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EPSY 543- Group Theory and Practice
The purpose of this course is to introduce theory and practice of group
work, and self-understanding
within small group process. In order to accomplish this purpose, the course is
designed to include lecture,
discussion, and laboratory experience. Assignments are designed to enhance the
learning process.
Objectives which focus on expectations of student competencies follow:
- Demonstrate knowledge of group theory, the history of group work, ACA Ethical Guidelines, and multicultural factors in small group process.
- Understand distinguishing characteristics across types of groups: guidance/psychoeducation, task, counseling, and psychotherapy.
- Demonstrate the ability to analyze mass group process when participating within a group.
- Integrate a body of small group research for a specific theme and population.
- Develop a structured group manual/design appropriate for your specialty which demonstrates:
- Screening procedures, inclusion-exclusion criteria for members, and member preparation.
- Objectives and behavioral outcome statements which serve to guide the learning process.
- Appropriate selection and pacing of activities, and processing of activities and sessions.
- Creation of norms which support the ACA Ethical Guidelines.
- Appropriate selection of pretests and post-tests for evaluation of the group.
- Differentiate personal leadership skills which enhance development of the group, one's personal growth, and growth of others.
Requirements beyond Evaluation
- Regular class attendance and participation. Students missing more than two training groups will be requested to complete an additional series of group sessions. Come to class prepared to ask about the assigned reading.
- Maintain a written log after each training group session. This log will be read by the group facilitator and instructor--only include information you are comfortable sharing. Each session should have entries divided into (a) personal experience and (b) process analysis.
- Group presentation on types of groups from assigned readings.
- When students are requested to participate in group research, they may elect to participate rather than submitting written reviews of five research articles. These reviews will not be evaluated and should be turned into my research assistant.
- Use APA style (4th ed.): double space, 1 inch margins, 12 pt. type (10 cpi), left justification, one space following all punctuation, and hanging indent for references (check the style manual carefully for additional requirements). However, see variations approved for the group manual. Spelling errors are not acceptable.
Course Evaluation
- Two take-home essay exams (10% each).
- Chapter one of manual addressing previous research, etc. (see manual instructions) (10%).
- Analysis of training group--mid-semester (12-15 pages, 20%).
- Manual on structured group design for your specialty area (25%).
- Analysis of training group--at closure (12-15 pages, 20%).
- Critique of leadership skills based on Yalom's leadership functions (5%).
Texts:
Yalom, I.D. (1995). Theory and practice of group psychotherapy. (4th ed.).
Gladding, S. T. (1995). Group work: A counseling specialty. (2nd ed.).
Recommended
Gazda, G. (1989). Group counseling: A development approach (4th ed.).
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson F. D. (1996). Joining together: Group
theory and group skills (5th ed.).
Schmuck, R.A., & Schmuck, P.A. (1997). Group processes in the
classroom (7th ed.).
Brown & Benchmark.
Note: The laboratory group in this class is called a training
or T-group. The purpose of the group is to experience participation in a small
group while studying communication and small group process. The skill of using
feedback and immediacy in the here and now of the group describes much of the
group focus. Therefore, your group goal is to discuss how you are experiencing
the group and to explore the process of the group. You will also have the
option of learning about yourself within the small group process. Your participation
in the training group will not be evaluated, nor is deep self-disclosure
required. For this reason, you will always have the option to pass or ask to be
off focus. However, students typically learn more about groups when actively
participating and sharing leadership roles with other members. During the first
weeks of class, I will talk with you about the ethical issue of dual relationships,
along with other ethical concerns which are unique to group work. Concern with
a dual relationship recognizes that I am in a position to evaluate you at the
same time that you are being asked to participate and share information about
your experience. It is important that we work together to ensure that
communication in this class is open, but appropriate. Please feel free to ask
me to clarify any questions you may have about dual relationships and your
rights as a student.
Guidelines for Assignments
RESEARCH CRITIQUES: The purpose of this assignment is to become acquainted with research on group work which will help you make decisions for the required structured group design. Group work references can be found throughout the library; many disciplines find group work to be important in theory and research. Obtain references as soon as possible because an interlibrary loan may be necessary to obtain important information. If you participate in research within the class, you are not required to write the critiques. However, you will still need to be come acquainted with the research to complete Chapter One of your Group Manual.
* Select a theme and age level for your group design
which is appropriate for your program specialty.
Use this assignment to examine previous group research addressing
the theme and/or age level for
the group. If you are unable to find research directly addressing
the topic of your choice, you may
use research which is closely related, such as research on
adolescent group work in general.
