Group Process in Counseling (Chapters 4 - 6)

What leads to many groups not being successful?

A lack of pre-group planning.

What are the two aspects of group planning?

pre-group planning and session planning.

What are the four decisions that have to be made when forming a group?

How many sessions will the group meet.

When the group will meet.

Who should the members be.

How will the members be screened.

Why is it a good idea to set a limit to how many sessions the group will meet?

It gives members an idea of how much time they have to complete any personal work.

The number of sessions may be determined by what factors?

Length of school term.

Leader's availability.

Needs of the members.

Amount of information to be covered.

What two factors must be considered for when groups meet?

Time of day. (meeting time shouldn't cause conflicts)

Frequency of meetings.

Ideally how many therapy groups should a leader hold in one day?

No more than one.

The frequency of group meetings is determined by what?

the kind of group, its purpose, and members and leader's availability.

When forming a group the leader must decide what?

Whether the entire population make up the membership.

Members will volunteer, or being selected.

________ issues must also be considered when choosing members.

Multicultural issues (age, gender, personal background)

What is the biggest problem faced by counselors when it comes to member selection?

They often do not get to select the members of their group.

What is a consequence of not being able to personally select members?

You may get members who are not appropriate for the group.

Leaders need to keep in mind that all groups are not appropriate for _____.

all people.

Whether screening is used depends on the _______.

purpose of the group.

This screening method is the most time consuming but also the best.

The personal interview.

The personal interview allows leaders to _____ and ____.

personally access and contact potential members.

inform members about the content, process, and rules of the group.

This screening method has potential members fill out a form with biographical information.

A written screening

The questions asked on a written screening usually depend on _____.

The purpose of the group.

Questions that are sometimes over looked include ______.

Candidate availability and need for childcare or transportation.

The key to effective screening is to ______.

find the information needed to form a group that can share together.

This screening method relies on referral sources (E.g., teachers) to seek out potential members.

Screening by referral sources.

When using referral sources leaders must ______.

ensure that those making referrals understand the purpose of the group.

A leader who is conducting several groups in the same setting can screen members by assigning them to any of the groups.

What screening method is this?

Screening by Using a Comprehensive Group Program

Assigning members according to personal characteristics increases the likelihood of _____.

the group being valuable to members.

There are no definite guidelines for group screening because ____.

each situation and purpose is different.

Leaders should be _____ to those who are rejected by the screening process.

sensitive.

Why is it a good idea to conduct initial group meeting session for potential members?

It gives participants a chance to see if the group is right for them.

After the group has met a couple times it may be good for leaders to meet with each member and discuss their continued participation in the group.

Why might this be useful?

Useful when there is a need to screen out certain members.

Big-picture Planning means what?

Thinking about all possible topics that will/could be covered in the session.

By doing considering possible topics, the leader thinks through the purpose and the topics to be covered and ______.

how the group may evolve over its lifespan.

When planning leaders should first _____ and then _____.

list all possible topics; put them in order to be covered across the meetings.

What factors may help with big-picture planning?

Talking with colleagues, reading relevant literature, and gathering info during screening.

Big-picture planning needs to be done when?

Before the group begins.

Planning a session involves deciding on ____ and ____.

the topics; group activities.

When is minimal planning necessary for a group session?

When members understand the purpose and are eager to discuss their concerns.

When is thorough planning necessary for a group session?

When members do not bring issues for discussion but are there to complete exercises.

(Education or task groups)

When planning any group session what must a leader consider?

What stage the group is in.

Another consideration for session planning concerns what?

How many more sessions the group will meet for.

What are some considerations when formatting the group?

Some groups work well with the same format (education) while other groups made need a more varied format (counseling).

The benefit of using different formats is that it keeps members ____ and ____.

interested; curious.

Leader must also anticipate potential ____ when planning a session.

problems.

What are some problems that leaders should may consider when planning?

Members not completing outside activities (reading).

Members being absent.

Unanticipated issues in the group.

If a activity, exercise, or discussion does not go well what might a leader do to plan for this?

Always have a backup plan.

How many phases does each session have?

What are the names of these phases?

Three.

The beginning stage, the working stage, and the closing stage.

During the warm-up phase the leader often has the members do what?

Has members comment on any thoughts or reactions they've had since the last session.

What is the focus of the group during the middle phase?

the groups purpose.

The closing phase of a group is for what?

Summarizing the session.

When it comes to the beginning phase leaders should also plan what?

How to open the session.

The first few minutes are a session are typically used for what?

review of last session or member check in.

Often times the beginning phase of a group last ____.

too long, warm-ups should never exceed 10 - 15 minutes.

By planning activities or discussions the leader is able to assess what about the members?

How they are feeling that day.

When planning for open groups the leader will need to allot time at the beginning of a session for what purpose?

to introduce any new members to the group.

This should not dominate the opening.

In what ways may a leader introduce a new member to the group?

The leader may introduce the member or they may do it themself.

Other members may also introduce themselves.

Leaders should give thought to whether the opening will be _____ energy or ____ energy.

high; low (the type used will depend on the group)

The working phase is important for what reasons?

It is when meaningful interactions and discussions take place.

Planning for the working phase depends mostly on the _____ and ______ of the group.

kind of group; makeup of the members.

The working phase for Discussion and Education groups usually involves what?

Deciding on what topics/info to cover and the order in which they will be covered.

The working phase for Task groups usually involves what?

the leader making every session relevant and productive.

topics must be useful.

