Problem #2 Exclusive emphasis on rational thought
When we reviewed the OFA and other group models, we discovered an alarming reliance on rational thought as a basis for decisionmaking. The role of feelings and intuition was all but absent in the decisionmaking systems being taught to clients. Somehow they had become associated with impulsive, reckless decisionmaking and, instead, individuals were encouraged to consider "the facts" and only "the facts". Unfortunately, this approach omits an important category of facts: our feelings.

Response: Attention to feelings and intuition in the decision-making process provides the individual with important clues to her needs, values, and goals. On the other hand, emotions can block the decisionmaking process, preventing the individual from making or following through on a decision. We needed to both acknowledge the role of feelings and to incorporate emotions and intuition into a thoughtful, careful and comprehensive approach. As a result, we introduced new. exercises and broader techniques for decisionmaking.

Participants are now encouraged to use their feelings and intuition as sources of important information throughout the program. Their wishes, in Session 3, are interpreted as preliminary goals. Fears about school are translated into educational needs in Session 12. An activity called The Party Game helps participants identify potential vocational choices partly on the basis of intuition and feelings.

Feelings are dealt with directly in Session 15, where the fears and concerns of participants are openly acknowledged and supported. The group identifies ways that their feelings could prevent them from taking the risk of making a decision, and, finally, feelings are included in the system which participants use to make and assess their decisions. They are pulled into the technique as a major player, not as an afterthought.

Problem #3 Self confidence in decision-making is not addressed
Although the OFA program in many ways successfully increases participants' overall self-esteem, it did not specifically seek to build confidence in decision-making. Neither did it adequately address the role that previous experience might play in enhancing or undermining an individual's ability to make a decision. Without this preliminary work, many participants lacked the confidence to embark on an independent decision-making process.

Response: Participants, as a group, are now encouraged to make decisions about the program's content and format. They decide about starting times, they identify their information needs, they pinpoint social issues to act on, and they plan their final celebration. They are also helped to review their decisionmaking history in a non-judgmental way. Evaluating decisions on the basis of process and not outcomes builds selfesteem and alleviates paralyzing guilt and self-blame. Participants are also strongly encouraged to identify positive and difficult decisions they have made in their life, and, as homework, they are asked to take note of all the decisions, large and small, they daily make for themselves and their families. In this way their decision-making abilities and strengths are highlighted and validated.

The above account, though we hope it is helpful, is at best an outline of the concerns which arose in our critical review of decision-making counseling and the changes we made to address them. A more detailed account of our new approach is found in the third edition of the OFA program manual, Preparing for Change: A Group Work Model. We hope that our work will encourage others in the field to experiment with new and more comprehensive models of decision-making.

Sharon Filger, Formerly Program Manager for OFA, is now with the MacAuley Child Development Centre in Toronto.

Jeanette Browne, Training Coordinator for OFA, is responsible for program development for immigrant women and people who are unemployed.

OFA can be contacted at 801 Eglinton Avenue, suite 301, Toronto, Ontario, M5N 1E3.