* If you have not become acquainted with computer search
methods on the internet and in Morris
Library, do so immediately. Learn to use various descriptors to
obtain information. Use "group" as
one of the primary descriptors to locate appropriate references.
If you are having difficulty, talk with
other students to discover what descriptors worked for them.
* Submit five research critiques with articles attached.
Each review should be two or three pages in
length. Remember that each review must focus on group work!
* Format for article critiques:
- Author's name, article title, etc. Use APA reference format.
- Summary of the key points of the article: examine the method, subjects, purpose, research questions, hypothesis, results, and implications.
- Discussion on relevance of information for your group design.
ANALYSIS OF TRAINING GROUP: The purpose of this requirement is to foster integration and application of knowledge about small group process. It requests you to maintain objectivity about the group in which you are participating, just as group leaders must maintain objectivity. An analysis is due mid-semester and at the end of the semester. The final analysis is not comprehensive; only refer to incidents from the first half of the semester to enhance understanding of comments about the second half.
The analysis will be graded based on your ability to identify mass group processes which have been addressed in the text books, handouts, or class lecture as they apply to your group. No other references are required, but you have the option of using other references. Analysis entries in your log will help you recognize the mass group process across sessions. Utilize the developmental progression in your T- group as the basic structure for analysis. Other considerations in grading will be identification of theory/process elements which link with one another and how characteristics change over time. Stay at the mass group process level, but use specific incidents in group to clarify and illustrate process observations. The analysis should clearly communicate how your training group was unique as it developed over time.
Begin with an introductory paragraph to provide a frame of reference for how the paper is organized, but this shouldn't be long. It is not helpful to review Yalom's work as an introduction!! Analyses should be written in the third person (avoid using personal pronouns such as "we" or "I"). The use of personal pronouns encourages writers to be subjective rather than objective. Other suggestions include: Identify changes in relationships. How are the events or concepts linked? Identify how sessions are connected. What kinds of things (i.e., predominate themes, member participation and interaction) are continued across sessions? How do members interact with the facilitator? With each other? Are there dependency issues? What power issues are present in the group? How is conflict addressed or avoided? What roles are implemented by the facilitator(s)? How do facilitator roles change across sessions? Discuss the general flow of group across sessions.
LEADERSHIP CRITIQUE: This paper is a narrative critique of your group
leadership skills. Using the four leadership functions (caring, energizing,
meaning attribution, and organizing/executive functions) discuss your strengths
and weaknesses. Use your roles in the training group as the basis from which
your critique is developed. Evaluation will be based on your ability to
differentiate your strengths from your weaknesses, thus both categories need to
be addressed. Remember your behavior in group is not being evaluated. I will
not evaluate the accuracy of your critique, but rather the thoroughness of your
differentiation.
MANUAL REQUIREMENTS: After selecting a theme and age level for your group
design, and having examined current research, you are ready to develop a
structured group manual. The manual should be functional and appropriate for
12, 2-hour sessions. If 12, 2-hour sessions are not appropriate for your design
(i.e., young children), please see me for approved alternatives. Information
contained within the manual should be practical and written in an explicit
manner others could read and understand for implementing the group. The group
manual should have three chapters, references, and an appendix (Introduction, Session Outlines: 1 -
12, Evaluation, References, and Appendix):
A. Chapter One: Introduction. This chapter includes a review of
previous research, all decisions made
prior to the first group meeting, and justification for decisions
using references.
- Explain the purpose of the group.
- Discuss previous research (studies and theory) as it applies to this type of group. If research is not available for this type of group, discuss research which has been done on similar groups.
- How does research support decisions for this design?
- What are the goals for the group (what do you expect to accomplish in 12 weeks)? Goals should reflect your purpose statement.
- Introduce pre-post assessment instruments and explain how your assessment methods will determine if the goals have been reached.
- Who are the members? How were they referred (i.e., self-referral, agency referral, court mandate, etc.)? What kind of information is relevant to member selection? Is a pre-session interview preferred for selection?
- How many members? This decision should be supported by the literature.
- What are the preferred member characteristics? Heterogeneous? Homogeneous? What is your rationale for member selection? Examples of member characteristics can be used.
- How are members prepared for the group?
- Who is/are the facilitator(s)? Male/Female? One/Two? Training/Experience?
- When and where will the sessions be held?
- Any additional information you feel is important for the reader of this manual.
