Chapters 11 & 12

BY: Riley Carr, Melinda Goblirsch, & Zachariah

Saltmarsh

Chapter 11: The Beginning

phase with groups

Clients in The beginning of group sessions often feel tentative, uncertain, and fearful

SILENCESilence is very common after the group leader

makes the opening statementSOME MEMBERS MAY BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT THEY SHOULD SHARE IN THE FIRST SESSION, OTHERS MAY BE TOO SHY TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO SPEAK

Some tips for group leaders experiencing silence are stating that it is difficult to speak in front of strangers, and to ask members to state why they are hesitant to start speaking

Common Mistakes Made by Group Leaders1.Leaders promote a group purpose without

consideration of individual client needs2.Leaders confuse group purpose with

group content3.Leaders state group purpose vaguely and

meaningless which leads to little direction for the group

4.Leaders are reluctant to share with members their ideas about the group’s purpose

5.Leaders function with a hidden purpose in mind that they do not share with the group

6.Leaders understand purpose as a fixed concept, not something that changes over time

Interpersonal Therapy model

Example: Interpersonal Therapy Model https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IkZ8UIXdpI

■Leaders should develop empathy with the group members to develop a working relationship

■Leaders should address confidentiality in the

first session to ensure members to feel safe

Outcomes of first sessions

● INtroduce group members● Create a brief opening statement

that alerts members about potential issues or concerns

● To obtain feedback from members about their sense of fit in the group

● To begin to encourage group member interaction

● To begin to develop a supportive group culture that members feel safe in

● To encourage effectiveness honest feedback and evaluation of the effectiveness of the group

Skills and Interventions to meet group outcomes ● Clarifying the group’s

Purpose: The leader should make a simple statement that describes the purpose of the group

● Clarifying the Role of the GRoup LEader: The group leader can help more when member’s know what their group leader’s role is

● Reaching for the group members’ feedback: Finding out group members’ needs and what they want out of the session helps them to get more out of the sessions

Processes for groups with coleaders● Intrapersonal process:

Coleaders critically analyze their experiences in past coleader group interactions

● Interpersonal process: Coleaders verbally reflect on their past experiences of coleading group sessions

● Evaluative Process: Occurs at both the intrapersonal and interpersonal levels. Coleaders reflect on the quality of their relationships with past group members, and also their performance as leaders

Open-Ended GroupsOpen-ended groups are continuously changing in that some members leave and new members join the sessions

The advantages of open-ended groups far outweigh the disadvantages. Existing members can help new members adjust to the group setting.

In an example of group therapy for a substance abuse treatment program, some advantages of the program included the group members providing positive peer support, reducing the sense of isolation that most people who have substance use experience, allowing members to see how other members deal with similar problems, offering family-like experiences that support and nurture other group members, and encouraging, coaching, supporting, and reinforcing members as they undertake difficult tasks involving their abstinence from substances (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 2012).

Single-session groupsSome groups are short-term or even meet only a single time

Single-session groups are often informational or educational and usually involve larger groups of people

GRoup leaders may feel pressured with a lack of time, and that group participation will be limited because they are only meeting once

Internet Online groupsTHe use of the internet has been growing in counseling due to the increase of technology.

Online counseling is popular for individual, family, and group practices.

Leaders must ensure confidentiality online and be aware of legal and ethical issues involved with online counseling

Telephone-Mediated group WorkTelephone groups are used to provide

emotional support, deliver information, assist with problem solving, share experiences, and to reduce isolation.

ALthough there is a lack of face-to-face communication, telephone group work still proved to be effective. Members reported they felt safe and trusted, and enjoyed hearing about what has worked for others in the past.

Chapter 12: The middle

phase of group work

Role of the group leader

Focus on helping each individual member share their concerns to the group

Develop strategies and skills for planning and facilitating multicultural and social justice sensitive groups (Ohrt et al. 2014)

Act as a mediator

Avoid individual counseling in the group

The work phase model1. Preliminary Stage2. Beginning Stage3. Middle Stage4. Ending and Transition Steps

Preliminary Stage“Preparatory Stage”

Sessional tuning in

Leader develops awareness and anticipates possible topics that may surface during the session

Leader tunes into conversations before the meeting begins

Beginning stageCentral tasks of group

leader:

Figure out what the group-as-a-whole is concerned about

Address issues that need to be discussed

Sessional contracting

Employed at the start of the session

Clarifies immediate work that needs to be approached

Group members may express indirect communication

Middle stageLeader’s role

Use elaboration skills such as containment, focused listening, and questioning to help the group share stories

Be ready to share own feelings

Monitors each individual, time, and group

Express empathy

Support group members in taboo areas

Detect and challenge resistance within the group

Share data

Ending and transition stageSummarizing

Generalizing

Identifying the next steps

Help group members to rehearse

Thank members for participating

Analyze future work

Activity in groupsActivity group: usually applied to groups involved in a range of

activities other than only conversation (Shulman, L. 2016).

Functions of activity in groups

Human contact

Data gathering

Rehearsal

Deviational allowance

Entry

Purposes of activity

For activity itself

For educational or curative purposes

Chapter Summary

Group leaders have the responsibility of not only the group-as-a-whole but also each

individual within the group. The work phase model provides an outline of the middle phase of group work. This model is not just restricted to the middle phase of group work and could easily applied to other forms of counseling.

Activities help to facilitate chances for human contact, gathering of data, practicing through rehearsal, deviational allowance, and entry.

ReferencesHoy, W. G. (2016) Bereavement Groups and the Role of Social Support:

Integrating Research, Theory, and Practice. [N.p.]: Routledge. Ohrt, J. H., Ener, E., Porter, J., & Young, T. L., (2014). Group leader reflections

on their training and experiences: Implications for group counselor educators and supervisors. Journal For Specialists In Group Work, 39(2), 95-124.

Shulman, L. (2016). The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, (2012). Substance abuse treatment: Group therapy inservice training. HHS Publication, No. 11-4664.