The working phase for Support groups usually involves what?

Members sharing common concerns.

leaders must introduce relevant topics that vary.

The working phase for Growth or Experiential groups usually involves what?

Leader must plan meaningful activities.

focus on one or many topics.

must consider multicultural issues due to focus on values.

some groups may be more intense than others.

The working phase for Counseling and Therapy groups usually involves what?

Varies greatly (some groups require more/less planning due to member willingness to share).

What is a common mistake when planning a session?

Not planning a closing phase.

A good closing phase should do what?

Highlight or summarize issues/info.

Allows the leader to check for confusion or unfinished business.

Enhance members commitment to the groups purpose.

Leaders should give extra thought and care when planning the closing phase of which sessions?

The first and last sessions of the group.

Especially for counseling, therapy, growth and support groups.

What are the goals for closing the final session?

Hearing individual members group experience.

Strengthening any decisions, commitments or behavior changes.

Feedback of members to leader and each other.

Why is it important for leaders to estimate how much time is necessary for each activity?

So that they can help gauge the flow of the group

Leaders should develop enough detail so that they can see the _____ of the session.

flow

The biggest mistake in planning a group session is what?

Not planning at all.

What is the problem with over planning for a session?

Too many exercises often results in superficial coverage of topics.

(must allow time to focus on topics so new learning may occur)

Leaders should avoid choosing exercises or topics that _____.

do not interest members or relate to group purpose.

It is essential that the leader ensures the session will be _____ and ____ for all members.

Relevant; valuable.

The purpose of any group is for members to _____.

Gain/learn something or accomplish a task.

If a group leader does not allow time for the group to process a topic what will happen?

members will not gain any meaningful experiences from the sessions.

During the first session of a depression group the leader decides to have members complete an exercise that involves sharing any suicidal thoughts.

What might be the problem with this exercise?

it is not appropriate for the stage the group is in.

Members may not be ready to discuss these topics.

What is the problem with planning too many exercises for a group?

Prevents members from processing and learning from exercises.

Leaders often plan too much time for _____.

activities.

Important to consider the appropriate amount of time for an activity.

A leader who plans a activity based on forming bonds and then afterwards has members engage in a discussion exercise on personal loss is showcasing what mistake in planning?

Poor planning of the flow of the session.

Leaders often fail to plan _____ warm up phases. These openings are particularly useful for groups with non-voluntary members.

interesting.

When leader have much to cover the often forget to plan for the _____ phase.

Opening/warm-up phase.

If a leader notices that members don't seem to be benefiting from their session plan then it may be a good idea to ______.

deviate from the plan.

Leaders should be flexible.

The four key points of planning are what?

Always have a plan.

Have a back-up plan.

Be flexible.

Stick to the plan unless something better or equal to what you had planned comes up.

The ____ and ____ sessions of a group are often the most important and difficult to lead.

First; second

Why are these first sessions the most important and difficult for leaders?

The leader has many different dynamics and logistics to manage.

Ex. introducing members.

How many concepts should be considered for the first session?

19.

How leader opens the session will have an effect on the overall ____ of the group and the ____ level of members.

tone; comfort.

What are members doing in the beginning of the group?

form impressions of the leader and assess if the group is right for them.

A formal opening for a group is often ____.

less effective.

When members open a session with a mini-lecture, discussion of rules, or session info members may ____.

grow bored or lose interest.

Never spend more than 10 - 15 on opening.

What are the 8 possible openings for a session?

Start with a brief statement then go into introductions.

Start with a long opening about group + purpose then conduct a intro exercise.

Start with a long opening then jump into content.

Start with a brief statement then jump into content.

Start with a brief statement then form dyads.

Start with a brief statement then use sentence completion form.

Start with an introduction exercise.

Start with an interesting opening.

This opening is the most frequently used by group leaders.

What is this openings name and why is it so widely used?

Start with a brief statement then jump into introductions.

Widely used because it has members become active and feel like they are part of a group.

This opening is often used for education or task groups and has the leader spend 3 - 5 mins describing the purpose and format of the group.

Start with a long opening about group + purpose then conduct a intro exercise.

A long opening must be interesting and informative otherwise members will be bored.

This opening is used in education, task, and discussion groups where members already know one another or where little sharing will take place.

Start with a long opening then jump into content.

Can used to clarify groups purpose or content.

This opening is good for groups like education or ones that will meet for short periods where no intros are needed.

Start with a brief statement then jump into content.

Describe why a leader might use the following opening.

Start with a brief statement about the group then form dyads.

When introductions aren't necessary.

Useful for when the purpose is already clear.

Describe why a leader might use the following opening.

Start with a brief statement then use sentence completion form.

When introductions aren't necessary and you want to help members focus.

Describe why a leader might use the following opening.

Start with an introduction exercise.

Should be done only when members understand the groups purpose.

Members introduce themselves and focus on group content.

Describe why a leader might use the following opening.

Start with an interesting opening.

In situations where members may not be committed to the group.

Can set a good tone for the session and hooks interest.

In groups where personal sharing will take place or there are members from diverse backgrounds more time should be spent doing what?

Helping members get acquainted.

Members feel more at ease when they know each others names.

What is the most important factor in determining what kind of introduction exercise to use?

The purpose of the group.

Size and group meeting time effect this as well.

What is the name round?

Members introduce themselves and maybe share info.

What is shared depends on group purpose.