W2 - foundations of groupwork

Question 1

Advantages of groupwork

Answer 1

• Economy of approach
• Interpersonal power
• Commonality
• Effectiveness

Question 2

Disadvantages of groupwork

Answer 2

• Not everyone can be in a group (e.g. personal issues,
interpersonal skills)
• Confidentiality is more difficult to maintain
• Harder to build trust and safety
• Not enough time to deal with each person thoroughly
• Group facilitators have less control than in individual context
• There are concerns with conformity and peer pressure
• Scapegoating may occur
• A disruptive person can cause harm to other members of the group

Question 3

Role of group facilitator

Answer 3

• is a guide who helps members of a group move through a process together
• is not there to give opinions, but to draw out the opinions and ideas of the group members
• is neutral and never takes sides (i.e. they adopt an objective and unbiased perspective)

Question 4

Characteristics of effective group facilitators

Answer 4

• Belief in the benefits of group work
• Optimism
• Capacity for empathy and caring
• Self-awareness
• Capacity to be aware of multiple levels of interaction
• Ability to manage one’s own fears and anxieties (i.e. emotional awareness and self-regulation)

Question 5

Key functions of a group facilitator

Answer 5

• Attribution of meaning
• Caring
• Emotional stimulation
• Executive function
• Integration
• Keeping the group in the here-and-now

Question 6

Competencies of group facilitators, part one

Answer 6

• Assist members to openly express their fears and expectations.
• Provide encouragement and support as members explore highly personal material or try new behaviours
• Involve as many members as possible in the group interaction by inviting and sometimes even challenging members to participate.
• Actively work to create a climate of safety and acceptance in which people will trust one another and engage in productive interchanges.

Question 7

Competencies of group facilitators, part two

Answer 7

• Work towards lessening the dependency of the group on themselves as the facilitator.
• Encourage open expression of conflict and controversy.
• Help members to overcome barriers to direct communication.
• Observe and identify group processes
• Attend to and acknowledge behaviour exhibited by group members

Question 8

Competencies of group facilitators, part three

Answer 8

• Clarify and summarise group members’ statements
• Open and close group sessions
• Impart information in the group
• Model effective group facilitator behaviour
• Engage in appropriate self-disclosure
• Give and receive feedback
• Ask open-ended questions

Question 9

Competencies of group facilitators, part four

Answer 9

• Demonstrate ethical and professional standards
• Empathise with group members
• Confront members’ behaviour
• Keep group on task to accomplish goals
• Help members attribute meaning to their experiences
• Help members integrate and apply learning

Question 10

Group structure

Answer 10

combination of norms, values and roles

Question 11

Group norms

Answer 11

• Unwritten rules
• Accepted ways of behaving
• Govern how members interact and make decisions
• Accepted code of conduct
• Form the basis for group standards
• What the group sees as ‘normal’
• Can help and hinder a group to achieve its goals

Question 12

Group structure - norms

Answer 12

Descriptive norms: typical patterns of behaviour accompanied by the perception that this is how the members usually behaves

Injunctive norms: perceptions about behaviours that are approved or disapproved within the group, how we should act within a group

• > prescriptive norms: socially accepted ways to respond in social situations, what we are expected to do
• > proscriptive norms: unaccepted behaviours, behaviours we’re expected to avoid

Question 13

Norms in therapy groups

Answer 13

• Desire for self-understanding and exploration
• Self-disclosure
• Non-judgemental acceptance of others
• Commitment to attendance
• Maintain confidentiality

Question 14

How group norms develop

Answer 14

• Explicit agreements
• Primacy
• Critical events in the group’s history
• Carryover behaviours from past situations

Question 15

How facilitators shape group norms

Answer 15

Technical expert:
▪ Setting ground-rules
▪ Providing rationale
▪ Enlisting support

Model setting:
▪ Role model
▪ Setting norms by example
▪ Non-judgemental acceptance

Question 16

Helpful group norms

Answer 16

▪ Time
▪ Listening
▪ Confidentiality
▪ Decision-making
▪ Participation
▪ Expectations

Question 17

Group values

Answer 17

▪ Respect
▪ Acceptance
▪ Participation and Inclusion
▪ Confidentiality

Question 18

Group roles

Answer 18

▪ Formal roles (e.g. group facilitator or leader)
▪ Informal roles

▪ Task roles
▪ Group-building roles
▪ Self-centred roles

Question 19

Task roles

Answer 19

▪ Initiator 
▪ Information giver and information seeker 
▪ Opinion seeker and opinion giver 
▪ Coordinator
▪ Energiser   
▪ Evaluator / critic
▪ Procedural technician and recorder

Question 20

Group-building roles

Answer 20

▪ Encourager
▪ Gatekeeper - facilitates equal participation
▪ Harmoniser
▪ Compromiser
▪ Follower
▪ Standard setter

