Session 6

Psychoeducational groups for Women in Ghana

Group Facilitators: Grace Kerstetter and Emily Griffin 

Group Session #6

S.M.A.R.T Goals: 

By the end of services, the group will identify at least 2 self care techniques in each self-care dimension (Physical, mental, social, spiritual, etc.)

  1. The group will identify multiple self care techniques in each self-care dimension
  2. The group will demonstrate an understanding of at least 2 self care technique

By the end of services the group will create an individualized self-care plan that incorporates at least 3 self-care techniques

  1. The group will identify current self care techniques and opportunity for improvement
  2. The group will brain storm strategies to over come road blocks 

Agenda: 

  • Roll call 
  • Introductions 
  • Recap
  • Lesson 
  • Break
  • Activity 
  • Debrief 
  • Dismissal 

Lesson Plan

  1. Take roll call of all participants in attendance and mark those absent who are not attending.
    1. Lock doors to ensure confidentiality
  2.  Introductions 
    1. One group member will introduce themselves with a fact about themself and will say facts about themselves until one other group member resonates with the fact and the two members will link together and then that group member will say facts about themself until another group member resonates with the fact, repeat until everyone is linked together 
  3. Recap
    1. Each group member will have created a list of self-care techniques in each self care dimension. The group will discuss which coping strategies they have tried thus far and what they are excited to try. The group members will highlight in yellow the self-care strategies that they are wanting to try in the coming week and then will highlight in orange the self-care strategies that they tried and are wanting to continue using. 
  4. Lesson (OCD) 
    1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common, chronic disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (“obsessions”) and/or behaviors (“compulsions”) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over OCD features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.
      1. Obsessions often have themes to them, such as:
        1. Fear of contamination or dirt
        2. Doubting and having difficulty tolerating uncertainty
        3. Needing things orderly and symmetrical
        4. Aggressive or horrific thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others
        5. Unwanted thoughts, including aggression, or sexual or religious subjects
      2. Examples of obsession signs and symptoms include:
        1. Fear of being contaminated by touching objects others have touched
        2. Doubts that you’ve locked the door or turned off the stove
        3. Intense stress when objects aren’t orderly or facing a certain way
        4. Images of driving your car into a crowd of people
        5. Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately in public
        6. Unpleasant sexual images
        7. Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands
      3. As with obsessions, compulsions typically have themes, such as:
        1. Washing and cleaning
        2. Checking
        3. Counting
        4. Orderliness
        5. Following a strict routine
        6. Demanding reassurance
      4. Examples of compulsion signs and symptoms include:
        1. Hand-washing until your skin becomes raw
        2. Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they’re locked
        3. Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it’s off
        4. Counting in certain patterns
        5. Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase
        6. Arranging your canned goods to face the same way
  5. Break 
    1. Refreshments will be served 
  6. Activity
    1. THINKING DIFFERENTLY 
      1. Involves challenging the thoughts and thinking about thoughts in a completely different way. 
      2. These techniques will help you change these “cogs”:  
        1. Believing the intrusive thoughts 
        2.  I must act on these thoughts 
        3.  I’m responsible  
        4. Trying to stop the thoughts
    2.  The OCD Bully 
      1. Let’s think about an imaginary playground bully in a school. This particular bully isn’t violent, but he taunts, teases, laughs and criticises. Cruel words. Imagine this bully picks on 3 victims this playtime. He approaches each victim with the same taunts: “Hey you! You’re so stupid – give me your lunch money NOW or else I’ll tell everyone how stupid you are!” How does each victim react?
        1. Victim number 1 believes the bully, becomes upset and hands over the money. 
        2. Victim number 2 challenges back – “I’m not stupid, I got 8/10 in my spelling test this morning, you only got 4. Get lost!” 
        3. Victim number 3 hardly reacts at all. He looks at the bully to acknowledge him, then turns around to go and play football with his friends.
      2.  How does the bully react to each? He’s probably going to come back to victim 1 most days. He might have another go at victim 2, but he’ll soon give up. The bully’s probably not going to bother victim 3 much.
      3.  Our own OCD bully is just like that playground bully, and instead of reacting like victim number 1, believing the bully and doing as he says, we can choose to react like victim number 2. We can learn to:  
        1. Challenge our OCD bully 
        2.  Simply acknowledge the bully, then let the thought go and shift our focus of attention by doing something else.
  1. Complete the handout below and have a group discussion about what each individual would do before this psychoeducational group compared to their decisions now
  1. Debrief 
    1. The group will discuss their knowledge of OCD and how the activity made them feel 
  2. Dismissal 

Items Needed: 

  • Handouts 
  • Refreshments 
  • Pens/pencils
  • Notebook

References:

Vivyan , C. (2015). OCD self help. Get.gg – Getselfhelp.co.uk. https://www.get.gg/ocd.htm 

 DCadmin. (2022, October 18). How to create your own personalized self-care plan (step-by-step guide with a template!). Distress Centre Calgary. https://www.distresscentre.com/2021/01/27/how-to-create-your-own-personalized-self-care-plan-step-by-step-guide/ 

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2020, March 11). Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432  

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022, September). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd