Group counseling strategies and skills chapter 2

Chapter 2 Stages of Groups, Group Process, and Therapeutic Forces... Group Dynamics of Different Kinds of Groups A discussion of group dynamics must take into consideration the kind o

Chapter 2

Stages of Groups, Group Process,

and Therapeutic Forces

Stages of Groups

All groups go through three stages:

– The Beginning Stage

– The Working Stage

– The Closing Stage

Other Models of Sequential Stages

Corey: formation, orientation, transition,

working, consolidation, and follow-up.

Tuckman: forming, storming, norming,

performing, and adjourning

Group Process

Group process: interaction and energy

exchange among members and leaders.

Dynamics of Interaction Patterns

– Who talks to whom and how often do

members speak?

– Is the interaction member to member or

member to leader?

Group Dynamics of Different Kinds

of Groups

A discussion of group dynamics must take

into consideration the kind of group and the

leadership style

– Education Groups

Members have different abilities to learn Members at different comfort levels with the material

– Discussion Groups

Leader needs to be aware of member trying to dominate

Leader should try to get everyone to participate

Group Dynamics of Different Kinds

of Groups

continued

– Task Groups

Members may need conflict-resolution

Be aware of power plays

– Growth & Experiential Groups

Most important is how members feel about each other since they will be sharing personally

Wide variety of needs among members

Group Dynamics of Different Kinds

of Groups

continued

Level of trust, commitment, and caring is essential Need for commonality

Members at different levels of mental health Members have wide variety of needs

No identified leader Dynamics vary depending on membership

Yalom’s Curative Factors

Instillation of hope

Universality

Imparting of information

Altruism

Corrective recapitulation of the primary

family group

Yalom’s Curative Factors

continued

Development of socialization techniques

Imitative behavior

Interpersonal learning Group cohesiveness

Catharsis

Existential factors

Therapeutic Forces

A skilled leader is always paying attention to

the therapeutic forces in a group.

Clarity of Purpose

– Leader needs to be clear

– Members need to be clear

Relevance of Purpose

– Must fit the purpose of the group

Therapeutic Forces

continued

Group Size

– Depends on the kind of group

– 5-8 members usually best

– Educational groups can be larger

Therapeutic Forces

continued

Length of Each Session

– Depends on kind of group

– Varies with membersVaries with members

– Discussion, Education, 1-2 hours

– School groups—20-40 minutes

– Support, Counseling, Therapy groups 11/2-2

hours

Therapeutic Forces

continued

Frequency of meetings

– Depends on setting and purpose

Daily – residential setting,

counseling/therapy

Weekly- residential or community

setting, counseling/therapy, support

Bi-weekly-community, support,

psychoeducational

Therapeutic Forces

continued

Adequacy of the Setting

– Ideally, a private space with the same size chairs

Time of Day

The Leader’s Attitude

attitude of the leader

Therapeutic Forces

continued

Closed or Open Groups

– Open groups are more difficult

New members come

Members leave

Members can’t get as close

Voluntary or Nonvoluntary

Membership

– It is usually an anti-therapeutic force

at the beginning with nonvoluntary

members

Therapeutic Forces

continued

Member’s Level of Commitment

Level of Trust

– The leader is crucial in the development of

trust in a group

Member’s Attitudes Toward the Leader

The Leader’s Experience in leading Groups

Coleadership Harmony

Process And Content

Balance process vs content A common

mistake is to focus too much on one or the

other.

– Process here refers to the group dynamics,

and therapeutic forces

– Content refers to the purpose or task of the

group