WEEK 1: TYPES OF GROUPS
GROUP INTERVENTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
INTERVENTIONS:
- Individual: psychotherapy
- Interpersonal: couples/group therapy
- Community: organisational and community interventions
OVERVIEW:
- Definitions of a group and groupwork
- Different kinds of groups
- Counselling and psychotherapy groups
- Readings:
o We will cover mixed and psychoeducation groups later in the programme –
see the schedule in the reader
o For the test – you do not have to study the examples of task (teams),
counselling and psychotherapeutic groups in the reading.
WHAT IS A GROUP:
- Collection of two or more individuals
- Who meet face to face or virtually
- In an interactive, interdependent way
- With the awareness that each belongs to the group
- For the purpose of achieving mutually agreed on goals
ASGW (association for specialists in group work) define group work as:
- A broad professional practice involving the application of knowledge and skill in
group facilitation to assist an interdependent collection of people to reach their mutual
goals, which may be intrapersonal, interpersonal, or work related. The goals of the
group may include the accomplishment tasks related to work, education, personal
development, personal and interpersonal problem solving, or remediation of mental
and emotional disorders.
TYPES OF GROUPS:
o Task/work groups
o Psycho-educational
o Counselling
o Psychotherapy
, - Groups are characterised by their purpose, structure and outcome
MODELS FOR CLASSIFYING GROUPS:
The four-category system evolved over time. Earlier models included:
- Contact-focused group theory, which differentiated groups based on purpose, size,
leader responsibility, and severity of the problem.
- The TRAC model, which categorised groups based on their primary focus: Tasking,
Relating, Acquiring, and Contacting. This model was a direct forerunner to the
current ASGW standards.
TRAC model
- Saltmarsh et al. Conceptualises groups based on their purpose and functioning
o Tasking – focused on task achievement
o Relating – movement within the life of individual
o Acquiring – learning outcomes can be applied
o Contacting – focus on individual growth of members
- Groups are dynamic and can move in different areas
TASK/WORK GROUPS
- Purpose: These groups focus on promoting the "efficient and effective
accomplishment of group tasks". Their goal is to complete an identified task, such as
creating a finished product or making a decision, through collaboration. Examples
include committees, task forces, and juries.
- Focus: The primary emphasis is on the work goal, not on changing individual
members.
- Success: dependent on group dynamics – relationships of members in connection with
complexity of task.
- Size: Smaller groups (3 to 8 members) are significantly more productive than larger
ones.
- Length: varies. Has beginning, working period and an ending.
- Main differences to other groups:
o Abruptly disband after meeting their goal (similar to psychoeducational
groups)
o Contact with others outside the group, need input and feedback from non-
group members.
- Teams: The text makes a distinction between "working groups" and "teams". Teams
have shared goals, stress interdependency, require more commitment and are
accountable to a higher level within the organisation.
, o Classified by setting, how it is used (problem solving, specific purpose, self-
management), whether they recommend (problem solving), do (performance)
or run (organisation).
PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL GROUPS (aka educational groups/guidance groups)
- Purpose: originally developed for use in educational settings. Overarching goal is to
prevent future development of debilitating dysfunctions while strengthening coping
skills and self-esteem. These groups are designed to be preventive, growth-oriented,
or remedial. They aim to help members acquire information and develop related
skills, stressing "growth through knowledge". Provide information, socialising
techniques, hope, self-esteem and modelling.
- Structure: flexible and efficient, may be preferred in counselling and psychotherapy
environments when managed care policies demand brief and less expensive treatment.
- Size: varies across settings, usually 20-40 members. Subgroups limited to 10-12
members for sufficient airtime (fewer if members are children).
- Leader: in charge of managing group, if they aren't an expert, must bring in someone
who is and must manage their presentation as well as groups activities.
- Planning: 1) state purpose, 2) establish goals, 3) set objectives, 4) select content, 5)
designing experiential activities, 6) evaluating
- Duration: A common duration is 8 to 10 weekly sessions, each lasting about 50
minutes to two hours.
- Example: discussion groups, guided group interactions, recovery groups, support
groups, orientation groups, educational groups, student-centred learning groups.
o Life-skills development groups: focus on helping people identify and correct
deficits in their life-coping responses and learn new, appropriate behaviours.
