Group Work

Question 1

Group Dynamics

Generalized leadership styles

Answer 1

A. Generalized Leadership Styles (Knowles, 1959)
The classic Lewin, Lippitt, and White study of 1939 identified three basic leadership styles and evaluated their effectiveness.
1. Authoritarian – The leader sees him/herself as an expert; very directive.
(Example: Psychoanalytic counseling; teaching)
 Liked the least by members.
 Members exhibit aggressive behavior; thirty percent higher hostility rate than with the other two styles.
 Preferred when an immediate decision is necessary.
2. Democratic – Leadership is shared.
(Example: Group-centered counseling; non-directive counseling)
 Members behaved appropriately.
 Liked by members but not shown by research to be the most productive style.
3. Laissez-faire – No leadership is in place. This is considered to be generally ineffective.
(Example: New counselors and those who have a strong need to be liked.)
 Members exhibit aggressive behavior.
 Preferred when a decision has been made and committed to.

Question 2

Yalom’s Leadership Types

Answer 2

1. Impersonals – Are distant and aggressive. They rate low on caring. (Poor)
2. Managers – Use lots of structured activities and control how members interact. (Poor)
3. Laissez-faires – Provide low input, low support, and low control. (Poor)
4. Social Engineers – Are group-focused and concerned with how members relate to the social system. They rate low in charisma and low in emotional stimulation. (Moderate)
5. Energizers – Are caring and charismatic providing intense emotional stimulation and firm control. (Moderate)
6. Providers – Specialize in caring and meaning attribution. They focus on individuals and give love and information but don’t press their own views on group
   members. (Best)

Question 3

Group Leader Skills

Answer 3

Counselor attributes which improve and enrich individual counseling, such as genuineness (congruence, authenticity), will also enhance group counseling.

1. Active listening
2. Reflection and clarification
3. Questioning and summarizing
4. Information giving
5. Encouragement and support
6. Modeling
7. Self-disclosure at appropriate times
8. Blocking – intervention to stop counterproductive behaviors (scapegoating, group pressure, excessive questioning, etc.)
9. Attending behavior – evidenced by facing a group member who is talking, etc.

Question 4

Several types of individuals have been identified by research as poor choices for group membership unless the group is specifically designed to deal with these
particular issues:

Answer 4

 hostile
 physically aggressive
 paranoid
 actively suicidal
 actively homicidal
 psychotic (not in touch with reality)
 totally self-centered

Question 5

Members’ traits correlated to premature termination from group included:

Answer 5

 low intelligence
 low motivation
 high denial

Question 6

Should the counselor’s approach be content or process oriented?

Answer 6

i. Content – the client’s material; how the client is or seems.
“Jill seems relaxed.” “I hear hurt in George’s voice.”
ii. Process – how communication happens or transpires; how the client acts. “Bill looks away or Rachel closes up when something is mentioned.”

Question 7

Should the counselor’s approach be horizontal or vertical?

Answer 7

i. Horizontal – the leader works with the group as a whole and employs techniques which facilitate group processes, tasks, interactions, and relationships; sometimes called interpersonal. Interpersonal leaders tend toward here and now interventions.
ii. Vertical – the leader works with individuals within the group and, in effect, provides individual counseling in a group setting; sometimes called intrapersonal. Intrapersonal leaders tend to focus on the past and sometimes use psychodynamic principles. Effective counseling will exhibit both horizontal and vertical interventions.

Question 8

Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists

Yalom (1995)

Answer 8

a. Orientation
b. Conflict
c. Cohesion (in two levels)
 great mutual support – the group against the world.
 true teamwork – each member against his or her own
resistances.

Question 9

Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists

Tuckman and Jensen

Answer 9

a. Forming/Orientation (Acceptance, approval, commitment, search for orientation
and structure)
b. Storming/Transition (Dominance, control, power)
c. Norming (Risk taking, openness, cohesiveness, caring)
d. Performing/Working (Honesty, spontaneity, responsibility, self-disclosure)
e. Adjourning (Terminating, distancing, summation, closure)

Question 10

Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists

Gazada

Answer 10

a. Exploratory Stage – superficial
b. Transition Stage – significantly deeper self-disclosure
c. Action Stage – working, productive
d. Termination Stage – tapering off of self-disclosure

