Building Empathy

I really enjoyed my first experience as a group facilitator. I was nervous at first, but it helped to have Lauren McGee and Lauren Newman as co-facilitators. They both brought great ideas and together we successfully completed our first group session!

Prior to the session, I had no idea how I was going to co-facilitate a group therapy session. My initial thought, "Am I ready/prepared for this?" However, when it was time to lead, the actual "leading" part was not so bad! Once I started getting engaged in the session, the nervousness started to fly out the window.  I was able to be a leader and someone that my clients can look to for support and encouragement. 

            The group session “building empathy” went very well because everyone in the session were willing to share with one another and engage in conversation. I feel that the session was very engaging, meaningful, and a great opportunity for growth. I learned from members of the group, and I hope that they learned from me. The setting was in a nice size room and we were all close to each other without feeling uncomfortable. The session started and ended on time and we stayed on schedule throughout. The topic of empathy sparked a lot of dialogue and everyone seemed interested in the activities.

            My strengths from the session were being able to stay on task and make everyone feel appreciated/welcomed. I made sure that once everyone shared, I would whisper “thank you” to them. I feel that I should improve in the area of confidence. Going into the session, I did not feel very confident and it wasn’t until almost the end that I began to make that transition to a good confident state. Often, I underestimate myself and the knowledge that I have. However, with more group sessions opportunities, I will be confident when leading.

 I give myself a leadership score of 95. I know that there is still room for improvement in various areas.  All in all, I enjoyed this opportunity and I look forward to the next!