1. Chapter 21 Group Facilitation (2016) Berthold, T., Editor
Foundations For
Community Health Workers
(2nd Edition)
(2016)
Berthold, T., Editor
San Francisco, C.A.: Jossey-Bass
Chapter 21
Copyright ©  by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., or related companies. All rights reserved.
Group Facilitation

2. Reflection of Last Session
What did you learn?
How people learn
Participatory learning
Facilitation skills
Have students review what they learned from the last session on these key topics.

3. What You Will Learn
Discuss how and why group work is different from working with individual clients
Identify and describe different types of groups
Describe the unique benefits of group work
Explain four key stages of group work and analyze the roles and tasks of facilitators at each stage
Analyze how issues of power and authority, including the authority of the group facilitator, influence group dynamics and process

4. What You Will Learn
Discuss the importance of self-reflection and evaluation to become a skilled group facilitator and apply this to your work
Identify and respond to common challenges of group work
Discuss and apply ethics to group work, including issues of cultural humility, boundaries and confidentiality

5. Words to Know
Cohesion
Contagion
Self-Disclosure

6. Dynamic Nature of Group Work
Learning from one another in a structured environment opens new possibilities for thinking, feelings and behaviors
Group work provides opportunity for dynamic interaction among several individuals
Members improve their communication and other interpersonal skills

7. Key Factors Among Groups
Group Size
Purpose of Group
Closed Groups
Group Structure
Open Groups
Membership Criteria
Duration of Group
Presence of Facilitator
Group Focus Issue or Topic
Number of Facilitators
Role of Facilitators
Location

8. Types of Groups
Educational Groups: Bring people together who are seeking to learn new information about a health topic
Support Groups: Provide a place for people who share a common experience, concern, or goal to meet, talk, and support each other
Social Groups: Emphasize empowerment and community building

9. Unique Benefits of Group Work
Building hope
Universality
Altruism
Healing from negative family experiences
Development of social skills
Imitative behaviors
7. Interpersonal learning 8. Group cohesiveness 9. Catharsis 10. Sharing information 11. Existential factors 12. Self-understanding

10. Group Facilitation: CHW Interview

11. Group Functions and Processes
The group’s cohesion influences people to try new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving
Helpful to think of a group as it’s own culture with its own rules, roles, boundaries, and values
Cultural processes will continually arise and change within groups
Beneficial Processes
Conflict management and resolution
Contagion
Cohesion
Harmful Processes
Subgrouping
Contagion
Absence
Avoidance

12. Facilitator Roles and Abilities
Key Roles
Executive function
Caring
Support for the expression of emotion
Key Abilities
Showing up
Paying attention
Support for the expression of meaning
Preventing discriminatory treatment
Telling the truth
Letting go of the outcome

13. Facilitation Techniques
Naming
Silence
Focus on the present tense
Guiding inclusive participation
Mapping the conversation
Facilitating connection
Guiding into learning zone
Co-facilitation

14. Role of Group Facilitators
Power and authority of facilitators
Group design is to enhance the leadership of group members
A skilled facilitator works in ways that empower participants to demonstrate their own leadership
A truly effective group does not require much participation, intervention, or direction for the group facilitator

15. Professional Boundaries and Supervision
Self-Reflection and Self-Awareness
What are the signs that facilitator’s own issues may be getting in the way of the work?
Guidelines for Self-Disclosure
Don’t disclose personal information
Consult with co-facilitator or supervisor about risks and benefits
Be certain it will legitimately benefit group
Be brief
Never disclose current sexual behavior or current drug use!
Supervision and Support
Ongoing supervision by an experienced facilitator is essential for CHWs

16. Stages of Group Work Initial stage (Forming)
Facilitator establishes physical and emotional safety
Direct the flow of communication
Transition Stage (Storming and Norming)
Assist the participants to see that conflicts can be resolved
Assist each member to be viewed as valuable

17. Stages of Group Work Work Stage (Performing)
Assist members to express their emotions and thoughts
Maintain emotional cohesion of the group
Facilitator does not need to speak
Final Stage (Adjourning)
Guide members to express their thoughts
Revisit commitments participants made to make changes that enhance their health

18. Challenges of Group Facilitation
Culture of individuality
Unconscious issues
Unclear intention of the group
Members who do not participate
Members who dominate discussions
Put-downs, insults, threats, discrimination
Cliques and subgroups
Member(s) under the influence of drugs
Breaking confidentiality
Lack of support
Resistance

19. Common Mistakes How might the following impact the group? Avoidance
Dominating the group process
Imposing personal values or opinions on the group
Failing to demonstrate and model empathy and support
Disagreements or conflicts among co-facilitators in front of group members

20. Ethics and Group Facilitation
Put the best interests of the group first
Boundaries and Confidentiality
Group members pledge to each other that what is said in group stays in group
Facilitator makes limits of confidentiality clear to group members

21. Practice
 Look into community meetings that happen with some regularity. Which ones do you plan to attend to make your work better?
Complete HW & DB in Blackboard
Read Chapter 22

22. Resources: Image on slide 2
digital-drugs-binaural-beats by digitalbob8 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Image on slide 3
Bring Light Bulb is available in the public domain under CC0 Public Domain
Video on slide 9
Group Facilitation: CHW Interview, Foundations by Foundations for Community Health Workers is licensed under a Standard YouTube License
Image on slide 20
Townhall of Saint-Gilles door by Jopparn is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

23. Acknowledgements: MoSTEMWINs
Adapted from the Foundations for Community Health Workers, 2nd Edition (Berthold) with permission from Wiley Publishing by the Institute of Workforce Innovation of the Metropolitan Community College Kansas City and the Workforce Solutions Group of St. Louis Community College.
Unless otherwise noted this material by St. Louis Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This product is partially funded by the MoSTEMWINs $19.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership
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