Facilitation Skills Reflection

Purpose and Planning

As discussed in this week’s reading, facilitation skills are integral to a successful social work group, and these skills are to be developed in the group sessions that are taking place throughout this course. The group sessions which will be occurring throughout the semester, are incredibly beneficial to future social workers. As we develop the ability to apply what we are learning in our textbook, to real life. Discussing group dynamics, and actively participating in a group allows for a comprehensive understanding of the theory behind group facilitation, as well as the applicability of certain facilitation skills. The first group session was incredibly important, as this session would set the tone for the rest of the …show more content…
Often times, it can feel awkward getting to know a group of strangers, and having a broad group discussion. However, due to the introductions that took place in the beginning stage, the entire group session felt incredibly comfortable. I made sure to get to know my peers and their experiences, and made sure they knew who their facilitator was as well. I often provided personal anecdotes to build upon the facilitation questions that I prepared, as sharing personal stories often helps me understand complex topics. I believe that the introduction of personal stories added another level of familiarity with the group members. As a facilitator using personal stories allowed for my group members to get to know me and the way that I think, as well as provided a safe environment to share their personal stories as well. This ultimately allowed for us to get to know one another and build our group dynamics, whilst simultaneously critically reflecting and learning about the course material. All of the facilitation questions that I asked received fulfilling answers, as my peers answered the questions from a social work perspective, as well as using their own experiences with group facilitation. The group dynamics were incredibly interesting to me as the first facilitator, our similarities as well as …show more content…
Due to the fact that this was the first group meeting of the semester, the beginning stage of the interaction was incredibly important. The beginning stage impacted the rest of the session, as for the first time a group of strangers were meeting, and attempting to deduce all of our similarities, and our differences. Therefore, providing introductions and facts about ourselves really assisted the group in being able to understand one another, and move on in a comfortable manner. Furthermore, the beginning stage was especially interesting as a facilitator, as the group collectively had a chance to learn about what we currently know about social work group practice, and what we can build upon going on in the semester. Understanding one another’s strengths and weaknesses is important in developing comradery in a group, and was especially important in the beginning