Assignment task:
Part I:
Visualize a prospective group member who is considering entering a new group. Imagine the different feelings he or she might have. Can you imagine any fears he or she may have? Would he or she have any general anxiety? Might he or she experience doubt about how he or she will fit in with the other group members? What actions on the part of the group and the group leader will be most helpful?
What types of questions do you think people have when joining a new group? Are there specific kinds of information that might help to address those questions?
When a member enters a new group, what might be some of his or her concerns about the group leader? About the other members?
What kinds of feelings will be most difficult for a member to share in a new group? Are these the kinds of feelings that you as a leader would want to encourage members to share with one another?
How does a person decide what level of commitment to make to a particular group? Have you ever stayed in a group that you were unsure about at first? If so, what happened to you as a result?
As a group leader, what are your primary concerns about maintaining an ethical group practice in a world where profit and loss sometimes take center stage for administrators?
As a developing specialist in group leadership, what qualities might assist you in promoting the ethical practice, even in a subordinate position in relation to individuals who have no knowledge or understanding of group leader ethical principles?
In which group specialization do you have the most interest? Least interest? Why?
What are some ways that you might be able to increase your familiarity with each of the four group specializations?
At this point, what are your deepest concerns about screening and selecting members most appropriate for a potential group?
Part II:
What personal concerns might you have about stepping forward as a group leader to block rambling, counterproductive, or argumentative behaviors by group members?
What difficulties do you anticipate having with scanning the room and being aware of what is happening with all the members of a group of 12?
As a group facilitator and participant, it is likely that you will at some point find your own issues bubbling up. How can you use this to further the group process and still find the balance between facilitating and participating?
Since the ultimate goal of group facilitation is to help people communicate more easily with one another, how can you model such communication as the facilitator and/or participant?
As a group leader, what does intentionality mean to you when it comes to group intervention?