Question 11

Specific Developmental Group Stages Proposed by Theorists

Corey and Corey

Answer 11

Stage 1: Pregroup Issues – Formation of the Group
Stage 2: Initial Stage – Orientation and Exploration
Stage 3: Transition Stage – Dealing with Resistance
Stage 4: Working Stage – Cohesion and Productivity
Stage 5: Final Stage – Consolidation and Termination
Stage 6: Postgroup Issues – Follow-Up and Evaluation

Question 12

Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages

Introduction - Initial - Orientation - Exploration - Forming Stage

Answer 12

a. Self-disclosure
b. Setting structure of the group meeting
c. Setting norms
d. Getting acquainted based on externals (dress, language, culture, occupation)
e. Clarifying expectations
f. Defining individual goals
g. Leader responses: warmth, empathy, respect for members
h. Characterized by approach-avoidance conflicts
i. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
 Initiate getting acquainted
 Focus members
 Create trust
 Deal with initial resistance and fears
 Start a session
 Ending a session
 Teach member self-evaluation

Question 13

Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages

Transition-power and control- storming stage

Answer 13

Anxiety, defenses, resistance, and ways to address the goals are the issues.
a. Vying for position or power
b. Exhibiting resistance or judgmentalism
c. Verbally attacking the leader and other members
d. Fighting among subgroups and factions
e. Leaders must learn to distinguish between a “challenge” and an “attack” (Corey
and Corey, 2000)
f. Leader responses: genuineness, concreteness, deeper self-disclosure
g. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
 Deal with defensive behaviors
 Deal with difficult members
 Deal with conflict
 Explore common fears and resistance
 Deal with challenges to the leader

Question 14

Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages

Working- action- productive stage

Answer 14

Taking responsibility for attaining goals and changing behaviors are the issues.
a. Increasing cohesion and trust to a high level
b. Increasing mutuality and self-exploration
c. Less dependence on the leader
d. Modifying interaction patterns
e. Committing to change in the here-and-now context
f. Leader responses: interpreting meaning, appropriate confrontation, and feedback
g. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
 Deal with expressed confusion
 Deal with issues of closeness
 Teach appropriate disclosure
 Elicit emotional responses when they are being held back
 Deal with the fear of losing control
 Deal with intense emotions in all members simultaneously
 Work with dreams
 Work with projection and self-awareness problems

Question 15

Characteristics of Group Developmental Stages

Terminaton-separation-adjourning stage

Answer 15

Reinforcing the growth experienced by members, making sure differences between members are worked out before departure, and assisting with ongoing individual
counseling as needed are the issues.
a. Summarizing the group’s activity and discussion
b. Evaluating the group process
c. Allowing the group to evaluate the group and themselves individually
d. Providing for referral or continued counseling for those who feel they should
continue
e. Explaining that because of emotional involvement it may be strange to not have group and there may be a period of adjustment; outside bonds should be
established
f. Saying good-bye
g. Employing techniques specifically chosen to
 End a session
 Terminate a group
 Assess and follow-up
 Evaluate a group

Question 16

Adult Groups

Answer 16

Adult groups have been successful with as few as three members and as many as fifteen. Groups usually have between 8 to 10 members with the optimum size for adult groups being eight. Research indicates that as the group increases in size, opinions and personal sharing decreases, and the group becomes more leader
centered.
 The groups generally meet once a week for one or two hours with the average being ninety minutes. Most counselors consider heterogeneous groups best to
stimulate maximum interaction. Heterogeneous groups include socio-economic, illness, and behavioral pattern categories.

Question 17

Adolescents Groups

Answer 17

Adolescents do well in groups with their peers, especially for exploring their outlook on authority, peer pressure, social development, and consolidation of their identity. Group size can range between 6 to 8 members; the
optimum size is six.
 Role playing techniques are useful in helping an adolescent see someone else’s
point of view.
 “Promises” of confidentiality must allow that child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation be reported. Additionally, ethics would require the same for
suicidal adolescents and for those planning to harm someone else.

Question 18

Children’s Groups

Answer 18

Younger children are usually placed in small groups of two or more but never over five; the optimum size is three or four. Children are best served in groups of children their own age but with somewhat diverse problems. The
length of sessions depends on the children’s attention span with more frequent, shorter sessions often recommended. Ginott recommends play therapy for children ages 3-9 years old. Dinkmeyer and others suggest using a variety of media.
 Corey and Corey believe that reducing resistance and improving cooperation with children is best gained by enlisting parental involvement. The counselor should
not side with a child against a parent or an institution.
 Role playing techniques are useful in helping children see someone else’s point of view.
 “Promises” of confidentiality must allow that child abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation be reported. Additionally, ethics would require the same for
suicidal children and for those planning to harm someone else.

