Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Chapter 4 Planning ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Pre-group Planning Many groups are not successful due to too little emphasis on pre-group planning Pre-group planning: –How many sessions will the group meet? –When will the group meet? –Who should the members be? This should be carefully thought out ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. How Will the Members Be Screened? The Personal Interview Written Screening Screening By Referral Sources Screening By Using a Comprehensive Group Program Screening After The Group Has Begun Screening is essential because not everyone is appropriate for every group. ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Big Picture Planning Big picture planning entails considering all possible topics that need to be covered and all possible topics that could be covered. By doing this, the leader thinks through the purpose and the topics to be covered and how the group may evolve over the life of the group. ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Session Planning When planning a session, the leader should always consider the stage of the group. Plan the Format For the Session –Some groups have the same format each session –Some groups have a varied format Anticipate Problems When Planning –Members not following through on outside activities –Members being absent –Unanticipated issues arising in the group ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Phases of the Session Every group has 3 phases: The Beginning or Warm-up Phase Middle or Working Phase Closing Phase ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. The Beginning or Warm-up Phase –Always have a warm-up phase. –Make sure it is not too long –Make it relevant –Let members check-in; give progress reports. –Check to see if any member has something they want to bring up. –Be aware of unanticipated issues distractions among members ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. The Beginning or Warm-up Phase continued –For open groups, the leader needs to plan for introducing a new member Don’t let this dominate--let the new member come up to speed Focus mainly on the old members –The leader should give thought to whether the warm-up is high energy to get members excited, or medium energy. ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. The Middle or Working Phase Planning the middle phase is important since this is when groups do meaningful and lasting work. Planning this phase depends on the kind of group and the makeup of members. counseling or therapy educationsupport task exploration and resolution values exploration/personal growth ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. The Closing Phase A common mistake is to not plan the closing of a session. A closing should: highlight or summarize issues or information allow leader to check for confusion or unfinished business enhance members’ commitment to the purpose of the group ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Closing Phase of the First and Last Sessions Give extra thought to the closing phase of the first and last session, especially with counseling/therapy groups, personal growth groups, and support groups. When closing a first session-watch for: commitment of members comfort and trust issues negative energy emerging member issues ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Goals of closing final session: 1. Hearing from individual members regarding the overall group experience 2. Strengthening decisions, commitments, and/or behavior changes 3. Feedback of members to the leader 4. Feedback of members to each other ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Session Plans Estimate the time for each phase of the group Develop enough detail so that you can see the flow of the session ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Sample Plan The first session of a parenting group consisting of ten members: 3 min. (7:00) Introductions—round (name, age of children, why they came to the group). 5 min. Discuss the group—format, purpose (stress that it is mainly an educational and support group and not a therapy group). Have members share their needs and any fears or questions about the group. Have them share cultural differences. (Sandwich in the group rules of confidentiality, attendance, no attacking of others.) ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Brief Sentence completion This activity provides material with which to begin a discussion: 1. I get most upset as a parent when _______________________ 2. The thing I like most about being a parent is__________________________ 3. The hardest thing about parenting is__________________________ ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Sample Plan continued 10 min. Have members share their answers in large group (use their examples in discussion below). 15 min. Discuss Adlerian principles of child behavior (use charts and handouts) All behavior is purposeful. Children are not bad—they are discouraged. Four goals of misbehavior. ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Sample Plan continued 5 min. (7:35) Have members share in groups of three their thoughts about the Adlerian principles. 10 min. Discuss in large group, then continue overview of principles: Parent’s reaction to each of the four goals of misbehavior. ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Sample Plan continued 20 min. Focus on the first goal of misbehavior--attention getting. Use short role-plays to demonstrate Discuss ways to deal with situations 5 min. Dyads—discuss this goal in relation to their children and how parents may handle situations differently. 5 min. Process dyads 10 min. Summarize—what stood out, feelings about the group, one thing they plan to do differently. Hand out reading material Remind them of next meeting time ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Frequent Mistakes in Planning Not Planning Planning Too Much Irrelevant or Meaningless Content Not Allowing Enough Time For the Group to Have Any Significant Meaning ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Frequent Mistakes in Planning continued Inappropriate Exercises Too Many Exercises Poor Planning of Time Poor Planning of Order Not Planning an Interesting Beginning ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Frequent Mistakes in Planning continued Allowing Too Much Time for Warm-Up Not Allowing Enough Time for Warm-Up Vague Plans Lack of Flexibility ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc. Key Points About Planning Always plan Have a back-up plan in mind in case things don’t go as expected. Be flexible during a session--Do not become a slave to the plan. Stick to the plan unless something comes up that is equal to or better than what you had planned. ©2016. Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.