COUNSELLING GROUPS:
- Purpose: Preventative, growth oriented, remedial. These groups are for individuals
dealing with "usual, but often difficult, problems of living" that are developmental or
situational in nature. They are considered as effective as individual counselling.
- Focus: Each person's behaviour and development or change within the help of the
group. Some may concentrate on disabling emotions (anger) or on disagreeable
feelings (anxiety).
- Size: 3-4 in children's groups and 8-12 in adult groups.
- Duration: 6 to 16 sessions.
- Leader: in charge of facilitating the group interaction but becomes less directly
involved as the group develops
- Main differences: more direct approach to dealing with troublesome behaviours than
psychoeducational groups because they are targeted at specific behaviours and are
focussed on problem solving. Advantage is the interpersonal interaction, feedback and
contributions from one another.
, - Example: The text describes a counselling group for counsellors to help them manage
the "toxic effect" of working with people in pain, promoting self-exploration and
preventing burnout.
PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUPS (aka group therapy):
- Purpose: to reconstruct or rectify the personalities or intrapersonal functioning of
those involved in the group. Group as a whole approach – therapist makes comments
directed to the whole group that reflect processes presently in the group that seem to
be out of the group's current awareness.
- Focus: focussed on severe problems. addresses personal and interpersonal problems
of living among people who may be experiencing severe or chronic maladjustment.
Remedial groups which emphasise helping people with serious psychological
problems of long duration by confronting them with their unconscious conflicts so
that they may be resolved. The emphasis is on "therapy by the group rather than
therapy in the group".
- Members: either open ended (accepting members at any time) or closed ended (not
accepting new members after first session). They are for people experiencing serious
psychological issues, though it is recommended that groups be heterogeneous rather
than composed entirely of individuals with the same disorder.
- Size: 2-12 members
- Duration: months or even years
- Leadership: Leaders are mental health experts with training in dealing with major
emotional problems.
- Example: The text discusses group work with abusers and the abused. These groups
are effective because they combat the social isolation common to these individuals
and are resistant to manipulation by members.
GROUP INTERVENTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
INTERVENTIONS:
- Individual: psychotherapy
- Interpersonal: couples/group therapy
- Community: organisational and community interventions
OVERVIEW:
- Definitions of a group and groupwork
- Different kinds of groups
- Counselling and psychotherapy groups
- Readings:
o We will cover mixed and psychoeducation groups later in the programme –
see the schedule in the reader
o For the test – you do not have to study the examples of task (teams),
counselling and psychotherapeutic groups in the reading.
WHAT IS A GROUP:
- Collection of two or more individuals
- Who meet face to face or virtually
- In an interactive, interdependent way
- With the awareness that each belongs to the group
- For the purpose of achieving mutually agreed on goals
ASGW (association for specialists in group work) define group work as:
- A broad professional practice involving the application of knowledge and skill in
group facilitation to assist an interdependent collection of people to reach their mutual
goals, which may be intrapersonal, interpersonal, or work related. The goals of the
group may include the accomplishment tasks related to work, education, personal
development, personal and interpersonal problem solving, or remediation of mental
and emotional disorders.
TYPES OF GROUPS:
o Task/work groups
o Psycho-educational
o Counselling
o Psychotherapy
, - Groups are characterised by their purpose, structure and outcome
MODELS FOR CLASSIFYING GROUPS:
The four-category system evolved over time. Earlier models included:
- Contact-focused group theory, which differentiated groups based on purpose, size,
leader responsibility, and severity of the problem.
- The TRAC model, which categorised groups based on their primary focus: Tasking,
Relating, Acquiring, and Contacting. This model was a direct forerunner to the
current ASGW standards.
TRAC model
- Saltmarsh et al. Conceptualises groups based on their purpose and functioning
o Tasking – focused on task achievement
o Relating – movement within the life of individual
o Acquiring – learning outcomes can be applied
o Contacting – focus on individual growth of members
- Groups are dynamic and can move in different areas
TASK/WORK GROUPS
- Purpose: These groups focus on promoting the "efficient and effective
accomplishment of group tasks". Their goal is to complete an identified task, such as
creating a finished product or making a decision, through collaboration. Examples
include committees, task forces, and juries.
