Group Work

What are the three different areas that task facilitation groups develop into?

1. Client needs (treatment teams, staff development, education to better serve clients) 2. organizational needs 3. community needs - ie, social action task force

What are three components of culturally competent practice?

1.beliefs and attitudes 2.knowledge 3.skills

What is group psychotherapy?

A process of reeducation that includes both conscious and unconscious awareness in both the present and the past; more long term than other groups; to correct behavioral or emotional disorders; trauma, chronic patterns of behavior, reconstructive process, insights, corrective emotional experience; complex, personally intense; remediation, treatment, personality reconstruction

What is group cohesiveness?

A therapeutic factor in group work that creates the "we-ness", sense of ownership, aided by consistent attendance and participation; acts on group to make group want to stick together; creates sense of belonging; togetherness; feeling of specialness; STRONG DETERMINANT OF A POSITIVE GROUP OUTCOME; here and now focus help foster cohesion

What are the most important foundation elements in group planning?

Announcing group & recruiting members, screening & selecting group members, open v. closed, voluntary v. involuntary, homogenous v. heterogenous, meeting place, group size, frequency & length, short term v. long term; adequate orientation

What might be some obstacles for beginning group leaders?

Anxiety, self-disclosure, challenges of dealing with a system (professional impotency)

What are some culturally appropriate techniques to consider?

Awareness of beliefs and attitudes, Knowledge, Skills, Recognize your limitations; modify strategies to fit needs and situations of group members, appreciate and manage diverse worldviews, self-awareness and open stance

What is free association (as related to psychoanalytic groups)?

Basic tool for uncovering unconscious processes; communicating whatever comes to mind no matter how painful, illogical, or irrelevant it may seem

What is linking?

Building bridges between people; building connections around shared experiences; encouraging direct interaction, directing people to talk with one another; an invitational skill; continuous scanning of group to sense reactions

What characterizes a heterogenous group?

Composed of people who are different in any number of given ways; Offers the opportunity to members to experience new behaviors, develop social skills, gain feedback from diverse sources; Includes range of ages, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, gender and sexual identity, and various concerns; microcosm of social structure

What characterizes a homogenous group?

Composed of people who are similar in any number of given ways; typically short term, usually shared issue or age range, fosters group cohesion

How can a leader deal with tensions among members from diverse backgrounds?

Deal with openly and with concern; members can discover that relationships are strong enough to withstand an honest level of challenge; recognize and deal with conflict in a way that all parties can maintain integrity - then foundations of trust between parties can be established; recognize that conflict is inevitable and can strengthen trust if dealt with well

What is the primary task of the transition stage?

Dealing with resistance; members deal with anxiety, defensiveness, conflict, and ambivalence about participating in the group

What is resistance as defined by psychoanalysis?

Defined as the individual's reluctance to bring into conscious awareness threatening unconscious material that has previously been repressed or denied; unconscious attempt to defend self against high anxiety client fears will result if fears are uncovered; a way the self protects itself and keeps anxiety at bay; a way of resisting emotional pain

What defines counseling groups?

Enhancement of functioning; preventative as well as remedial aims; typically has specific focus which may be educational, career, social or personal; concerns usually relate to developmental tasks; growth groups, interpersonal relationships, growth in self-awareness

What functions are carried out by analytic group leader?

Facilitates group interaction by helping create an accepting and tolerant climate; focuses on transferences and multiple transferences within group; signals indications of resistance and transference and interprets meanings; helps members become conscious of and work through unfinished business; sets limits for group by developing therapeutic frame; members become auxiliary therapists for one another

What characterizes the fifth stage of a group?

Final Stage - Consolidation and Termination; summarizing, pulling together loose ends, integrating and interpreting the group experience; REVIEW, how to incorporate what was learned and face future challenges

What are the five stages of a group?

Formation, Initial, Transition, Working Stage, Final Stage

What characterizes a task facilitation group?

Formed to help a system correct or develop their functioning; problem solving, developing plans, performance oriented

What are some ethical principles of groups?

Freedom to leave a group; freedom fromm coercion and undue pressure; Right to confidentiality (and sharing exceptions to confidentiality); psychological risk factors; legality - informed consent; respect, rules, norms; people should expect few surprises, give as much info ahead of time as possible; allow people to say no

What is the difference between individual therapy versus group therapy?

