Group Dynamics

for zoie

Know the ways that we assess the world around us.

Processing our senses; sight, smell, taste, sound, touch, interviews, testing, self-report, collateral

Group Stage: Planning

happens before the first meeting, focusing on design

Group Stage: Beginning

the first actual meeting where members interact and orient themselves to the established plan.

Group Stage: Assessment

a continuous information-gathering and analysis process used to create and modify the action plan

Group Stage: Middle

the actual implementation of the plan and the active work toward goals.

Group Stage: End

deals with the emotional and logistical process of saying goodbye and concluding the relationship

Group Stage: Evaluation

the objective review of the outcomes and the effectiveness of the entire process.

Enabler definition

helps members to utilize their own resources and strengths; encourages members to share their feelings

Broker definition

identifies community resources that may help members carry out their treatment plans, connects them with resources

Mediator definition

resolves disputes, conflicts within the group; takes a neutral stand

Advocate definition

represents the members' interests and needs; helps members obtain services

Educator definition

Presents new information to help resolve member concerns; leads role plays; demonstrates new models of behaviors

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

Contact with the present, acceptance, defusion, committed actions, values

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

How we think and feel/how it activates our behaviors: thoughts create feelings, feelings create behavior, behavior creates thoughts

REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy)

Activating event, belief system, consequence (Cognitive restructuring)

DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)

Distress and tolerance, mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness

Intrapersonal interventions

focus on members' cognition and affects

Interpersonal interventions

focus on members' relationships within/outside the group

Environmental interventions

change the psychosocial or physical space of members

Psychotrophic medication

environmental intervention

open groups

each member experiences disengagement at a different time during the group's progression

closed groups

all members end at the same time. The worker can help all members to deal with common issues and feelings that arise as the group draws to a close.

Reverse brainstorming

list the negative consequences of actions quickly and thoroughly

Example of reverse brainstorming

"what might go wrong with this idea"

Brainstorming

Free thinking is encouraged, Primary purpose is to increase the number of ideas generated by members

What are the Stages of Change

Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance, Termination

What activities take place during the Middle stage?

The period when the group becomes more focused on accomplishing the goals and tasks identified in the beginning stage. Participants begin giving non-defensive responses and fostering group discussion of issues and concerns

What activities take place during the End stage?

Keep members focused on the topic of discussion, Limit the time that each member has to discuss an issue, Summarize what has been said

What activities take place during the Evaluation stage?

Formative, summative, evaluative; Feedback about your work; Accountability to clients; Agency and funding mandates

Be able to identify the types of Cognitive Distortions.

Not rational, overly dramatic

Filtering defintion

Filtering out all the positives of a situation

Shoulds definition

List of rules for yourself and others

Overgeneralization definition

Come to a conclusion based on experiences

Self-observation definition

Charting-record monitored data on a chart because members rely on memory of events

Naturalistic observations definition

the worker observes the members naturally within the group dynamic

Role playing definition

the worker and the group members act out roles

Simulations definition

simulate a situation in order to practice skills taught

Program activities

Determine the objectives of the activity. Activities can & should be therapeutic (Games, role playing scenarios, writing activities, etc)

Self-Anchored Rating Scale

A measurement device made by the worker and the group members specifically to record data about the problematic behavior

Thought Stopping

Stop, turnaway judgement, observe, perspective; redirect your focus

Cognitive Restructuring

techniques that focus on correcting cognitive distortions and deprecating self-talk

Reframing

used to help group members see situations or problems from another person's point of view

Flooding

member is asked to imagine the actual feared event and feedback is given by the other members on how to cope with it

Task Conflict

is based on member's differing opinions about ideas, information and facts presented during the group's work

Group Mind

is a state in which members allow an emotion generated from their participation in a group to dominate their intellectual power

Example of Group Mind

If 80% say the wall is green, the other 20% will think the wall is green too due to the majority

Group Conflict

a disagreement or tension between two or more groups, or within a single group, seen as group development

Hitchhiking

when group members build on ideas that have already been expressed. Combine and rearrange to modify and improve on original ideas

Group Think

occurs when group contagion takes over and members fail to express their own thoughts and feelings. Instead, the go along with the predominant sentiment of the group

Focus Group

Consist of semi-structured group interviews following an interview guide with prompts. Generating hypotheses about the way individuals think/behave; tested quantitatively

Triggering

any stimulus—like a sound, smell, person, or situation—that prompts a strong emotional or psychological reaction, often reliving past trauma

Implosion

member is asked to imagine the most extreme version of a feared event within the protective environment of the group

.

..