Question 19

Closed vs Open Groups

Answer 19

1. Closed Groups
    No new members are allowed to join after start date.
    Promotes cohesiveness and trust since membership is consistent.
    Drop in membership may cut the overall interaction of members.
2. Open Groups
    New members are allowed to join after the start date.
    Cost effective since new people may replace those that drop.
    Members joining after the first session do not receive information/experiences
   shared earlier.

Question 20

Homogeneous vs Hetergeneous Groups

Answer 20

1. Homogeneous
   Members are similar or alike; have similar problems (alcoholic, weight).
   Advantage – Homogeneity promotes cohesiveness.
2. Heterogeneous
   Members are dissimilar or not alike; problems are different (general counseling groups with members from differing backgrounds and with varying problems).
   Advantage – Heterogeneity more nearly replicates the real world and allows clients to
   learn from others.

Question 21

Group Building and Maintenance Roles: That Which Helps Hold a Group Together

Answer 21

1. Facilitator/Encourager – Encourages, extends friendship, and offers security
2. Gatekeeper/Expeditor – Acts as the counselor’s assistant and keeps members within group norms; may avoid working on own issues; may secretly want to lead the group
3. Standard or Goal Setter – Pushes for goal definition
4. Harmonizer/Conciliator – Mediates mostly emotional or feeling issues
5. Compromiser/Neutralizer – Mediates mostly cognitive alternatives
6. Observer – Gives feedback but does not participate in depth
7. Follower/Neuter – Bends with the wind and doesn’t really participate

Question 22

Group Task Roles: That Which Helps a Group Get the Job Done

Answer 22

1. Energizer/Initiator – Prods for action; generates enthusiasm
2. Information/Opinion Seeker – Pushes for clarification
3. Information/Opinion Giver – Adds facts, makes suggestions, and shares ideas
4. Elaborator/Coordinator – Furnishes the reality orientation for the group
5. Orienteer/Evaluator – Judges and focuses on the task at hand
6. Procedural Technician – Is similar to the gatekeeper but focuses on mechanics and procedure

Question 23

Risky Shift Phenomenon

Answer 23

Research shows that the individual will shift toward the
social norm. In simple terms, an individual will tend to go along with the group. His or her decision will be more liberal when made with the group than if the decision
had been made before the individual met with the group.

Question 24

Altruism

Answer 24

Altruism is effected as each member of the group comes to see him/herself as important to the group. Some members tend to see the counselor as a
“paid” group leader and will listen more readily to another group member. As the counselor conveys the idea that each member is important and is potentially important
to the other members, each member gets an ego boost.

Question 25

Catharsis

Answer 25

Affording expression of those feelings inside of a person acts as a catharsis for the person. Only if the client is willing to express these feelings can change result and/or can interaction take place.

Question 26

Cohesiveness

Answer 26

Group cohesiveness or group unity denotes the sense of caring one has for the group and
for other members of the group. Kurt Lewin (field theory) viewed cohesiveness as the
binding force among group members and called it “positive valence.”
As cohesiveness strengthens, negative factors and behaviors such as absenteeism are
lessened, group productivity increases, and commitment strengthens. A group with low
cohesion is “fragmented.”

Question 27

Negative and/or Destructive (Anti-Group) Task Roles

Answer 27

Anti-group behaviors are many and varied and include the following:

1. Scapegoat – a member who is the object of accusations and blame by other members
2. Interrogator – constantly asks questions
3. Peeping Tom – asks other members inappropriate questions
4. Storyteller – takes up valuable time telling long, often irrelevant, stories
5. Joker – uses jokes as smoke screens or to belittle others or self
6. Isolate – are genuinely rejected and ignored; are given little or no attention

Question 28

Advantages of Group Counseling over Individual Counseling

Answer 28

1. Reality testing of one’s self-perception.
2. The desensitizing of a distorted self-image.
3. Psychological safety to support the elimination of self-defeating behavior.
4. “In-vivo”/real life situations in which a person may try new behaviors.
5. An awareness of universality; an “I’m not alone” reality is conceived.
6. The practicing of giving and getting feedback and self-disclosure.
7. The enhancement of one’s empathy and social interest.
8. Over time, the making of changes and the receiving of reinforcement.
9. Deeper understanding and acceptance of individual differences.
10. Feedback from both group members and the counselor to enhance one’s accuracy in perception and communication.
11. Modeling as members observe other members dealing with problems.
12. The ability to see more clients in the same amount of time.
13. Less expensive and less time-consuming help.

