Group a counseling specialty 7e pearson by t gladding chapter 07

Preparing to Close a Group Proper preparation for ending a group begins at the planning stage.. Preparing to Close a Group Closing occurs on two levels in a group:  At the end of each

Chapter 7

Closing a Group

Prepared by: Nathaniel N Ivers, Wake Forest

University

 How to prepare and close a group

 The effects on individuals of ending a group

 The Premature Closing of a Group

 Specific ways of closing a group

 Problems in the closing a group

 Follow-up Sessions

Preparing to Close a Group

 Proper preparation for ending a group begins at the planning stage

 To ensure proper group procedures from start to end, leaders must establish appropriate

boundaries

Preparing to Close a Group

 Closing occurs on two levels in a group:

 At the end of each session

 At the end of a certain number of group

sessions

 At orientation, the subject of closing is raised

 In closing a group session, a leader should inform members that the group is ending about 5 to 30 minutes before its conclusion.

 In ending a total group experience, the orientation

to closing involves a planned number of sessions that are devoted to the topic of termination.

Effects on Individuals of Ending a

Group Ending a group has an impact on individuals.

 “If handled appropriately, the process of

termination can be an important role in helping individuals develop new behaviors” (Hansen et al.,

1980, p 539)

 The range of feelings among individual group members can be very wide

 Some engage in farewell-party syndrome to

avoid the pain of closure (Shulman, 2012)

Effects on Individuals of Ending a Group Options for people who need more help after

termination:

 Individual counseling

 Referral to another group or organization

 Recycling through a similar group

experience

Premature Closing of a Group

 Premature termination can occur for the

following reasons:

 Individuals quit the group abruptly.

 A group experience ends suddenly because

of actions by the group leader

 ASGW (2007) has provided guidelines to follow

in premature ending situations

Premature Closing of the Group as a Whole

 Leaders must do one of the following:

 Have at least one group session to say good-bye to the group as a whole

 Contact group members directly

Premature Closing Initiated by Group Members

 Some reasons for which group members prematurely terminate group sessions:

 External factors

 Group deviancy

 Problems of intimacy

 Fear of emotional contagion

Reasons for Premature Ending (Cont.) Inability to share the doctor (group leader)

 Complications of concurrent individual and group therapy

 Early provocateurs

 Inadequate orientation to therapy

 Complications arising from subgrouping

Preventing Premature Closing

 Steps to reduce the potential for premature

ending:

 Start and end groups on time.

 Help members make commitments to attend a

number of sessions.

 Treat members in a personal and professional way.

 Communicate clearly and concisely about

individual and group issues

 Send members reminders if there are long

intervals between group sessions (Young, 2013)

Closing of Group Sessions

 Member Summarization

 Leader Summarization

 Rounds

 Dyads

 Scaling Activities

 Written Reactions

 Rating Sheets

 Homework

Capping Skills in Closings

 Assessing members’ growth, change (or

achievement)

 Finishing business

 Applying change to everyday life (implementing decisions)

 Providing feedback

 Planning for continued problem resolution

Problems in Closing of Groups

 Denial

 Transference

 Countertransference

Follow-Up Sessions

 Procedure of reconnecting with group members after they have had enough time to process

what they experienced in the group and work

on their goals or objectives

 Beneficial to members and to leaders in

evaluating the experience they had in the

group and reflecting on what they learned