Topic Area/Issue of the Focus of the Session I attended a group counseling session held three weeks ago at the local mental health facility. It involved counseling young people exposed to substances prior to becoming frequent users. Most of the individuals were aged between 17 and 30. Also, most were in their first or second jobs. Others were fresh from colleges while others were taking courses in the local institutions—the group comprised of one female counselor (a professor in a state university) and 16 clients. The focus for the session was substance withdrawal to help the clients realize the importance and the process of abandoning the behavior. Modality and Theoretical Foundation My analysis of the session is based on the Adlerian Theory. The counselor focused on achieving results within the shortest time possible (Adler, 2004). It is important to note that the session roughly followed the Adlerian method because the counselor used a direct, efficient, planned, focused, concise and purposeful approach limited by time (Adler, 2004). Founded by Alfred Adler, the Adlerian theory is a psychodynamic approach that focuses on the social determinants of human behavior rather than biological aspects (Bitter & Corey, 2011). Also, the approach ignores the past origins of the behavior and focuses on its goals. Instead of analyzing the unconscious nature of human behavior, it emphasizes its purpose (Bitter & Corey, 2011). Therefore, it uses a socioteleological approach that emphasizes the social forces that motivate people as they strive to achieve certain goals at a given time and place. According to this theory, people tend to create an idiosyncratic view of their lives, self, and others (Bitter & Corey, 2011). Then, they create short-term and long-term goals based on this view. Consequently, the goals motivate the people’s behavior and improve their development (Bitter & Corey, 2011). Discussion of Group Stages When attending the session, the counselor demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the group and group dynamics based on the Adlerian approach. The counselor attempted to investigate and interpret the problem in a therapeutic approach based on four major stages (Adler, 1996). Stage 1. Development and maintenance of cohesive relationships At the onset of the session, the counselor began by laying a strong and effective foundation for cohesiveness and connection (Adler, 2004). The counselor started by introducing herself, education, social and professional backgrounds. She revealed that she was once involved in substance abuse in her early years at the university. She also asked the clients to introduce themselves and their backgrounds. Also, she established a democratic environment in which every person was allowed to ask the counselor any question within the context of the issue at hand. I realized that the purpose of this approach was to ensure that the counselor won the cooperation of every client to achieve effective group counseling. The counselor also focused on issues related to the cause and methods of abandoning substance abuse and the impacts of the substances on the social and sex life because the group was mainly interested in learning something in these areas. The counselor was applying an Adlerian approach in the