Question 29

Disadvantages and Limitations of Group Counseling

Answer 29

1. Each member receives less attention than that received in individual counseling, particularly if the leader is process rather than content oriented.
2. Group counseling has less situational control.
3. Confidentiality is more difficult to maintain.
4. The danger of “group think,” the forcing of a group opinion on all members, is present.
5. A shared reality may replace one’s individual reality.
6. A group leader must make many more decisions than an individual counselor makes.
7. Scapegoating must be guarded against.
8. Group members could experience emotional harm if the leader loses control.
9. Clients may benefit more from group counseling after receiving some individual counseling.
10. Group counseling is not initially applicable to clients in crisis, clients needing testing interpretation, clients who are phobic regarding speaking in public, or clients needing strict confidentiality.

Question 30

Classification of Groups
Group process theorists often classify groups.
One model is Gerald Caplan’s Crisis Intervention Model:

Answer 30

A. Primary groups – preventive; teach coping strategies or life-style characteristics that can reduce the incidence of a problem (ex. diet and weight management to
prevent diabetes).
B. Secondary groups – attempt to reduce the severity or the length of time of disturbing behaviors; a problem is present but is not usually severe (ex. grief
group).
C. Tertiary groups – deal with severe, longstanding problems or disturbances; has more of an
individual focus.

Question 31

Guidance, counseling, and counseling groups can be described using Caplan’s model:

Answer 31

A. Guidance groups – primary (preventative) groups; sometimes called affective education
groups or psychological education groups; do not deal with remediation; leadership requires little training.
B. Counseling groups – secondary; focused on conscious issues; not likely psychodynamic; leadership requires some training.
C. Therapy groups – tertiary; the psychological disturbance is rather severe and will require a
longer term of individual work; deals with remediation of more severe pathology; may be psychodynamic; leadership requires much training.

Question 32

Task and work groups

Answer 32

focus on leading groups in correcting or developing their
organizational functioning; may include facilitating
planning or evaluation.

Question 33

Psychoeducation Groups

Answer 33

focus on particular themes chosen from needs assessments or relevant literature; impart information and provide education and support.

Question 34

Group Counseling

Answer 34

focuses on enhancing growth and self-awareness and removing blockages to growth.

Question 35

Group Psychotherapy

Answer 35

focuses on remediation, treatment and personality

reconstruction.

Question 36

T Groups Training Groups

Answer 36

1. May be called laboratory-training groups or sensitivity groups; called microlab if short in duration.
2. Focus on human relations processes in business settings; help people from organizational settings develop human relations skills by examining the group process
   rather than personal growth.
3. Are associated with the National Training Laboratory and Kurt Lewin. The National Training Laboratory was established under the National Education Association to
   sponsor “T-Groups” (basic skill training groups). Leland Bradford guided T-group
   development.

Question 37

Self Help or Support Groups

Answer 37

1. Members all have the same issue to deal with (weight, grief, alcohol).
2. Members learn from and receive support from each other.
3. Membership is voluntary.
4. The leader is not necessarily a professional.
5. Many follow the Alcoholic Anonymous 12 steps and are therefore called 12-step groups.
6. Over half a million self-help groups exist in the U.S. with over 15 million members.

Question 38

Encounter Groups

Answer 38

1. Emphasize personal growth.
2. Are associated with Rogers. The focus is on the here-and-now experience and includes the I-Thou encounter. Marathon groups are the most commonly known type.

Question 39

Psychoanalytic Groups

Answer 39

1. The psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Alexander Wolf first applied psychoanalytic principles and techniques in groups in 1938 as he tried to help people that could not
   afford intensive individual therapy. His success led him to adopt group therapy as his primary therapy mode (Corey, 2000).
2. As with individual psychoanalytic therapy, group members work through repressed conflicts to restructure their personality and character. The individual’s unconscious is explored, particularly the first six years of life.
3. A typical psychoanalytic group will go through these six stages in development:
   a. Preliminary individual analysis to determine suitability for the group
   b. Rapport through interpretation of dreams and fantasies
   c. Free association interaction
   d. Analysis of resistance
   e. Analysis of transference
   f. Conscious personal action and social integration