Question 21

Self-centred roles

Answer 21

▪ Aggressor or blocker
▪ Recognition seeker or self-confessor
▪ Dominator

Question 22

Other challenging roles

Answer 22

▪ Monopolist - chronic talker
▪ Silent member
▪ Distractor
▪ Rescuer - rescues a group member that appears to be in distress, the “fixer”

Question 23

Three types of group behaviour

Answer 23

▪ Task behaviour
▪ Group behaviour
▪ Individual behaviour

Question 24

Why challenging behaviours might present in group therapy

Answer 24

• Members may have under developed group skills
• Members may not understand how groups work in
therapy
• Members have low morale
• Leaders do not set therapeutic norms
• The group has a low level of maturity
• The group task is inappropriate
• Members have severe psychological disorders

Question 25

Tuckman (1965) stages of group development

Answer 25

• forming
• storming
• norming
• performing
• adjourning

Question 26

Forming stage - Tuckman’s stages of group development

Answer 26

• Group members get to know the group and each other, there may be a sense of vulnerability and angst, anticipation, excitement, confusion or apprehension experienced by many members and guards are up
• There is a high level of dependence on the group’s leader for guidance and direction.
• Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear
• Group members want to know if they will be valued and included.
• > No group history and unfamiliar with group members.
• > No trust yet.
• > Norms of the group are not yet established.
• > Members may lack commitment to the group

Question 27

Storming stage - Tuckman’s stages of group development

Answer 27

• The second stage of group development is characterised by disagreement about group roles and procedures for running the group.
• Group members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in relation to each other.
• Anxiety and ambiguity more prevalent as members struggle to define themselves and the group’s norms.
• > This stage is often characterised by tension and discord.
• > Roles and responsibilities are articulated.
• > Cliques start to form.
• > Level of participation by members is at its highest for some and its lowest for others

Question 28

Norming stage - Tuckman’s stages of group development

Answer 28

• cohesiveness and unity grow within the group.
• characterised by agreement and consensus within the group.
• Roles and responsibilities become clear and accepted, decisions are made by group agreement.
• Trust between members has been established, members are interested in and supportive of one another.
• > Feedback is high, objective, and well-received.
• > Confidence is high.
• > Individual motivation is high.
• > Group norms are reinforced

Question 29

Performing stage - Tuckman’s stages of group development

Answer 29

• group members are focused on achieving the group’s shared objective.
• Members experiment with new ideas, behaviours or ways of thinking.
• The group has a high degree of autonomy and there is minimal need for interference or participation by the group’s leader.
• Egalitarianism develops (i.e. equality and mutual cooperation). Although disagreements may still occur, they are resolved positively.
• characterised by the achievement of group goals.
• > Group needs are prioritised over individual needs.
• > ‘We’ versus ‘I’ orientation.
• > High degree of trust between group members.
• > Little waste and efficient group operations

Question 30

Adjourning stage - Tuckman’s stages of group development

Answer 30

• This is the time when the group disbands.
• In therapy groups, members are often reluctant to deal with ending and may refuse to discuss it at all.
• Termination is an opportunity to tie up loose ends, reveal suppressed feelings, and work out troubling relationships.
• A satisfactory termination allows participants and the facilitator to end and leave without residual feelings of unfinished business.
• A key objective during the terminating stage is to reduce dependency on the group facilitator and enhance participants’ independence

Question 31

Intragroup dynamics

Answer 31

• Level of participation in a group
• Communication patterns
• Relationships between group members
• Nonverbal behaviours
• Feeling tone
• Aroused or expressed feelings

Question 32

6 ways to build trust in groups

Answer 32

• Communication: Keep group members informed and up-to-date
• Support: Be an approachable group facilitator
• Respect: Delegate important duties to group members and listen to their feedback
• Fairness: Evaluate fairly and objectively. Never take sides.
• Predictability: Be dependable and consistent
• Competence: Be a good role model

Question 33

Group cohesion

Answer 33

• The solidarity or unity of a group that results from the development of strong and mutual interpersonal bonds among group members
• A strong sense of ‘group-ness’ or ‘we-ness’ shared among group members
• High cohesiveness is reflected in – loyalty to the group, compliance with group norms, friendliness, responsibility for group efforts, and a willingness to defend the group against outside inference

Question 34

Factors contributing to group cohesion

Answer 34

• Threat and competition
• Difficulty in entry
• Group size
• Similarity of attitudes and values
• Previous successes
• Time together

Question 35

Enhancing group cohesion

Answer 35

• Make the group smaller
• Encourage agreement with the group’s goals and promote group norms
• Increase the time members spend together
• Increase the status of the group and the perceived difficulty of attaining membership
• Stimulate competition with other groups
• Give rewards to the group rather than individuals
• Physically isolate the group

Question 36

Groupthink

Answer 36

▪ Illusion of invulnerability
▪ Collective rationalisation
▪ Illusion of morality
▪ Excessive stereotyping
▪ Pressure for conformity
▪ Self-censorship
▪ Illusion of unanimity
▪ Mind guards