2. Main
Objectives:
Chapter 5
● to provide a rationale for the
importance of adequate
preparation in forming a
group
● to provide an overview of
the main tasks required in
forming a group
3.
4. Homework/ Class Discussion:
● https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/f
iles/d7/priv/sma15-3991.pdf - Read
Chapter one from TIP 41 and be
prepared to share one new piece of
info you learned for class
5. Forming Considerations
● When forming a group – one must consider:
○ population serving
○ type of group you are forming
○ cultural mix of the group
○ structure
○ techniques that will be used
○ topics of the group
○ group norms
6.
7. 5 Guidelines for Proposal
● Rationale – Need for the group
● Objectives- SMART objectives
● Practical Considerations – Duration of group,
frequency
● Procedures –How will you meet the objectives?
● Evaluation – How will you know when objectives
are met?
8. Getting Started
● When working in a community agency, you generally
have to generally receive approval for starting a new
group.
● Getting members!
● First, members need to know what they are getting into.
○ Make members aware of who you are, your experience
(disclosure statement), purpose/goals of the group, discharge
and what this looks like, norms, risks/benefits,
rights/responsibilities/fees.
9. Group Informed Consent
● All of the things on the previous slide fuel the
informed consent component and that is required to
give the client.
● Some providers screen for their group, meaning is a
client appropriate for the group and what it offers.
● Goal of screening is to prevent potential harm to other
group members.
10. Case Vignette on Informed Consent
This group leader is organizing a group in a prison mental hospital. The
patients have been sent to this hospital and are expected to participate in
some type of group therapy plan. Because of this setting and the
requirement that the patients be involved in a group treatment program,
the leader does not take any measures to secure informed consent. His
rationale is that the patients have no choice anyway, so he simply gets his
group together and begins.
Are there any ethical issues involved in this case? Is it important to
inform members (even involuntary ones) about the goals of the group and
the procedures to be used? If you were in a similar situation, what might
you do differently? What would you want to tell the patients before the
group got under way?
11. Screening Members
● Screening can serve the purpose of ensuring that
the client’s challenge aligns with the group’s
objectives.
● Consider diversity of issues.
● Screening takes place between group leader(s)
and the client one-on-one. Potential members are
encouraged to ask questions as well.
12. Assessing and Choosing Members
● Willingness for change
● Motivation
● Current awareness of challenge
● If you do not accept someone, let them
know in a direct way that is sensitive.
13.
14. Case Vignette on Screening Members
A community mental health worker forms a group by asking her colleagues for
names of clients who might fit into a group she is organizing. She does not
make any provisions for screening because she is convinced that screening
really is not worth the time it takes. Her position is that her colleagues will give
her names of people who would be good candidates. Also, she sees nothing
wrong with people dropping out of the group if they find it is not for them.
Do you think that referrals from colleagues constitute a good alternative
to conducting screening interviews? Do you think the mental health worker is
acting ethically when she encourages members to drop out of the group if
they find that it does not suit their needs? What problems, if any, do you see
with this group leader’s method of setting up her group?
15. Group Sizes
● Group Size – Depends on age of client, experience
of leader, type of group, problems explored.
● 3-4 members for young children, teens 6-8, and
adults 8 is likely ideal. MaineCare will pay for up to
12 per group.
● The goal is for everyone to feel a part of the group.
16. Frequency and Duration
● This depends on your setting, type of
group, times will vary based on the setting
as well as subject matter.
● Length
● Place for groups
17. Open Groups
● Open Groups – Characterized by changing membership
i.e. IOP.
● Open groups allow for greater exposure to multiple
people, stages of recovery, modeling of relationships. A
disadvantage is that cohesion is difficult to maintain and
build.
● Cohesion is possible with structure, supporting members,
and calling on people.
18. Closed Groups
● Closed groups typically have some
form of time limitation, there is an
expectation that members will remain
in group until the end.
● New members don’t join
19. Evaluation into Group Work
● Conduct evaluation research
○ member-specific measures assess
changes in attitudes and behaviors of
clients
○ group-specific measures assess changes
common to all group members
20. Case Vignette on Confidentiality
The leader does mention to his group at the initial meeting that
he is required to take notes regarding patient progress and
that these notes are part of the patient’s record. He announces
that what they say may not be kept confidential and that he will
not show them what he is writing in their folder.
Do you see any ethical issues in this case? Do you agree
or disagree with his practice of not sharing his therapy notes
with his patients? In this setting, are there any things you might
do differently?
21. Discussion:
- People who are considering joining a group sometimes harbor
misconceptions about groups. What are some of these
misconceptions? How might you attempt to clear up these
misconceptions?
- If you were leading an open group (with changing membership), what
steps might you take to increase the likelihood of the group’s
maintaining a sense of continuity from session to session?
- Some group leaders announce from the beginning that the group will
be time-limited (say, 15 weeks). What is the rationale for a time-limited
group? Would you prefer leading a group with a predetermined
termination date or a long-term group that continued indefinitely?
Why?
