Pgtm Training For Conference

GASGW Spring Conference May 17, 2008

Selecting Group Techniques

Group Techniques: How to Use Them More Purposefully (2008) Conyne, Crowell & Newmeyer.

Jeri L. Crowell, Ed.D., NCC, LPC

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Purposeful Group Techniques Model

Numerous variables affect a group’s ability to work well and sustain itself over time: the effectiveness of the group’s leadership, the size, type, and level of diversity of the

group, the environment in which the group exists, and the motivation and commitment level of

the group’s members.

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Reflection Points

Have you ever been a member of any group that just did not work well?

What did the leader do or not do that may have contributed?

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An Integrative Model of Theory, Research and Practice

Intentional service delivery begins with a conceptual framework from which group work design should be realized.

Based on ecological counseling theory, the group leader views the group as a system of interconnections, in which members need to be supported and challenged appropriately.

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Purposeful Group Techniques Model (PGTM)Purposeful Group Techniques Model (PGTM)

STEP 1: IDENTIFY Group Type & Purpose, Best Practice Area, & Developmental Stage STEP 2: ANALYZE the Presenting Situation by Applying Ecological Concepts

STEP 3: REVIEW Possible Group Techniques STEP 4: SELECT “Best Fit” Technique, using decision- making and evaluative criteria

STEP 5: IMPLEMENT and EVALUATE the technique

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STEP 1: IDENTIFY Group Types Task Groups: Purpose - used to resolve

issues or to enhance performance and production goals within a work group, through attention to team building, collaborative problem solving and system change strategies.

Psychoeducation Groups: Purpose - to educate members and develop their skills and often are geared to prevention of future problems. Leaders impart information and train in skills, within an interpersonal milieu.

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STEP 1: IDENTIFY Group Types Counseling Groups: Purpose - to help

members improve their coping skills by focusing on interpersonal problem solving, feedback, and support within a here-and-now framework.

Psychotherapy Groups: Purpose - to help members learn to reduce psychological and/or emotional dysfunction by focusing on bringing past history to the present and incorporating diagnosis and assessment within an interpersonal orientation.

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STEP 1: IDENTIFY Best Practice Area

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STEP 1: IDENTIFY Group Stage

In the Beginning stage group members are working on getting established and transitioning toward a higher level of functioning.

In the Middle stage the members are now seeking to be more connected and to become more productive.

In the End stage group members are consolidating their gains and forecasting their future beyond the group’s termination.

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STEP 2: ANALYZE Ecological Concepts

Context: External and group factors influencing the group and its members. For example, to begin a group in an elementary school, taking children out of class may be disallowed, so other approaches become necessary.

Interconnection: Frequency and quality of member-to-member relationships. A group is dependent on inter-member relationships and their connections or disconnections.

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STEP 2: ANALYZE Ecological Concepts Collaboration: Working together to move

ahead. For instance, group rules and expectations become more accountable and reachable when all in the group are involved in setting them.

Social system maintenance: Developing and continuing a group culture, including clarity and integrity of rules, norms, expectations. A group involves creation and maintenance of a social system that has its own goals, rules, norms, and general culture.

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STEP 2: ANALYZE Ecological Concepts Meaning making: Creating meaning from

experience. Although experience and occurrences in the group is essential, what members learn from these events is at least as important.

Sustainability: Transferring and generalizing learning and change. Group work, and all forms of helping, have been criticized when change is not carried forward outside the group. Applying learning and change to the “real world” is of high importance in group work.

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Reflection Points

Traditional classrooms have students’ chairs arranged in rows facing the teacher. How would rearranging the chairs and other physical resources impact students’ interactions and learning? Can you describe other contextual factors that contribute to the way a group might function?

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STEP 3: REVIEW Technique Focus

Techniques can help group members: think about their situation (cognitive, thinking):

“List 3 reasons why this might be a bad idea.” explore their feelings (affective, feeling): “How are you feeling about this option?” develop or practice interpersonal skills

(behavioral, skills): “Try saying that now using ‘I’ statements”.

change the ongoing course of interaction (structural, direction of flow): “Can we shift now, to go back to an earlier point in our discussion?”

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STEP 3: REVIEW Technique Level

At the individual level a member is the focus, who may be led to speak about self or someone else may direct comments at the member.

“I am feeling very happy right now, I’ve learned so much!”

At the interpersonal level interaction of members is important:

to promote members talking with each other the leader may ask Bill and Susan to listen to and paraphrase each other’s communications.

At the group level the focus is on the group. Leader: “How are we doing today?” Perhaps one of the members: “We don’t seem to be

getting anywhere today, but I’m wondering how the rest of you see this?”