Groups maximize resources; services can be offered in a more cost effective way to a greater number of people; offer belonging, connection, growth, laboratory for altruism, assistance when sharing with others, groups help correct distorted impressions, support, empowerment, models the way individuals interact with others, unique learning expriences; offers opportunity for citizens to come together and construct social forms that copy natural forms

What are some characteristics of an effective working group?

Here and now focus, cohesiveness, identified goals and concerns, work and practice outside group, feeling of belonging, listening

What is the primary task of the initial stage? (stage 2)

Inclusion and Identity; time of orientation and exploration, determining structure, getting acquainted, exploring expectations, how group functions, defining goals, characterized by anxiety and insecurity

What are some issues with involuntary clients?

Informed consent very important; be clear about nature & goals of group; rights & responsibilities; reframing group as something helpful; clarity regarding consequences for not attending; full exploration of positive issues with clients

What is the leadership function in an Adlerian group?

Leader works towards goal alignment; takes active steps to establish and maintain therapeutic alliance, explore and analyze individual dynamics and communicate basic attitude of concern and hope; members develop insights and consider alternative beliefs, goals, behaviors

What characterizes counseling groups for college students?

Meeting developmental needs, personal and interpersonal relationship issues, career decisions, feelings of isolation (intimacy vs. isolation)

What other factors should be considered when forming a group?

Meeting place, group size, frequency and length of meetings, short term vs. long term

What defines self-help groups?

No professional at the helm, group organizes itself around a common life situation (ie) self-help

What is suggesting?

Offering advice and information, direction, and ideas for new behavior; helps members develop alternative courses of thinking and action; encouraging members to look at a situation from a different perspective; use to enhance individual's movement towards independence

What is interpreting?

Offering possible explanations for certain thoughts feelings & behaviors; encourages deeper self-exploration & awareness of self-contradictions

What is important to consider about voluntary vs. involuntary groups?

One kind is obviously easier given the willingness of participants.

What are the pros & cons of open vs. closed groups?

One kind offers stability and fosters cohesion; the other allows for new members can replace those who leave and add new stimulation

What is LIFESTYLE as defined by Adler?

Our basic concept of self in relation to the world; personal orientation toward social living; the "story of our life"; purpose of counseling is to enlarge the client's story by making it fuller and richer; a basic sense of who we are expressed in a characteristic pattern of behavior and thinking; a pattern that grows out of early experiences

What characterizes counseling groups for adolescents?

Place to express conflicting feelings, explore self-doubt; openly question values, safely experiment with reality & test limits, self-understanding & self-acceptance (identity vs. identity confusion)

What characterizes counseling groups for children?

Preventive or remedial purposes; emotional & behavioral interventions; peer issues (initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority)

What might aid in the informed consent process?

Provide a professional disclosure statement to group members that includes written info on nature of group, therapist's qualifications, techniques, rights and obligations of participants, risks and benefits; group policies, fees, insurance; nature and limitations of confidentiality

What is supporting?

Providing encouragement and reinforcement; creates an atmosphere where members are encouraged to continue desired behaviors; provide help when members are facing struggles; creates trust

What techniques are used in psychoanalytic groups?

Reflective discussion, ventilation, free association, interpretation, dream analysis, insight and working through,

What constitutes a psychoanalytic group?

Restructuring client's character and personality system; reexperiencing conflicts from family of origin; exploring influences of the past, unconscious, anxiety, ego-defense mechanisms, resistance, transference, countertransference

What characterizes the pre-group screening process?

Select members whose needs and goals are compatible; members who will not impede group process; well-being will not be jeopardized by group experience; should be a two way process & potential members should have an opportunity at a private screening interview to ask questions to determine whether group and leader are right for them

What is blocking?

Slowing down the process and redirecting; ability to stop activity without attacking person exhibiting counterproductive behaviors; use a cognitive frame - summarize & redirect, requires great sensitivity and directness

How does Adler define self-actualization?

Something inside pulling an individual towards realization of goals; self-realization of goals

What characterizes the formation stage?

Stage 1 deals with pregroup issues.

What characterizes the initial stage?

Stage 2 deals with orientation and exploration.

What characterizes the transition stage?

Stage 3 deals with resistance and conflict.

What characterizes the working stage?

Stage 4 deals with cohesion & productivity.

What characterizes the final stage?

Stage 5 deals with consolidation and termination.

What is teleology?

The Adlerian therapeutic approach contends that we can be best understood by looking at where we are going and what we are striving to accomplish; HUMANS LIVE BY GOALS AND PURPOSES; Adlerians relate the past to the present only to indicate the continuity of the maladaptive lifestyle, not to show a causal connection between past and present; deconstruct past to reconstruct future

What are group norms?

