CHAPTER 7:

GROUP COUNSELLING

By: Dr. Ahmad Mustaqim Bin Yusoff

 Groups
• The characteristics of a group are as follows:

• Members engaged in frequent interaction;

• Those involved define themselves as group members;
• They share common norms and mutual interests;
• They identify with one another and share values;
• They feel a sense of collective responsibility;
• They act in a unified way towards the organisation.
Conducting Groups
 Conducting Groups
1. Practical Matters
• Environment and accommodation
• Materials
• Group size
• Availability and allocation of time
• Age or experience range
• Ability of the group
 Conducting Groups
2. Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally

3. Encouraging Participation
a. Sense of fun
b. Building trust and rapport
- Establishing ground rules
- Avoiding exclusion games
- Giving feedback
- Receiving feedback
- Acceptance
3. Encouraging Participation (cont..)

c. Participants’ feeling valued

- Being listened to
- Democratic style of leadership
d. Leader as model
e. Value the leader’s personal qualities
 4 . Controlling the Group
a. Verbal
• Volume
• Pace and Space
• Intonation
b. Non-verbal
• Facial Expression
• Moving Around
• Observation
c. Behavioral Aspects
• Instructing
• Helping
• Reacting
 Three-Skill Approach
• Technical skill implies an understanding of, and proficiency
in, a specific kind of activity, particularly one involving
methods, processes, procedures, or techniques.

• Human skill is the executive’s ability to work effectively as a

group member and to build cooperative effort within the
team he leads.

• Conceptual skill involves the ability to see the

interdependent of various functions and changes that affect
all the others.

(Katz, 1955)
Groups Characteristics
 FOUR TYPES OF GROUP

• Task Group
• Developing Group
• Counselling Group
• Therapy Group
 TASK GROUP

• Intended to complete a specific task

• Content oriented
• Less, though some, attention to group dynamics
• Include committee, work groups, classes,
organization boards.
 DEVELOPMENTAL GROUP

• Intended to teach a developmental skill in

“psychological” or education context
• Tends to be topic focus
• Some attention to group dynamics
• Example of stress management classes and so on
 COUNSELLING GROUP

• Use group counselling techniques to help normal

people with a normal problems of living
• May help people live to full potential (e.g., growth
group)
• Attention to discussion content and group dynamics
 THERAPY GROUP

• Uses group intervention techniques to help people

woth psychological problems and disturbances
• Requires knowledge of counselling, problems, and
their underlying psychological disturbances.
 Group Norms
• It is a sets of standards that govern the way in which
members’ behavior are judged.

• Explicit Norms
• Formal standards or guidelines
• Decided by leader or the group as a whole
• Example: “smoking is not allowed during group sessions”

• Implicit Norms
• Informal behaviour from prior standards
• Cause intense pressure
• Example: reaction to others in groups
 Group Size
• Depends on the age of the members, experience of the
leaders and type of group (Corey, 1990).

• Therapy group: 5 – 6 members (Levine, 1979)

• Counselling group: < 8 members (Edelwich & Brodsky,

1992)

• Discussion group: 8 – 10 members (Douglas, 1991)

 Group Size (cont’)
• Shaffer & Galinsky (1989) note that groups of ten or more are likely to
divide into two subgroups – one composed of the active group members
and the other of the more passive members.

• Gazda (1989), increase in numbers promotes more member-leader

interactions and fewer member-member contacts, which tends to inhibit
the development of intimacy and cohesion.
Group Stages
Developmental Process

• Beginning Stage
• Awareness Stage
• Working Stage
• Ending Stage
 Tuckman's Stages model
Forming: Group members learn about each other and the task at hand. Indicators of this stage
might include: Unclear objectives, Uninvolvement, Uncommitted members, Confusion, Low
morale, Hidden feelings, Poor listening, etc.

Storming: As group members continue to work, they will engage each other in arguments about
the structure of the group which often are significantly emotional and illustrate a struggle for
status in the group. These activities mark the storming phase: Lack of cohesion, Subjectivity,
Hidden agendas, Conflicts, Confrontation, Volatility, Resentment, Anger, Inconsistency, Failure.

Norming: Group members establish implicit or explicit rules about how they will achieve their
goal. They address the types of communication that will or will not help with the task.
Indicators include: Questioning performance, Reviewing/clarify objective, Changing/confirming
roles, Opening risky issues, Assertiveness, Listening, Testing new ground, Identifying strengths
and weaknesses.

Performing: Groups reach a conclusion and implement the solution to their issue. Indicators
include: Creativity, Initiative, Flexibility, Open relationships, Pride, Concern for people, Learning,
Confidence, High morale, Success, etc.

Adjourning: As the group project ends, the group disbands in the adjournment phase. This phase
was added when Tuckman and Jensen's updated their original review of the literature in 1977.
 Stages of Development
• Orientation Stage
• Anxious feelings by testing or trying out different behaviours to suite in the situation.
• Display self-centered unawareness and insensitivity to others.
• Try to impress the group by talking about outside experience.

• Dissatisfaction Stage
• Frustration, conflict, lack of unity and testing behaviour.
• Interaction in the group may become uneven.
• One observes competition rather than cooperation.

• Resolution Stage
• Gradual development of consensual validation, group unity, and cohesion.
• Positive feelings and comments are prevalent.
• Trust increases, leading to genuine openness and sharing.

• Production Stage
• Evaluation of the problem solving techniques and solutions emerge as to how the task will be accomplish.
• Work collaboratively as a unit in an interdependent manner towards goals.

