Introduction
Recently, gun violence has been increasingly visible in the media and political discourse. Regulation of firearms and preventing their access by people who might use them to commit murder have been central to the discussion. However, little has been done to help the victims of gun violence, especially mothers who have lost a son or daughter to gun violence. Therefore, there is a need to come up with strategies and remedies to help these victims regain their strength and recover from such incidents. To support and help the victims, I would propose an experiential and support group for mothers of gun violence victims.
Terminology
It is essential for all counselors working to help the mothers of gun violence victims understand and stay updated on the binding terms of gun violence. Some of the keywords are violence, gun violence, and victims. Using physical force to injure another person is an act of violence. The harm caused by violent acts might be physical, mental, or a combination of the two. The violence that involves the use of firearms is referred to as gun-related violence. Victims are individuals or groups of people who have been harmed. The term can also encompass the direct victim’s relatives, dependents, and others harmed while trying to help victims in crisis or stop further victimization.
Types and Purpose of the Group
Supporting and being supported by others is greatly enhanced through a support group. Therapists leading the group will stress the importance of victims leaning on one another and finding common ground to find peace with their traumatic experiences and move on. The support group will exchange positive and encouraging feedback and suggestions between the victims. Getting past a loss or traumatic experience is a common difficulty for gun violence victims. When gun violence victims receive counseling in a group setting, they can draw strength from their peers’ collective wisdom and support, facilitating positive change. The group will also hold the victims responsible for their actions, which makes them take the necessary steps toward successful healing.
Membership
The participation of the participants in the group will be entirely voluntary. All participants will be mothers of victims murdered by guns, ensuring a certain degree of emotional stability and familiarity. That could indicate they have moved past the stages of doubting, figuring out whom they are, making the adjustment, or finding their voice as mothers of gun violence victims.
Closed or Open Group
The group will be continuous and long-term, but it will be closed rather than open. However, if there is room for a new spot in the group, a newcomer will be welcome to apply. The group’s approval and an interview with the leaders will be required for acceptance.
Group Size
Since it is a support group for mothers of gun violence victims, the group will be smaller. The group will comprise an average of ten members and a maximum of twelve members (Chen & Ryback, 2018). However, several members between eight to ten members can also be applicable. In case of more than twelve members, the group will be split into two groups for efficiency.
Session Length and Frequency
The support group session will run on weekdays for eighty minutes, from 6:00 PM to 7:20 PM. The sessions will be taking twice per week on Mondays and Thursdays. The suggested time will be convenient for the members since they can travel safely back home although the means of transport each will be using.
Location
The support group’s gathering spot should be easily reached, discreet, and emotionally safe. The support group can be held in religious institutions since they are among the fundamental pillars that provide counsel, support, and hope to mothers of gun violence victims. Religious institutions offer privacy and security hence a conducive environment for therapy. The sessions can also be held in city hall since they are easily accessible, secure, and spacious.
Leadership
Support group leaders should be qualified counselors in psychology or a related field. There will be two positions available for leaders: the experienced senior counselor of the group and the assistant counselor of the group. Moreover, the group members will elect their group leader, who will present others and take care of members’ welfare. The leaders must be observant, listen carefully, and ask clarifying questions to resolve the victim’s issues before attempting to solve them. A therapist’s ability to communicate with a patient is crucial for understanding the patient’s goals for therapy. Last but not least, therapists must be well-organized to keep track of their progress with patients. The therapist and client can maintain open communication using written and spoken record-keeping skills. The success of any therapy session hinges on this level of communication.
Screening Procedure
The leaders will be a part of the interview panel that will question the patients for admission. The mothers who have lost their son or daughter in a gun violence incident will be first considered qualified for the group. Moreover, mothers whose either son or daughter has been involved in gun violence will also stand a chance of being accepted into the group. However, the group will not take mothers who have been mentally affected or suffering from a mental disorder.
Ground Rules
It is essential that this group will be able to count on one another for support and protection while also being able to do so in an environment free from criticism and hostility. All the women in the group need to be mothers of gun violence victims before they can feel safe with one another. Everyone in the group must be treated with dignity and respect if the mothers can open up about themselves. Each group member is obliged to keep others’ personal information confidential. When the session is on, members are expected to listen to the member talking and should not interrupt. Instead, they should wait for their turn.
Concepts and Possible Issues
There are various issues related to gun violence, for instance, the relationship between gun violence and culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, spirituality, social class, and aging. Academic and public health researchers are starting to pay more attention to the critical role culture plays in sustaining the current gun culture (Abdalla et al, 2021). Gun culture must be altered to effectively address the epidemic of gun violence plaguing the globe, especially in the United States (Abdalla et al., 2021). Making gun violence a public health concern and drawing attention to its adverse effects on population health is crucial to changing the current gun culture. Any explanation for gun violence must address why men commit most gun crimes and why most females never commit such crimes. Females are less likely to be involved in gun violence than men.
When compared to white Americans, black Americans have a mortality rate that is two times higher due to gun violence and an injury rate that is fourteen times higher due to gun violence (Benns et al., 2020). It has also been found that the death toll from gun violence among young people is more than four times higher in counties with high poverty rates than those with lower poverty rates (Benns et al., 2020). This suggests that those with a higher social class are less likely to be involved in gun violence than the poor or more inadequate social class.
Social workers are responsible for fighting economic injustices that exist in society. They should resist the inequality experienced in the workplace, immigrants’ rights and workplace rights, minimum wages and living wage levels, and initiatives aimed at assisting working people and their families. The role of a social worker is to foster growth in individuals, communities, and ecosystems to improve society as a whole. Simmons (2021) affirms that the role of a social worker is to promote political, economic, social, and cultural ideals and organizations consistent with attaining social justice and fighting for changes that will help people meet their most basic needs. It has been brought up as a human rights concern by United Nations Human Rights Committee that black and brown communities in the United States suffer a significant amount of gun violence (Frey, 2019). It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that the most vulnerable groups, who face the greatest challenges in exercising their full range of rights, receive the attention and resources they need to thrive (Frey, 2019). A person’s right to be treated fairly in a court of law can be jeopardized when a state does not exercise reasonable care in responding or preventing to gun violence.
Conclusion
A support group for mothers of gun violence victims is a practical step towards developing a gun violence-free culture. Several factors must be considered when establishing a support group, including group purpose, size, leadership, session length and frequency, type of the group, location of the group, ground rules, and the issues to be discussed about the topic. The above proposal has discussed in detail the above factors to establish an influential support group for mothers of gun violence victims.
References
Abdalla, S. M., Keyes, K. M., & Galea, S. (2021). A public health approach to tackling the role of culture in shaping the gun violence epidemic in the United States. Public Health Reports, 136(1), 6-9. Web.
Benns, M., Ruther, M., Nash, N., Bozeman, M., Harbrecht, B., & Miller, K. (2020). The impact of historical racism on modern gun violence: redlining in the city of Louisville, KY. Injury, 51(10), 2192-2198. Web.
Chen, M. & Ryback, C. (2018). Group Leadership Skills: Interpersonal process in group counseling and therapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
Frey, B. A. (2019). Due diligence to prevent foreseeable harm: the international human rights agenda on civilian gun violence. Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 60, 91. Web.
Simmons, L. (2021). Economic Justice. Encyclopedia of Social Work. Web.