Group Interview Reflection

I facilitate groups at my internship Andover Subacute and Rehab Center. The individuals in the groups are ex-alcoholics and drug abusers. Around 6-10 people usually attend the groups, we discuss different topics that have to do with their recovery and the process they took. Due to HIPAA, I was not able to record the clients, so I will be using my process recordings. A majority of the group members are of old age, so listening is a very good quality that I have. It is hard for me to understand many of the group members at the time because of their low voices. I have to listen very carefully to be able to understand what they are saying. I had a group session so it was a little difficult to be attentive to all the group members. Even though I had a big group I try my best to make sure that
I can not relate to the group members because I have not had any experiences with drugs or alcohol. I would not have been able to disclose any information that could relate to them. Sometimes some members of the group would ask me if I have done certain things, but I usually tried in some way ignore the question without them noticing by asking another question. I always show empathy when I have sessions with the group because I feel like it is a very important skill. Showing empathy is being able to relate to the members of the group emotion and thoughts. My group always opens up to me a lot about their past and how they are feeling now. By showing empathy with my group I am able to provide support and focus my attention on them.
Another skill I used is open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are useful for me because it is a way for me to get the group involved. It gives me a chance to better understand the members of the group because it kind of forces them to open up. I get more out of the clients besides yes or no questions If I asked a closed-ended question to my group, they simply would not converse