Week 6: Treatment Groups: Foundation & Specialized Methods

Question 1

Middle Stage Characteristics

Answer 1

• Group members have “become themselves” more
• Worker’s role is less central; group members take on a more active role
• Interaction pattern moves from “maypole” to “free floating”
• Initial period of testing, conflict and adjustment is possible as members work out relationships
• Focus in on goal achievement
• Group members have gained a greater sense of one another

Question 2

Skills for group workers during the middle stages of group:

Answer 2

• Reaching for consensus
• Reaching for differences
• Confronting situations
• Reaching for feelings
• Amplifying subtle messages
• Reporting own feelings
• Reaching for information
• Giving feedback
• Checking out influences
• Giving information
• Prepare for group meetings
• Select activities

Question 3

Working with Reluctant and Resistant group members

Answer 3

• Right to refuse to participate – Point out consequences/non-negotiable aspects of participation for involuntary members
• Develop a nonjudgmental, accepting and safe group environment
• Discuss members motivation and how the group can be helpful
• Dramatize naturally occurring consequences

Question 4

Confrontations

Answer 4

• Occurs when the groupo is in conflict about an issue
• Does not need to be harsh
• Need to teach a respect for difference
• Can be resolved in 3 Ways

Question 5

Monitoring and Evaluating

Answer 5

• Post-session notes
• Reporting progress at the beginning of each meeting
• Summarizing progress at the end of meetings
• Session evaluation form - - Brief –How Often

Question 6

Intervening with group members

Answer 6

• Intrapersonal interventions focus on members’cognition and affects
• Interpersonal interventions focus on members’relationships within/outside the group
• Environmental interventions that change the psychosocial or physical space of members

Question 7

Intrapersonal interventions

Answer 7

• Identifying and discriminating among thoughts,feelings and behaviors
• Recognizing associations between specific thoughts, feelings and behaviors
• Analyze the rationality of thoughts and beliefs
• Change distorted or irrational thoughts and beliefs

Question 8

Chanigng thoughts, feelings and belief states

Answer 8

• Cognitive restructruring
• Cognitive self-instruction
• Thought stopping
• Reframing
• Visualization and cognitive imagery

Question 9

Changing belief systems

Answer 9

• Have members examine the experiences on whichthoughts and beliefs are based
• Help members examine the way past events wereconstrued
• Help members consider the impact of their interpretation of experiences in current lives
• Help members get feedback from others in the group - alternative ways of construing/responding to events
• Help members to seek the same kind of feedback from family and friends

Question 10

Interpersonal interventions

Answer 10

• Learning by observing models
• Role plays

Question 11

Environmental interventions

Answer 11

• Making referrals
• Contingency contracts

Question 12

Intervening in the group as a whole

Answer 12

• Changing communication and interaction patterns
• Changing the group’s attraction for its members (i.e., increasing cohesion)
• Changing social integration dynamics so they are therapeutic
• Changing the group’s culture