Group Observation Concepts in Action Worksheet Notes

Group Observation “Concepts in Action” Worksheet This form is to be used during and/or after observation or participation in a group. You should include multiple examples of observed therapeutic factors, interpersonal skills, group facilitator skills, or other group therapy concepts listed in the Inventory of Group Leadership and Interpersonal Skills. CONCEPT DESCRIPTIVE OBSERVATION OR ILLUSTRATIVE GROUP INTERACTION Themes, Issues, Challenges The theme of this group session is guilt, self-confidence, and worry. The second half focuses on a member who expresses feeling guilty for dating another man five years after the death of her husband. 3 or more Group Dynamics 1. The new members appear to adapt into the group with ease. They seem comfortable and engaged, and the existing members also seem comfortable with the new members. 1. Group Inclusion 2. Recurrent Themes and Patterns 3. Group Cohesion 2. Self-confidence and guilt both appear to be recurrent themes in this group session. Within the first ten minutes, several members express struggling with guilt, their lack of self-confidence, and second-guessing themselves. 3. There is a great sense of group cohesion in this group. Many of the members seem to struggle with the same issues and often agree with one another. For example, when one member talks about how a couple staying together for the kids is “the worst thing that you could do,” several members vocally express their agreement. 3 or more Therapeutic Factors Operating: 1. Universality 2. Altruism 3. Catharsis 1. Several members express difficult past marriages and feeling guilt for leaving; this appears to be a common struggle amongst the group members. Self-confidence seems to be a universal concern; even one member notes, “It seems like a lot of our problems revolve around self-confidence.” 2. When one member cries while talking about her late husband and her fear of potentially losing someone else, another member reaches over to embrace the crying member as a means of consoling her. 3. One member breaks down into tears after realizing that she’s afraid to get attached to someone (e.g., the person she’s dating) because she doesn’t want to go through the same experience that she did with her late husband. 3 or more Interpersonal or Group Leadership Skills Used 1. Rounds 1. The leader uses rounds to engage members for this session. He asks the original members to share what stood out to them from the previous session. This is an opportunity for those members to reflect on what they previously discussed as well as an opportunity for the new members to get an idea of what has been happening in the group. 2. Drawing Out 2. When on the topic of guilt, the leader tries to engage other members rather 3. Deepening than just focusing on the first member who shared. 3. The leader goes beyond the surface issue (guilt) by asking members how the group can help with guilt, and how the members could reach a point where they can make mistakes and learn from them without ruminating in their guilt. Group Process Observations of Two Interactions Interaction #1: One of the leaders tries to demonstrate to the member grieving her husband how she is rejecting potential connection. Interaction #2: The leaders use role-play and chairs in order to illustrate the Adult and Child ego states. PROCESS COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS #1: The leader illustrates this by hugging another member normally, then demonstrating how awkward trying to hug at arm’s length is. The other leader takes a previously-used sheet of paper that has the member’s husband’s name on it and puts it between the two individuals who are “hugging” at arm’s length. This appears to help the member visualize her current situation. #2: Here, the leaders are also using a theory (traditional psychoanalysis) in order to engage the group. The members observe attentively; some even appear amused, with several members expressing that they feel like they relate to the “child” chair. The demonstrates sparks a conversation about how the members view themselves in relation which chair they view themselves in.