Groups in action evolution and challenges workbook answer key

Early Developments and Interactions From the outset, we ask members to briefly report some things they have been thinking about since the pre-group meeting and what they are aware of at this moment as they are convening for this weekend group. James says he often feels like an outsider in his life. As we listen to James, our interest is in finding out how James perceives himself in this group. We ask him, "Do you feel like an outsider in here?" We hope he will verbalize what it is like to be an outsider both in and out of group. Jacqueline reports that she feels stupid and thinks that she rambles and makes no sense. It is important to find out what feeling stupid and being inarticulate mean to her. We do not assume that we know what she means by rambling. Our interest is in finding out if and how this is problematic for her. We might make the assumption that she has a critical judge within her; we do not pursue this at this point. Instead, we ask her to mention a few ways that feeling stupid gets in the way of what she wants. Andrew acknowledges that, like James, he too feels like an outsider. When Marianne inquires whether he feels like an outsider with everyone in this group and whether there are some with whom he can make a connection, he tells us that he finds it is easier to trust the men in the group. The inquiry is aimed at getting Andrew to note that he does not feel equally distant from everyone. Again, we do not assume that we know what being an outsider means to Andrew or James, nor do we know what feeling stupid is like for Jacqueline, so we ask all three of them to note and verbalize when they become aware of these feelings. 3. James says, "I feel like an outsider." How might you work with his statement? 4. Jacqueline says, "I feel stupid when I ramble." How would you deal with her self-deprication in the first session? Some Teaching about Group We know that confidentiality is essential if members are to feel a sense of safety in a group and is basic for them to engage in risk taking. Even if nobody raises this issue, we raise the topic and caution them about how it can be broken. We then provide guidelines for maintaining the confidential nature of the exchanges. Specifically, we emphasize how easy it might be to break confidentiality without intending to do so. We ask them to refrain from talking about what others are doing in the group. We emphasize to members that it is their responsibility to continually make the room safe by addressing their concerns regarding how their disclosures will be treated. If they do not feel trust because they are afraid that others will talk outside the group, this doubt will certainly hamper their ability to fully participate. We also mention to members that it does not make sense to open up too quickly without a foundation of trust. As is evident in the DVD, the way to create trust is to get members to verbalize their fears, concerns, and here-and-now reactions during the early sessions. We emphasize that it is up to each member to decide what to talk about and how far to pursue a topic. During the early phase of a group, we are not likely to make interventions that lead to in-depth exploration of what members are saying. Rather than focusing immediately on the first member who speaks, we make sure that everybody has a chance to briefly introduce himself or herself. 3. Imagine yourself as a member at the first meeting. What fears would you have about participating? What would help you feel more trusting? The Dyad Exercise Marianne gives instructions to members about how to make best use of the group, and then introduces a dyad exercise. Working in pairs facilitates member interaction, since talking to one person seems less threatening than addressing the entire group. We ask members to say a few things to their partners that they have been thinking about since we first met at the pre-group meeting. Specifically, we suggest they talk about any fears or expectations they have about this group, and anything they hope to explore in the group. We typically have them talk for about ten minutes to a partner and give them a chance to participate in a couple of dyads. After the dyads, we ask members to take turns verbalizing to the entire group a few of the points they shared with the partner(s) in this exercise. Again, our aim is to hear from everyone, to clarify what they are saying, and to help them become more specific about their goals for the group. We avoid interventions that would facilitate deeper exploration for any of the members because we want ample time for all members to at least identify their concerns. While it may be tempting to stay with anyone member for a great deal of time to work on what he or she initially brings up, we do not do so because it would be at the expense of including others. If all participants speak early on, it provides everyone with a better sense of each other. They usually discover some commonalities enabling them to identify with one another, which leads to a climate of trust. Full Participation We expect everybody to become a participating member. If members do not bring themselves in spontaneously, we continue to invite them to speak.