Group Work

Question 1

Who is credited with establishing the first group experience that was not intended specifically for psycho educational or occupational purposes?

Answer 1

Joseph Pratt

Question 2

Who created the theater of spontaneity, the earliest form of psycho drama?

Answer 2

J. L. Monroe

Question 3

Who founded the American group psychotherapy association in 1942 which offered activity therapy groups for children and eventually resulted in the introduction of group counseling in schools?

Answer 3

S. R. Slavson

Question 4

What are the four types of group work according to the association of specialists and group work?

Answer 4

Task groups

Psychoeducational groups

Counseling groups

Psychotherapy groups

Question 5

What are some institutional barriers in group work?

Answer 5

Parental permission

Personnel not realizing the value of group work versus other activities

Scheduling challenges

Finding space in the building to run groups

Question 6

Where is reality distortion in group work?

Answer 6

Occurs when the group provides an example of social reality that is not achievable in the outside world.

Question 7

What are some challenges to group work?

Answer 7

Pressure to conform

Reality distortion

Avoidance

Confidentiality

Unhealthy attachment

Institutional barriers

Question 8

What is a therapeutic factor, or curative factor, in group work?

Answer 8

It is generally created by the group leader or relationships with other members, that improves and members overall condition.

Question 9

What does group cohesiveness indicate?

Answer 9

It indicates that effective therapy is occurring because it facilitates trust and a willingness to take risks.

Question 10

What are the ethics regarding confidentiality in group work?

Answer 10

Group leaders are ethically required to keep confidentiality but there is no ethical requirement that client will maintain confidentiality. Members must understand that confidentiality from other members is not guaranteed.

Question 11

What are the ethics and re-guarding group members screening?

Answer 11

Group members screening must be contacted by the leader to ensure the appropriateness of members and group fit.

Question 12

Who introduced group work to schools?

Answer 12

Jesse Davis

Question 13

What is a marathon group?

Answer 13

Group members meet together for extended periods of time, usually between 24 and 48 hours, through out which members were expected to become more authentic and engage in true self disclosure. Came into prominence during the 1960s and 1970s.

Question 14

What was the first form of psycho drama called?

Answer 14

The theater of spontaneity

Question 15

What are task groups?

Answer 15

They are designed around accomplishing a specific goal. The focus is not on changing people but on completing the task at hand in an efficient and effective manner.

Question 16

What are psychoeducational groups?

Answer 16

They are more structured than counseling or psychotherapy groups, they emphasize skill development through various skill building exercises, they encourage discussion, sharing, and feedback of members.

Question 17

What are the different types of psychoeducational groups?

Answer 17

Preventative

Growth oriented

Remedial

Question 18

What are counseling groups?

Answer 18

Designed to help members work on interpersonal problems and promotes behavioral changes related to these problems. They are typically problem – oriented but can also be preventative, growth oriented, or remedial.

Question 19

What is a psychotherapy group?

Answer 19

Designed to treat those who may be experiencing severe chronic problems in their lives.

Question 20

What are the primary tasks of leaders?

Answer 20

Executive functions

Building a group culture

Bringing members into the here and now

Question 21

What are three different leadership styles?

Answer 21

Authoritarian (theory x) - takes control of and responsibility for the group; sets the agenda, goals, and rules; serves as the conduit for member interaction.

Democratic ( theory y) - facilitates member interactions; with leader guidance, members make decisions, take responsibility, set agenda, goals, and rules; sets norms encouraging member interaction, self disclosure, and feedback.

Laissez-faire ( theory z) – assumes a little or no leader ship or responsibility for group agenda, goals, or rules; assumes members all have abilities to make changes and take responsibility for the group on their own; lacks structure and directedness.

Question 22

What are the four primary goals of effective leaders?

Answer 22

Provide a caring attitude

Provide meaning attribution

Model appropriate self disclosure and confrontation

Provide limits, rules, and structure

Question 23

What forms might resistance take in group therapy?

Answer 23

Absences

Tardiness

Silence

Excessive talkativeness

Rescuing behaviors

Distracting the group from pursuing goals

Question 24

When are resistance and conflict frequently observed during groups?

Answer 24

They are frequently observed during the transition stage of counseling and psychotherapy groups or at the beginning stages of task and psychoeducational groups

Question 25

What is the difference between a planned theme group and a spontaneous content group?

Answer 25

A planned theme group is restricted to individuals with a demonstrated need in that particular themed area. Examples include social skills groups for children and adolescents, domestic violence for adults, and parenting skills.

Spontaneous content groups do not have planned content themes and are designed to provide personal growth and support membership is generally dictated by the need for general development and member characteristics, such as age or severity of issues. Example includes men’s personal growth group.

Question 26

What are the potential benefits of having a heterogenous grouping?

Answer 26

May lead to better reality testing, deeper learning, and better transference.

Question 27

What are the potential benefits of homogenous groups?

Answer 27

Quicker identification, better attendance, decreased resistance, and better insight.

Question 28

What factors contribute to group dynamics?

Answer 28

Group structure, content, and process

Question 29

What are structure issues in groups?

Answer 29

Group size

Function

Voluntary/involuntary

Open/closed groups

Question 30

What are content issues in groups?

Answer 30

The actual subject under discussion by the group members.

Question 31

What are group process issues in groups?

Answer 31

The interplay of forces or dynamics between and among members and leaders. These forces include norms, cohesiveness, safety and trust, expression of feelings, catharsis, leadership patterns, reality testing, identification, power, conflict, and resistance.

Question 32

What are the two essential tasks of all group members?

Answer 32

Self disclosure and feedback.

Question 33

What are the six sources of power in groups?

Answer 33

Reward power – dispensing rewards

Coercive power – dispensing punishment or sanction

Legitimate power – belief that it is one’s duty to follow the leader’s directions

Referent power – respect and attraction for the leader or a model member

Expert power – a member has expertise or ability that the group relies on

Informational power – a member has knowledge to accomplish a goal or task.

Question 34

What is process evaluation?

Answer 34

Refers to assessment of the group dynamics and interaction processes occurring within the group sessions.

Question 35

What are some ways that members can evaluate the process?

Answer 35

Informal member evaluations done during each session that gives members opportunities to make suggestions for improvement or give helpful feedback.

Members can journal about their session experiences and insights.

Videotaping sessions can be reviewed to highlight strengths and areas of improvement. These are among the most effective process evaluation tools available.

Instruments such as the Hill Interaction Matrix, Bales Interaction Analysis scale, and Simon and Agazarians Sequential Analysis of Verbal Interaction.

Question 36

What is outcome evaluation?

Answer 36

Assesses how members are different because of the group work

Question 37

What are the five facets of assessment instruments used in group work?

Answer 37

Screening and selection

Leadership skills

Therapeutic factors

Group climates

In session behavior

Question 38

What do group climate measures assess?

Answer 38

Which stage of group process the members have entered and provide leaders with member perceptions of group climate.