FACT SHEET
Sydney Process Counselling and Therapy
Handy Hints for Understanding
and Facilitating Groups
Why do we sometimes feel more nervous about leading groups, than working with individuals? Group work can feel more complex, not only because there are more people! Simply stated, similar to individuals, groups also have 'a life of their own'. So, we need to try to be aware of our own process, the individual's process in the group and the group process. We may feel that we know about how to facilitate groups, but without a lot of training and experience, we may find ourselves losing our confidence or people becoming angry.
Eg. A background group process is the 'critic', which is why we feel nervous as we 'feel' the critic energy, even if it is not expressed in the group.Then the external unconscious critic process in the group hooks into our internal critic and we lose our confidence. Groups work better if you, as the leader or facilitator are aware of, and attend to conscious and unconscious processes of the individuals and the group and yourself!
So, here are some handy hints!
Be clear about what you are trying to achieve in each group.
Set clear boundaries and therefore clear expectations. A mixture of information and a handout, if appropriate, time for people to share and talk, socialization within the group, (cup of tea together) and time for question and answer works well.Prepare material thoroughly,
so you feel confident and then relax and relate to the group. Sometimes it is more important to let go a little of your plan for the group session, and deal with what happens in the group than to 'rush through' material or stick rigidly to what you think 'should' be happening.Dealing with feeling responsible for the group.
Remember that people are responsible for themselves and their own behaviour. Your responsibility as a group leader is to turn up! Start and finish on time and be the best you can be! professionally and honestly within your knowledge and skills. Remember also that people can contribute and know more than you sometimes, so the skill is to invite and encourage people to share their knowledge and experiences. You don't have to have all the answers or fix everything! That is an impossible goal.How to keep the group 'on track'
and keep people focused and not go off on tangents! Do not be shy to intervene and change the direction of the discussion. On the other hand, be aware that some 'distractions and 'tangents' can be quite useful. It just means people are not following 'your' agenda! Allow that to happen for a short time and then refocus the group, by picking a word or phrase the person has used and bring it back to the main topic.How to deal with emotions in a group.
Do not be scared of emotions coming out. It means that people consider the group a safe place to cry or to express anger. They may have no other people or place in their life to let out their feelings. It also is a role model to others that feelings are ok. You can say, ' oh, you are having alot of feeling there'. You don't have to make things 'better' or protect other members of the group from feelings. However, if this group is not a therapy group, as such, there needs to also be appropriate boundaries. If, eg you feel that someone is inappropriately angry or becoming extremely distressed, you can stop the group for a cup of tea and individually support and talk with the person. However, if you have a 'helper' or co-leader, they can take the person with them momentarily out the group, until they are more ready to come back in, when they feel calmer.Challenging the leadership role.
If someone is always challenging you, or even someone constantly asks alot of questions, this can be an unconscious challenge to your leadership. You don't need to feel threatend or defensive or worry about other group member or try to keep them quiet. Just invite the person's opinion in and say, 'oh, that sounds interesting, I hadn't thought about it like that, or, 'you seem to have a strong opinion or alot of knowledge about that. Thank you. ' ie. Don't have a conflict with a 'difficult' person, acknowledge them in a positive way, but also set a boundary, if they become disruptive and move on from them.Silent Groups.
Don't be scared of silences as they allow people to think or feel. If the silence becomes uncomfortable, move on to another topic etc. 'Maybe there is nothing to say right now so we will move on', or 'everyone seems to be in a more reflective mood today, or 'does anyone want to say anything about what we have been talking about. Hotspots in the group like personality clashes etc. Step in fairly early and say, 'sounds like there are some different opinions happening, but actually, let's stop it there, as this is not really what we are here for today,' or 'I'm sure some other people have some different opinions too, maybe we can hear from them, or 'you 2 seem to like having a strong debate'. Take charge of the situation so it doesn't blow up, as this is not a conflict resolution group!Participants who talk alot!
Don't be shy to interrupt after a while, and ask the group, 'does anyone else have any thoughts about what 'Tom' or 'Susi' is saying? Or thank them and say, 'let's give some other people a chance to join in. Or say, 'I'd like to ask some people who haven't spoken yet, what they think.'Dealing with Latecomers.
Don't worry. Just say hello and welcome to them and just keep going with the group. At the end, emphasise the starting time, and its good not to miss the start. Don't let latecomers disrupt the group!Finishing the group
and getting people out the door! Just say 'We need to finish now.' Etc. After a few moments, say again in a friendly tone, 'great to see everyone. We need to go now so please talk outside if you like and see you at the next group.'Dealing with sudden illness
ill health or panic attacks in the group. Stay calm and take charge. Deal with the ill person first, do what needs to be done and let the other group members look after themselves until the emergency has passed. Or have a couple of people helping and suggest a tea break until it is dealt with. Call an ambulance if the person needs one. Then allow group members to calm down and talk.
Contact Sherry Marshall at Sydney Process Counselling & Therapy
if you have any questions or want more information please do not hesitate to email her
Phone 0411 155 091
Email: sherrymarshall@optusnet.com.au
