The document discusses encounter groups, which involve intensive interaction between individuals under the guidance of a psychologist or therapist. The goals are to increase self-awareness, sensitivity to others, and improve interpersonal skills. Typical groups have fewer than ten people and one leader who facilitates open expression and examination of reactions and feelings. Participants are encouraged to be genuine and explore how they relate to others. While encounter groups can help with interpersonal issues, some people may lack the emotional strength for the intensity, and changes may not last beyond the group.

3. - Unexpectedly experience or be faced with
(something difficult or hostile).
- The word ‘encounter’ is a term from existentialist
philosophy, and simply means a real meeting
between people, where each treats the other as
a full human being.
synonyms: experience, come into contact with, run into, come
across, come up against, face, be faced with, confront, be
forced to contend with "the guides will help if you encounter
any problems"

7. • Group of individuals who engage in
intensive and psychotherapeutic verbal
and nonverbal interaction, with the general
intention of increasing awareness of self
and sensitivity to others, and improving
interpersonal skills.

8. • Encounter groups are formed, usually under
the guidance and leadership of a
psychologists or therapist, to provide an
environment for intensive interaction.
• One of the goals of the encounter group is to
improve the participants' interpersonal skills.
• A typical encounter group may consist of
fewer that ten persons, one of whom is a
trained specialist, or leader.

9. • The role of the leader is primarily to develop and
maintain an atmosphere of psychological safety
conducive to the free and honest expression of the
ideas of group members.
• Encounter group members are encouraged to fully
examine and explore their reactions to, and
feelings about, statements made, and issues
raised, in the group.
• Encourages members to express themselves
freely and honestly.

10. Why be part of an Encounter Group?
• Encounter groups are very good for working through
interpersonal issues such as shyness, talkativeness, inability to
express anger, difficulties in handling closeness, not knowing
what to say to people and many other issues to do with relating
to others.
• In the challenge of being real with yourself and others, there
comes an enormous sense of freedom. Past participants
describe the joy of being released from the roles that they are
associated with (parent, partner, work colleague, etc) for a
moment. Underneath those roles, is the person at the centre of
your life. You.
• The Encounter Group can teach you, how to be you with others.

11. How does it work?
We will all sit in a circle and the group will be unstructured; an
open process with no agenda. The Encounter Group can
give you a chance to experiment. Because of this it is
important that you try to be as immediate and responsive as
possible
• Bring whatever is there; whatever is affecting you,
whatever you are aware of.
• Share what you want with the group and the group will
work with you.

12. How does it work?
• Seek to clarify or expand, to understand more, either about
yourself or others.
• Avoid story telling and try to concentrate on what is
happening in you, at the moment (thoughts, feelings,
sensations).
• You may want to check out how other people perceive
you?
• Perhaps you want to experience what it’s like to be more
fully YOU, with others?

13. How does it work?
• Try to be congruent (authentic, genuine, responding from a
place that is aware of ALL of you).
• You may want to see how people respond to you?
• How do you relate to others, and how does this affect the
way people respond to you?
• Try to be non-defensive. Try to be open. Defensiveness
keeps communication at a level of debate.

14. How does it work?
• This is an opportunity to be different, to explore and
express feelings which you might not normally express.
• Try to own what you say by saying ‘I felt … when you said
that’ rather than ‘You make me feel …’
• If you’re not learning or contributing from/to the group, ask
yourself why you are there.

16. Basic Encounter By Carl Rogers
• Here people sit in a circle,
usually on chairs, and interact
almost entirely at conscious
verbal level. The role of the
leader is simply to facilitate
what is going on, to
participate as full human
being, and to encourage
people to be more honest and
more self- disclosing.
• The facilitators aim to provide
an environment of empathy,
genuineness and non-
possessive warmth
(acceptance).

17. Open Encounter
by Will Schutz
• People also sit in a circle, but usually on
cushions, because furniture gets in a way of
physical actions. There is much more
emphasis on the body and on energy. If the
leader sees that some physical action would
enable the person to go deeper into an
experience, he or she will suggests such an
action. So there is a great deal of movement
in an open encounter.

18. ADVANTAGES
• It deals with the problems
faced by its members.
• It helps in addressing and
understanding problems
faced by people in life.
• Encounter groups are very
good for working through
interpersonal issues such
as shyness, talkativeness,
inability to express anger,
difficulties in handling
closeness, not knowing
what to say to people and
all kinds of thing, because
the leader can encourage
very direct confrontation on
such matters.
DISADVANTAGES
• Some individuals did not have
the ego strength to benefit
from the intensity of this type of
experience.
• The feelings and changes that
manifested the participants of
the group members
disappeared over a short
period of time.

19. Conclusion
Encounter groups always require a leader to
monitor the group.
Truth has to be spoken and once that is
discovered people are able to see themselves
clearly.
Self realization and self awareness is one of
the main features of encounter groups.

20. Thank you! 