The shared beliefs about expected behaviors aimed at making groups function effectively and can be developed during the early stage; "norming" is part and the second stage - the initial phase - developing group culture; development of group rituals

In what stage does group cohesiveness start to form?

The working stage, stage 4

What characterizes the fourth stage of a group?

The working stage; cohesion and productivity; more in depth exploration of significant problems and effective action to bring about desired behavioral changes

How is a psychoeducational group defined?

These groups are structured by some central theme; Offer life skills & teaching; less on interpersonal relationships, but still lots of sharing;there is a theory usually guiding the group; focused on prevention; enhancing people's development; CBT often used

What is the role of inferiority in the Adlerian perspective?

This quality can be a wellspring of creativity; we are driven to become better versions of ourself, to achieve mastery; we strive to overcome inferiority and achieve superiority; pay attention to feelings of inferiority because they have potential to motivate us towards growth

What characterizes counseling groups for older people?

To counter myths about aging, cope with isolation, depression, search for meaning (integrity vs. despair)

What is the goal of an Adlerian group?

To create a therapeutic relationship that encourages participants to explore their basic life assumptions and to achieve a broader understanding of lifestyles; to help members recognize strengths and power to change; encourage clients to acquire sense of social interest and find purpose in life; a field theory - how a person finds place in a web of relationships and environments; must understand context to understand person

How does the Adlerian perspective view the therapeutic relationship?

To encourage participants to explore their basic life assumptions and to achieve a broader understanding of lifestyles; to help members recognize their strengths and their power to change; to encourage clients to achieve a sense of social interest and to find purpose in life; maintaining cohesion in group; witnessing positive changes in peers helps cement progress

What is the goal of the psychoanalytic group?

To provide a climate that helps clients reexperience early family relationships; uncover repressed feelings associated with past events that carry over into current behavior, facilitates insight into the origins of faulty psychological development and stimulate a corrective emotional experience

What are some therapeutic factors of a group?

Trust & Acceptance, Empathy & Caring, Intimacy, Hope, Freedom to Experiment, Catharsis, Cognitive Restructuring, Commitment to Change, Self-disclosure, Confrontation, Feedback, Commentary

What is the foundation of the group?

Trust; vital to continued development of the group; encourage members to discuss barriers to trust

What are some important leadership qualities?

Vulnerability, sincerity & authenticity, personal power, receptivity, curiosity, playfulness, open, belief in group process, enthusiasm, set ego aside, courage, willingness to be seen & confront oneself, sense of identity, active listening, non-judgmental, presence, responsible, compassionate, self-accepting, creativity

What is informed consent?

a process that begins with presenting basic information about group treatment to potential group members to enable them to make better decisions about whether or not to join a group and how to participate; not a one-time event

What are some important group leadership skills?

active listening, restating, clarifying, summarizing, interpreting, confronting, reflecting feelings, supporting, empathizing, facilitating, initiating, setting goals, evaluating, giving feedback, suggesting, protecting, disclosing oneself, modeling, linking, blocking, terminating

What might be an issue regarding socialization among group members?

any type of out of group socialization that interferes with the functioning of the group is counterproductive and should be discouraged; should be brought up for discussion in group

Erikson Stage 2 (12 mos - 3 years)

autonomy vs. shame and doubt

Erikson Stage 7 (35-65)

generativity vs. stagnation

What are some clients' rights?

guidance, notice of research, opportunities to discuss learning & closure, confidentiality, freedom from imposition of others' values, dignity and respect

What are some of the main tasks for a leader during the formation of a group?

identify goals & purposes, clearly written proposal, announce group, conduct pregroup interviews, member selection, organize practical details, parental permission, prepare psychologically for leadership tasks, arrange for prelim group session, make provisions for informed consent

Erikson Stage 5 (12-20 years)

identity vs. identity confusion

Erikson Stage 4 (6-12 years)

industry vs. inferiority

Erikson Stage 3 (3- 6 years)

initiative vs. guilt

Erikson Stage 8 (65 - death)

integrity vs. despair

Erikson Stage 6 (20-35 years)

intimacy vs. isolation

What are some ways of establishing trust?

leader preparation; encouragement from group members for sharing; more structure reduces anxiety and builds it

Erikson Stage 1 (o-12mos)

trust vs mistrust