WEEK 4: Discussion 1

Choose a type of group in which you are interested and create a group proposal. What type of advertizing would you need to do? How would you announce the group and to recruit for members? Submit your proposal and a brief marketing plan to the discussion board as your original post. Be sure to comment on some potential problems when you review your classmates’ proposals.

WEEK 4: Discussion 2

Review the screening and selection guidelines for group members in both texts and compare both to the Group Work Best Practice Guidelines. Which guidelines are similar from list to list? Which are missing some mention in the Best Practice Guidelines. Why do you think this might be?

WEEK 5: Discussion 1

Choose a type of group that you would be interested in forming. Create a group agreement for that particular group. What might be the significant differences depending on the type of group that you will be forming? What factors are more universal and should be in all group agreements? Feel free to review the group agreements in your texts, but be sure to post your own agreement here along with the answers to the other questions.

WEEK 5: Discussion 2

Read the following case example and answer the following questions.
Rodney has a consistent pattern of asking others in the group very probing and personal questions. You have attempted to formulate a norm that people avoid asking questions and make statements instead. In spite of your best intentions, Rodney persists in interrogating people in the group and succeeds in disrupting the group process. He finally says, “I don’t see what the big deal is about me asking questions. I only ask questions because I’m curious. It’s my way of finding out about people. I don’t see why you all make such a big deal of it.”

What are some ways that you might intervene with Rodney? What might be some of the early concern areas by which this statement could be categorized? Explain some of the stage characteristics in group development that this dynamic might indicate.

WEEK 6: Discussion 1

Review the tasks and the therapeutic factors of the working stage. Review the member functions and the leader functions at this stage. After completing these tasks, apply the appropriate intervention that you would use for a couple of these statements (choose at least two). When you explain the intervention of choice be sure to illustrate the tasks, therapeutic factors, along with the member and leader functions.
• I really didn’t want to be in this group, but they sent me.
• I don’t trust group leaders.
• I’m finding myself feeling more and more isolated in this group.
• There is someone is this group that I don’t trust.
• In this group I can be myself, but once I leave here, I feel I must play a role that is not really me.

WEEK 6: Discussion 2

Review the tasks and the therapeutic factors of the final/termination stage. Review the member functions and the leader functions at this stage. After completing these tasks, apply the appropriate intervention that you would use for a couple of these statements (choose at least two). When you explain the intervention of choice be sure to illustrate the tasks, therapeutic factors, along with the member and leader functions.
• It took us 13 weeks to reach this level of trust and now we have to quit? Why can’t we keep going?
• If I could keep working within this group, I am sure that I could get through some of the problems that have kept me stuck for so long.
• You know, there are negative feelins that I have been holding onto for weeks, and before it’s too late, I think I am going to have to tell you what I’ve been feeling about you.
• It’s easy to get close to people in this group, but that just isn’t the way it is in the world. People are supposed to be caring and accepting in group, but in the world most people don’t really care. I can’t even get close to my son. He doesn’t understand this group talk.

WEEK 7: Discussion 1

Integrating your understanding of stage development with the knowledge of group challenges, how would you deal with avoidance (or resistance) by the entire group? How would you know it was happening? What skills would you need to address it? What would be some specific techniques you would try to use? How would you ascertain if those interventions were successful? How might this avoidance relate to your inability to maintain a safe and therapeutic setting?

WEEK 7: Discussion 2

Integrating your understanding of stage development with the knowledge of group challenges, how would you deal with transference and countertransference? What might be some different strategies depending on what stage of development the group is in? What might be the different strategies given the type of group you might be conducting? Give examples of possible transference or countertransference and state the techniques and methods that you would attempt.

WEEK 8: Discussion 1

Choosing a stage of change and a stage of recovery that you would assume would be complementary, explain what intervention you would use to help promote change and individual and group growth. Be sure to indicate how you deteremined the stage of change and the stage of recovery in your group member. Be sure to give interventions as well as questions to promote movement to the next stage of change.

WEEK 9: Discussion 1

Choose one group theory and write a group plan for one session; compare the chosen model to the interaction group model; how would the session be different; respond to other’s plans for their session giving suggestions of improvement or comments of model differences.

TEXTBOOK NEEDS TO BE REFERENCED WITH ALL RESPONSES.
Reference
Corey, M., Corey G., & Corey, C. (2007). Groups: Process and practice. Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.