42 Sarah Feuerbacher, Travis Moore and Hannah Gill
Not unlike many individuals with ASD, Amelia experienced bullying and
marginalization throughout middle school and high school due to her
communication and social deficits. She conveyed to me many times the strug-
gle of social interaction—never implying she did not want to socialize—and
worried that no one would ever accept her. During her individual therapy
time, she worked on what identity meant to Amelia and the issues surround-
ing the intimidating process of coming out to her family and peers. By helping
Amelia understand her own desire for emotional and social growth through
meeting her needs in the present moment during individual therapy, she was
able to create and experience a safe environment that allowed her to feel
comfortable enough to explore a different and more intimidating social
setting: group counseling.
For the purpose of processing their reactions, which could unintention-
ally be hurtful to Amelia, the female participants were told that a new group
member would be joining their group, and this individual was a transgender
woman seeking support and acceptance, just as they all had in joining this
particular group. Reactions were mixed, as with any social setting. However,
upon Amelia entering the group, the participants presented a bracelet to
Amelia tagged with the heartfelt message, “This is your confidentiality brace-
let; we promise to keep this group safe for you.”
While Amelia was in the female group, she found that other group mem-
bers were much more accepting than she originally imagined. Through indi-
vidual and group therapy, Amelia's belief that she was unwanted, abnormal,
and an outcast was challenged, if not contradicted, by being accepted by
both her counselor and other group members. “It's the first time in years I've
felt seen,” she said.CASE STUDY: NATHANNathan presented to group counseling at the counseling center with con-
cerns regarding his difficulty relating to and communicating with his family
members and friends. He struggled to maintain interpersonal connections
throughout the group sessions, and group members would often become
angered with him for his inappropriate comments and untimely interruptions.
For example, Nathan once interrupted the group by taking out his phone and
trying to show the facilitators his pictures and video clips while another group
member was sharing an intimate self-disclosure statement. Group members
frequently let their dissatisfaction with Nathan and his rude behaviors be
known, as they would frequently discuss their frustrations with Nathan during