by Ann E. Hale, M.A., TEP
During an interview with a prospective client for your therapy group you make this statement: “There will be group
sessions when we will focus on group interactions. We find that
exploring the interpersonal connections within our group setting
provides good practice for building positive connections with friends
and family at home.” The person wants to know more precisely what
this statement means in terms of what you do.
Your answer
The group leader speaks with the prospective client about a norm which has been established in the group, that of spending
time focused on the group members connections to other group
members. Likely the person has some anxiety about joining the
group and needs assurance that being in the group is a good choice for
him/her. Most people enter groups for personal development. A
priority is that the time and money spent will directly relate to their
life issues. Often people imagine that the time will be spent
with each person having an equal portion of the group time.
The answer to this question needs to include examples of life
situations and ways group issues mirror those of the prospective
client. If you know, for example, that the person has many
difficulties with monitoring and being a parent to a teenager who won’t
listen and has made a number of dangerous choices, you might want to
say, “If I as a group leader begin to notice that group members are not
really listening to one another, and this is causing people to feel
ignored and hurt, I might spend time in the group having everyone make
one statement to another group member and stay with it until it is
reflected back and the person experiences really being heard.
Being successful in communicating is something we all need to practice and it is very useful in raising children.”
I will also talk about groups and the importance of having a period of
time to feel familiar, known and trusting. I share that I believe
people really want to help one another, and that groups increase the
number of resources a person has. In order for people to be known
and to work well together I like to facilitate exercises that
strengthen these connections. I stress that on first meeting we
have many impressions. Over time those impressions get adjusted.
I ask group members to think about one another during the interim
between groups and to hold imaginary, one sided conversations.
Then I like to provide some time in the group where people may have
conversations that complete some of the information we have about one
another.
I describe the connections between people in the group like a number of
strings stretched between people forming a net. When those
strings are strong, people can take risks, knowing if they fell off the
high wire there was a safety net under them. If the net gets
frayed or weak in places, then I like to help those places become strong
again. Everyone benefits from the safety and the examples of
courageous people facing their lives directly and not hiding and being
scared.