- Focus: The primary emphasis is on the work goal, not on changing individual
members.
- Success: dependent on group dynamics – relationships of members in connection with
complexity of task.
- Size: Smaller groups (3 to 8 members) are significantly more productive than larger
ones.
- Length: varies. Has beginning, working period and an ending.
- Main differences to other groups:
o Abruptly disband after meeting their goal (similar to psychoeducational
groups)
o Contact with others outside the group, need input and feedback from non-
group members.
- Teams: The text makes a distinction between "working groups" and "teams". Teams
have shared goals, stress interdependency, require more commitment and are
accountable to a higher level within the organisation.
, o Classified by setting, how it is used (problem solving, specific purpose, self-
management), whether they recommend (problem solving), do (performance)
or run (organisation).
PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL GROUPS (aka educational groups/guidance groups)
- Purpose: originally developed for use in educational settings. Overarching goal is to
prevent future development of debilitating dysfunctions while strengthening coping
skills and self-esteem. These groups are designed to be preventive, growth-oriented,
or remedial. They aim to help members acquire information and develop related
skills, stressing "growth through knowledge". Provide information, socialising
techniques, hope, self-esteem and modelling.
- Structure: flexible and efficient, may be preferred in counselling and psychotherapy
environments when managed care policies demand brief and less expensive treatment.
- Size: varies across settings, usually 20-40 members. Subgroups limited to 10-12
members for sufficient airtime (fewer if members are children).
- Leader: in charge of managing group, if they aren't an expert, must bring in someone
who is and must manage their presentation as well as groups activities.
- Planning: 1) state purpose, 2) establish goals, 3) set objectives, 4) select content, 5)
designing experiential activities, 6) evaluating
- Duration: A common duration is 8 to 10 weekly sessions, each lasting about 50
minutes to two hours.
- Example: discussion groups, guided group interactions, recovery groups, support
groups, orientation groups, educational groups, student-centred learning groups.
o Life-skills development groups: focus on helping people identify and correct
deficits in their life-coping responses and learn new, appropriate behaviours.
COUNSELLING GROUPS:
- Purpose: Preventative, growth oriented, remedial. These groups are for individuals
dealing with "usual, but often difficult, problems of living" that are developmental or
situational in nature. They are considered as effective as individual counselling.
- Focus: Each person's behaviour and development or change within the help of the
group. Some may concentrate on disabling emotions (anger) or on disagreeable
feelings (anxiety).
- Size: 3-4 in children's groups and 8-12 in adult groups.
- Duration: 6 to 16 sessions.
- Leader: in charge of facilitating the group interaction but becomes less directly
involved as the group develops
- Main differences: more direct approach to dealing with troublesome behaviours than
psychoeducational groups because they are targeted at specific behaviours and are
focussed on problem solving. Advantage is the interpersonal interaction, feedback and
contributions from one another.
, - Example: The text describes a counselling group for counsellors to help them manage
the "toxic effect" of working with people in pain, promoting self-exploration and
preventing burnout.
PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUPS (aka group therapy):
- Purpose: to reconstruct or rectify the personalities or intrapersonal functioning of
those involved in the group. Group as a whole approach – therapist makes comments
directed to the whole group that reflect processes presently in the group that seem to
be out of the group's current awareness.
- Focus: focussed on severe problems. addresses personal and interpersonal problems
of living among people who may be experiencing severe or chronic maladjustment.
Remedial groups which emphasise helping people with serious psychological
problems of long duration by confronting them with their unconscious conflicts so
that they may be resolved. The emphasis is on "therapy by the group rather than
therapy in the group".
- Members: either open ended (accepting members at any time) or closed ended (not
accepting new members after first session). They are for people experiencing serious
psychological issues, though it is recommended that groups be heterogeneous rather
than composed entirely of individuals with the same disorder.
- Size: 2-12 members
- Duration: months or even years
- Leadership: Leaders are mental health experts with training in dealing with major
emotional problems.
- Example: The text discusses group work with abusers and the abused. These groups
are effective because they combat the social isolation common to these individuals
and are resistant to manipulation by members.
