relate what they learned to their everyday lives. To do this, group participants should partake in numerous activities and exercises to improve their understanding of their personal problems. Therefore, group counseling is a process that has several purposes, which are: a) share specific individual experiences and events, b) realize how these events occurred, c) acknowledge and understand the response of different members, d) examine and identify what happened in group, and e) how to compare group discussions to their personal lives (Glass & Benshoff, 1999).
The PARS Model Without proper processing skills, group workers have a greater risk of assigning exercises that do not help their clients recognize what they do in the group can be used in their daily lives. It takes more than engaging in multiple group activities to run a victorious group. There is a functioning model technique called Processing: Activity, Relationships, Self (PARS) that is used by group leaders in processing group undertakings. The PARS model acts as a bridge, guide or road map on how to accurately process group activities. This processing method encompasses the reflecting stage, the understanding stage, and the applying stage, while focusing on these three specific areas of activity, relationships, and self (Benshoff Glass, 1999). The first stage of the PARS model is the reflecting stage, which helps encourage the development of a safe and secure environment for group sharing and opens the doors to subsequent stages. This stage permits the group to answer the question, “What did we do?” by going back over the steps of a certain activity. Reflecting gives members a chance to illustrate the step-by-step actions taken by the group, which allows participants the opportunity to share their opinions of what took place. After sharing their views, the group will be able to come to a consensus and discuss some tribulations than may have developed as a result of the experience (Benshoff & Glass, 1999). Understanding is the second stage in the PARS model technique, which provides self-examination and increases trust and respect, while the group learns more about itself as a whole and striving to reach their personal goals at the same time. This stage is where the group revisits and gains insight into the group process that transpired during the first stage exercise by having members reveal their observations and reactions to the various interactions the session. The partakers will then look at the causes-and-effects of what was learned during the first stage to get a better understanding of what took place and how they worked together (Benshoff & Glass, 1999). The final stage of the PARS model is the applying stage, which will get the group partakers to take what they learned and make a difference in their personal lives by appreciating the impact of the experience. Group workers will challenge and help members apply what they have learned to their lives and relationships outside of the group. This stage is critical to the success of the