Chapter Three

Front 1

Purpose of Groups

Back 1

1.Purpose refers to why the group is meeting, what the goals and objectives are.
2. When the leader full understands the purpose of the group, it is easier to decide such things as its size, membership, session legnth and number of sessions. It serves as a map for the leader.

Front 2

Purpose of Groups Cont.

Back 2

3. Clarity of purpose helps the leader keep the members on course by suggesting relevant activities, asking relevant questions, and cutting off irrelevant discussions.

Front 3

Examples of Group Purposes:

Back 3

1. Learning to Survive the pain of divorce.
2. Orientation to Prison Life
3. Adult Sunday school discussion group on church related issues
4. Dealing with fears of going to middle school next year

Front 4

Determining the Purpose of the Group

Back 4

When setting up a group, the leader must assess the potential members needs and then decide which kind of group will be most helpful.
2. An example is working with a group of mentally challenged teenagers might decide on an education group covering topics such as education on sex, money, job hunting and support groups to help them explore their feelings.

Front 5

Common Questions About the Purpose

Back 5

1. Certain questions often arise regarding the purose of groups like can the group have more than one purpose?
2. Groups can have multiple purposes, such as providing support information and therapy; such as pairing values clarification with counseling or drug information. Those things can be compatible and set the stage for an effective and interesting group experience.

Front 6

Examples about A Group Having More Than One Purpose

Back 6

1. A group just released from an inpatient psychiatric treatment center could have at least have two purposes: To provide support and to provide information on such subjects as budgeting and how to interview for a job.
2. A group for teenagers who are in gangs could also have multiple purposes-conflict mediation, counseling and providing information about alternatives to gangs.

Front 7

Leaders Mixing Purposes in Incompatable Ways

Back 7

1. An example, is an unskilled leader in a group on child rearing might mistakenly use 30 minutes of the group's time to do counseling with a woman complaining about her husband.
2. Ideally in a case like this the leader would talk to the woman at the end of the session to keep things on track for what the group is really there to talk about; and if she needed to talk about that they meet alone at another time to do so.

Front 8

Another Example: Leaders Mixing Purposes in Incompatable Ways

Back 8

1. In residential settings such as halfway houses, juvenile centers or prisions, incompatable purposes can often emerge.
2. Leaders can find themselves dealing in a single session with issues like problems with parents, tensions between residents, house rules, and disciplinary procedures.
3. In this scenario the leaders should separate issues like this into two or three different meetings to separate the topics keep things organized and address the complaints one at a time within the group.

Front 9

The first session of any group is another example of a multiple-purpose group session.

Back 9

1. The leader always has at least two purposes in mind:
a) Introducing the general content of the group- such as study habits, communication skills, increasing marital happiness, etc.
b) the other is getting members a clear picture of how the group will be conducted.

Front 10

Other Purposes of Sessions- Full or Partial

Back 10

1. To have fun
2. To be informative
3. To build trust
4. To increase committment
5. To be thought provoking
6. Discussion of group process- what is happening between members
7. To discuss gender, race, or other cultural issues that exist in the group
8. To accomplish a task
9. TO work on personal issues

Front 11

Other Purposes of Sessions Cont.

Back 11

1. Timing of the leader giving feedback to members is important after the group has been going along for a while.
2. Getting to know each other better.
3. Discuss specific more delicate subjects like religion, sex or self esteem (For example, the leader may say "Since Molly shared she is a lesbian ther seems to be some underlying attention."

Front 12

Can the Purpose Change?

Back 12

1. Yes, groups can start off as an education, support or growth group; members can become more comfortable and start sharing more personal level.
2. If the leader sees the need to shift into a counseling mode, it is imperitive that all of the members discuss this and how it can alter the purpose of the group.

Front 13

Can the Purpose Change Cont.?

Back 13

1. If the group decides to switch the emphasis, the leader must realize it may take one to two sessions to change the direction.
2. If members become blurred about the groups purpose the leader must immediately reiterate the purpose of the groups goals. No jumping around.

Front 14

Can The Purpose Change Cont?

Back 14

1. A common mistake made by leaders that they shift the purpose of the group and they fail to inform the members.
2. The result is generally members who feel frustrated, confused, fearful or resentful.

Front 15

Can There Be No Purpose?

Back 15

1. This is inadvisable.
2. Groups without a purpose and do not succeed because of a lack of interest and direction.
3. If for some reason the leader ends up with a situation of leading a group without a purpose and there is no predetermimed goal in mind the group and leader need to decide if they are going to change that and select a goal or just agree that it is a social gathering group instead.

Front 16

If the Leader is Clear, Will the Members Be?

Back 16

1. Not always, some members have their own ideas of what the group should be about.
2. Some groups may go to groups for reasons other than for the stated reason. They will go to complain, preach, attack others or sabatoge the leader.
3. Some members may have more severe mental issues and have a hard time processing what others say, or their anxiety cripples them from listening or interacting like they need to.

Front 17

What the Leader Can Do to Help When Members are Seeing Things Unclearly

Back 17

1. Meet with those members who seemed to be confused or distressed alone.
2. Discuss the problem with the group to create understanding and support for the member and ask that member be treated with dignity.
3. Assess the member who is having trouble and make sure a group setting is a good fit, and not individualized treatment.

Front 18

Purpose in a Single Session Group

Back 18

1. Some groups meet only once, so clarity of purpose is very essential.

2. The leader must lay out the clear reason of why the group is there like determining
a) a treatment plan
b) resolving a conflict
c) planning an event

3. The leader must not make the mistake of allowing the switching of topics; and insist on staying within the boundaries of the goal there for, and a short introduction time of members, warm up or background information.

Front 19

Concluding Comments

Back 19

1. THe very most important aspect that cannot be overlooked is determining the outcome of the group.
2. This determines the leaders choice in the:
a) type of group
b) membership
c) topics
d) dynamics
e) depth of group
f) leaders role- determining the the map the leader uses for planning and conducting sessions.

Front 20

Common Reasons Leaders Fail in Groups

Back 20

1. They fail to be clear in conducting the session.
2. They fail to stick to the purpose of the goal/s of the group.
3. Clear understanding of when the session have more than one purpose; and when it does, stick to the purpose not go back and forth.
4. Be intuitive enough to realilze when a group changes as it developes and be able to address that with the members and make a decision of what is best for the group.