• Termination
• Review of experience, achieve understanding and insight.
• Emphasizes the transfer of learning from group to real life (Matthews, 1992)
 Factors Affecting Group Development

1. Leadership Style and Skill

2. Characteristics of the Members

3. Environment

4. Purpose of the Group

5. Duration and Number of Sessions

6. Therapeutic Factors
Therapeutics Factors
 Therapeutic Factor
• An element of group therapy that
contributes to improvement in a client’s
condition and is a function of the actions
of the group therapist, the other group
members, and client himself (Bloch &
Crouch, 1988)
 Therapeutic Factors
1. Acceptance (Cohesiveness)
2. Universality
3. Self-Disclosure
4. Self-Understanding (Insight)
5. Learning from Interpersonal Action (LIA)
6. Catharsis
7. Guidance
8. Vicarious Learning
9. Altruism
10. Hope
 Acceptance (Cohesiveness)
• Relate to the individual’s feelings of belonging, reciprocal friendliness,
and interpersonal valuing.

• Most important factor to all types of groups.

• “I accept who you are” vs “I assist who you are”

• Promote Acceptance:
• Demonstrate good listening techniques
• Indicate the uniqueness of the person
• Provide support when members revealed something may be
perceived as unacceptable or shameful.
• Reframe or change of the attribution
 Universality
• One realize that other members have comparable
thoughts or experiences from their isolated feelings with
problems.

• Develop understanding of intense feelings that are

shared in order to contribute to improvement.

• Mostly occur in situation that associated with a specific

problem or diagnosis.

• Promote Universality:
• Link Similarities between members as the group progresses.
• Normalize thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
• Plan for discussion of common themes.
 Self-Disclosure
• “The act of revealing personal information to the group
(Bloch & Crouch, 1985, p.128).”

• It can be judged only on the basis of its meaning to the

discloser and the determination of the information.

• It reflects the level of intimacy and acceptance among the

members.

• Leaders have to carefully:

• evaluate the sensitivity of any new information that a member
offers the groups.
• make the group a safe place to disclose without extensive
revelation.
 Self-Understanding (Insight)
• Simply learning “…. something about himself ” (Bloch &
Crouch, 1985; p.29).

• Involve how a person is perceived in the group and reflect

new understanding about etiology, nature, or maintenance
of the identified problem.

• A sudden aware of positive resources of courage, strength,

or caring that creates positive opportunity for change.

• Promote insight:
• Develop a clear model to use in interventions.
• Associate thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
• Describe behaviour rather than labelling.
• Give options for change of behaviour.
 Learning From Interpersonal Actions (LIA)
• A person initiates or responds in a new and more
positive way in the group.
• May be a consequence of insight, singular influence or
produce an insight itself.
• Yalom (1985), learning socializing techniques as
eventual consequences of the member interactions.
• One may try being assertive, supportive, humorous, or
affectionate.
• Promote the LIA:
– Consider novel response to troublesome patterns of behaviours.
– Encourage and structure opportunities for trials of new thoughts
patterns, behaviours and feelings.
– Train people to give feedback appropriately and to be sensitive
to the potentially deficient members.
– Relate the person’s actions in the group to external situations.
 Catharsis
• Bloch & Crouch (1985), there are two components:
• Affective release
• Feelings of relief

• No requirement for a particular type of response from the group.

• Occur in the process of self-disclosure,
• Example: A person reports a previous episode of abuse

• Corey & Corey (1987), the person must label their intense emotions and
attempt to undersatnd them before the experience can promote change.

• Promote Catharsis:
• Allow catharsis experience to occur naturally
• Protect the person having the emotional experience
• End the experience cleanly when it is time to move on
• Process reactions to the experience when possible
 Guidance
• Two operations are involved:
1. provide information about a particular condition, diagnosis, or
circumstances.
2. give advice or suggestions

• Occur in situations where therapist or group members is trying

directly to influence the receiver.
• Example: It seems that you’re not satisfied until you talk to him personally.

• Its emphasis is related to the overall objectives for the group.

• Promote guidance:
• Give direct advice sparingly.
• Make sure the offered information is accurate.
• Ensure people have applicable info.
• Make the learning active.
 Vicarious Learning
• The idea that the leaders should model the behaviours they
want the clients to adopt.

• Corsini (1988) reffered it as “spectator therapy” and

Yalom (1985), it is an “imitative behaviours”

• Different from modeling as it is felt to be a process of

spontaneous identification, or imitation, of another’s actions.

• Promote Vicarious Learning:

• Enhance the opportunities for identification
• Increase chance for imitation of those members who have made
successful adjustment
• Built into some skill-based common theme groups
 Altruism
• Any extension of help to another member, such as support,
mutual sharing, or advising that bring the feelings of helpful
among members.

• The natural helping process of accepting and giving helps that

provides chances of experiencing group satisfaction.

• Promote Altruistic experiences:

• Encourage members to show “acceptance” and “support”
• Note when people have been helpful
• Point out the secondary consequences as a result of helping
• Create the opportunity for helping among the members
 Hope
• Corey & Corey (1987, p.185), Hope is the belief that change
is possible – that one is not a victim of the past and that new
decisions can be made.
• Arise from the shift from an external to an internal locus of
control.

• Promote Hope:
• Point out members success as they occur
• Note positive themes in the group process
• Make the positive review process part of the group design
Thank you!