Question 40

Adlerian Groups

Answer 40

1. While Freud based his work on the individual psychodynamics of neurotic, affluent patients, Alfred Adler showed a social concern for the common person. He couched his psychological concepts into practical methods for a diverse population. He chose
   the term “individual” psychology to denote the struggle of individuals to become all that they could be (Corey, 2000).
2. Rudolf Dreikurs refined Alder’s concepts into a streamlined, teachable system that could be applied to education, preventive mental health, family life, and, particularly, group psychotherapy. He incorporated groups into his busy psychiatric practice in 1928 and found them to be an effective means of reaching people (Corey, 2000).
3. As with one-on-one Adlerian therapy, group members move toward a more positive self-esteem as they explore their early family environment (birth order and early
   experiences) to gain insight into mistaken goals and self-defeating behaviors.
4. A typical Adlerian group will progress through four phases:
   a. Establish and maintain relationship
   b. Assessment
   c. Insight
   d. Reorientation

Question 41

Psychodrama Groups Jacob Moreno

Answer 41

1. Jacob Moreno (1889-1974) discovered that both the actors and the audiences of improvised theatrical representations of current events and topics experienced
   catharsis (a release of pent-up feelings and emotions) as the actors and audience members related their reactions to the performances and discussed how they might
   have played roles differently (Corey, 2000). These experiences led Moreno to develop specialized group methods and therapeutic techniques that evolved into what became known as psychodrama.
2. Creativity, defined by Moreno as the expressing of God’s purpose, became one of Moreno’s central concepts, along with other themes that he felt were ignored in other theoretical approaches: fostering creativity with spontaneity and the openness,
   newness, and willingness to take risks that accompanies it, encountering significant others in dramatization, dealing with past events as though they were occurring in
   the present, the two-way flow of feelings between people which Moreno called tele, reality testing, and role theory (not role playing which is solution oriented but role
   dramatization which is insight oriented).

Question 42

Existential Groups

Irvin Yalom

Answer 42

The existential approach is a dynamic approach that recognizes four ultimate concerns in the human existence: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness (Yalom, 1980). Existentialism assumes we are free and responsible for the choices and the actions that make up our lives. Therefore, existential groups encourage members to explore choices that would represent an honest exploration of themselves, that would widen their
perspectives on themselves and the world around them, and that would make life
meaningful.

Question 43

Person-Centered Group

Carl Rogers

Answer 43

The focus in person-centered groups is on meanings, feelings, insight, affect, and personal attitude. Three environmental attitudes provide the backdrop for a person to achieve self-actualization: genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathy. Change toward wholeness and self-actualization occurs as both the leader and group
members create these core conditions (Fehr, 1999).
A typical person-centered group will go through these stages:
1. milling around
2. resistance
3. description of past feelings
4. expressions of negative feelings
5. exploration of meaningful material
6. expression of here-and–now interpersonal feelings
7. development of a healing capacity
8. self-acceptance
9. cracking of facades
10. feedback
11. confrontation
12. helping relationships outside group
13. basic encounter
14. closeness
15. behavior

Question 44

Gestalt Groups Fritz Pearls

Answer 44

The Gestalt paradigm holds that as an individual becomes aware of his or her own thoughts, feelings, senses, and fantasies that personality change will occur, problems will
be solved, and impasses will be identified and resolved. The focus is on the “here and now” and characterized by action and insight (Fehr, 1999).

Question 45

Transactional Analysis Groups

Answer 45

Transactional Analysis is an interactional modality and structural analysis founded on Eric Berne’s belief that individuals make decisions based upon current beliefs.
Identifying illogical beliefs is the catalyst for change as a revised basis for decisionmaking must be formulated. Thus, individuals’ control what they think, do, and feel
(Fehr, 1999).

Question 46

Behavioral Groups

Answer 46

Behavior therapy is grounded in learning theory: factors of the human experience, such as emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, are learned and can, therefore, be relearned or
unlearned. Overt problem behaviors are dealt with; insight or self-understanding is not sought. Testing, empiricism, and clear goals are key elements of this modality.

Question 47

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Group (REBT)

Albert Ellis

Answer 47

The Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy modality views problems as stemming from people’s responses, processing, and interpretation of external events. By replacing irrational beliefs with a more rational cognitive processing, members reject self-defeating behaviors

Question 48

Reality Therapy Group

William Glasser

Answer 48

Current behavior should meet current needs; problems arise when individuals make irresponsible choices and use ineffective behaviors. By increasing control over conduct and substituting new behaviors and choices, quality of life is enhanced. William Glasser,
the founder of Reality Therapy, believed that we as individuals may be the product of our past experiences, but only victims of the past if we choose to be so. Making excuses and blaming others is not accepted