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STEP 4: SELECT

Decision-making/Evaluation Criteria (A-A-E-E-S) Appropriateness: which technique would best fit the culture

of the group and its members? Adequacy: which technique would be strong enough, but not

too strong, to have the desired effect? Effectiveness: which technique could most fully achieve the

goal? Efficiency: which technique would require the fewest

resources? Side effects: which technique would minimize negative side

effects while maximizing positive side effects?

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STEP 4: SELECT a Technique Using Decision-Making Steps

Review and identify relevant tool box for technique possibilities (or develop your own techniques)

Weigh advantages/disadvantages of each technique by applying evaluative criteria:Appropriateness AdequacyEffectiveness Efficiency

Side effects Select a “best fit” technique possessing

greater advantages than disadvantages

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STEP 5: IMPLEMENT / EVALUATE

How did your choice work? Was it effective in reaching the goal set? Was it acceptable and appropriate for

members? What might be needed in the future to increase

its benefits? Was it of value?

*Such questions offer significant growth points for leadership development.

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Critical Incidents adapted from Cohen and Smith (1976)

Offer group leader trainees practice in critical thinking and decision-making skills related to a sound conceptual model… …by weighing the advantages and

disadvantages of various group techniques…

…in real world examples in which they are able to examine counseling, psychoeducation, psychotherapy, and/or task groups in an ecological and ethical way.

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Techniques Toolbox

Toolbox concept organizes possible group techniques in a utilitarian collection of known interventions.

Less experienced leaders benefit while developing their awareness of multiple layers of decision-making skills needed to be an effective group leader.

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Group Type

Best Practice PLANNING

Stage Ecological Concepts

Focus Level

PsyedCouns

Hold a preliminary group session to orient potential members.

Begin-ning

Context CollaborationSocial system

Cognitive InterpersonalGroup

Planning Technique Prototype

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GroupType

Best Practice PERFORMING

Stage Ecological Concepts

Focus Level

PsyedCouns

Using any object, have the member who is speaking hold that object while all others are silent. She gives it to the next speaker who must address the very last thing said (careful listening skills).

Begin-ning

Social System

BehavioralStructural

IndividualInterpersonalGroup

Performing Technique Prototype

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Group Type

Best Practice PROCESSING Within-Session

Stage Ecological

Concepts

Focus Level

PsyedCouns

“Imagine yourself as you are now – silent – and it is the last session. What have you gotten from the group? How do you feel about your level of participation? Share this with the group.”

MidEnd

Meaning makingSustainability

CognitiveAffective

Individual

Processing Technique Prototype:Within-Session Processing

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TherapeuticFactors

Purposeful Group Techniques Model

Best Practice GuidelinesBest Practice Guidelines

Group DevelopmentGroup Development

Group TypeGroup Type

Group LevelGroup Level

Group FocusGroup Focus

Ecological

Concepts

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Let’s Practice

A critical incident to walk you through the model.

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Let’s Practice

Another critical incident to test your skill with the model.

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“All group work is multicultural” (Conyne, Crowell, & Newmeyer, 2008, p. 49) by the very nature of its unique collection of individuals, all of whom bring differing meanings and experiences to each group’s culture, or social system.

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Three dimensions specifically attend to multicultural sensitivity:

• Groups provide service delivery across settings (school or community),

• Populations (children to adult), and • Multiple counselor roles (school or mental health).

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Vital, is what we call the “personhood” of group leaders (i.e., their personal values, sense of self, and how they are perceived by others), and the presence and interaction of the members themselves.

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Counselor Training

Learners have the opportunity to compare and discuss their decision- making process and the technique they selected.

Learners have an opportunity to try out a technique, and get some feedback about how it is presented.

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Self Assessment

Your interpersonal and personal impact is unique within your group.

What have you learned about yourself as a group leader through studying the PGTM? What personal and interpersonal strengths have you noticed again, or for the first time? How has your knowledge of group leadership been affected? How will you put any of this learning into practice? Discuss with a partner. (book, pages 216-217)

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What kind of a person are you? Given that the “personhood” of the group leader is the

most important variable of all, think about yourself.

What do you value? How do others perceive you? How are

you with others in group situations? What are your

strengths? What areas do you need to improve?

For your students:

Write a 5-page, double-spaced essay in response

to the questions above.

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Group Techniques: How To Use Them More Purposefully

Conyne, R.K., Crowell, J.L., & Newmeyer, M.D. (2008). Group techniques: How to use them more purposefully. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Also check out: www.asgw.orgAssociation for Specialists in Group Work

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Questions?

Thank You!

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