B. Chapter Two: Session Outlines. For each of the 12 sessions include the following:
- Objectives and Behavioral Outcomes: Objectives should be "member-oriented." Member-oriented, instructional objectives are simple sentences stating what members are expected to learn in the session. Your objectives should allow for development of behavioral indicators (behavior outcomes) to determine if the objective has been met. Most sessions should contain objectives which address group process as well as theme content. See illustration for suggested format.
- Activities: To meet session objectives, each session will contain structured activities. Activities are listed in order of event with the appropriate time line identified. Each activity should be briefly described within the text, followed by a list of three or four process questions. Process questions for activities should pertain to content of the activity (what did members learn). It is important to keep in mind the behavioral outcomes you wish to observe. Remember process questions are unique for each activity. Specific details, procedures, and materials for activities should be included in an appendix in the back of the manual. Be sure all information in the appendices is easy to locate.
- Session Processing: In addition to processing each activity, the final 10 minutes are used to process the full session. List three or four process questions related to session objectives and behavioral outcomes. These are important because they help members tell you what they learned in the session and how they are progressing toward group goals.
- Rationale: The rationale explains why sessions and activities are selected and sequenced in some logical order. For example, group norms are established in the first session (as opposed to the fourth session) to lay the necessary foundation for important future group work. If group norms were not discussed early, feelings of anxiety and fear would develop rather than a sense of group cohesion, universality, and trust. Further, discuss the order of information presented for learning. How do member characteristics influence the topic order? (See model session outline)
C. Chapter Three: Evaluation. The purpose of
evaluation is to determine if the group was effective. To
determine effectiveness, pretests and post-tests are used to
measure change. In this chapter all
instruments and/or methods used to measure change are discussed.
It is important that more than
one instrument/method be used. For this task, at least one
standardized instrument should be used
(if possible) for comparison to a normative sample. Comparison to
a normative sample can tell you
how your group members compare to the normative sample. Explain
your rationale for instrument
selection. Why is this instrument suitable for use with your
population? How is it relevant to your
group goals? Consider the functioning level of group members.
Samples of test items should be used
in the discussion to verify face/content validity or instrument
appropriateness. When possible include
a copy of instruments in the appendix. Further, information on
validity and reliability should be
included (see instrument manual, Mental Measurements Yearbook,
etc.). In addition, other non-
standardized indices, such as rating scales or check lists, can be
used to provide a quantifiable
measure of behavior.
Additional comments on session outlines:
I have select two session outlines to give you as models from the Career Group Practicum materials. The outlines have been modified slightly to fit your needs. I selected the first outline because it includes several types of information and interpretation of an assessment instrument. The second outline has fewer objectives and one very time consuming activity. Make your decision on the amount of description based on information which will be needed to follow the conceptual flow of the sessions.
- Contrary to Chapters One or Three, Chapter Two may be typed using single space with double space to separate for clarity and ease of reading. Also, type may be dropped to 10 or 11 point and margins may be adjusted to help you present information in an effective manner. Still no spelling errors, editing requires reading your work, spell check is not sufficient.
- The session theme should communicate the main idea of the session. It is a general conceptual organizer. This does not mean that other topics must be omitted. You may need to carry over a topic from the previous session.
- Objectives are your conceptual organizers. They should identify what you want the members to learn and communicate a conceptual organization from session 1 to 12 as you move toward the overall goal(s) of the group. You will notice in the model sessions that the verb used may or may not be followed by observable behavior. The important question is whether you will be able to identify behavioral outcomes which go with the objective? Your behavioral outcome statement(s) will identify observable behavior to determine whether the objective is reached. Also, use a verb in your objective which best communicates the level of learning you are wanting.
- Behavioral outcomes are descriptions of observable behavior you will look for to determine if the objective has been reached. They help you make assumptions about learning explicit and concrete. You will want more than one behavioral outcome for an objective if they help you track member learning. Check the behavior you describe to make sure it is observable.
- Activity descriptions should be briefly included in the outline so the reader can follow the flow of the session. A more detailed description goes in the appendix. At times, greater description of the process will help make the activity clear. Notice in the two following session outlines, only the Party Game is described. Other comments related to the flow of the session provide sufficient information. It is not necessary to write every word the leader would use during an activity or for purposes of linking activities. Just include the main conceptual ideas needed to flow through the session. Please include linkage comments between activities.
- Processing questions are used to enhance learning. Some of the most effective questions for learning ask members for similarities and differences. These encourage members to evaluate and organize their thinking on a subject. Process questions also ask for the type of information you need to verify behavioral outcomes and whether objectives seem to have been reached. As you think about what type of learning you are wanting, decide whether a cognitive or feeling question would be best. Please do not ask members how they feel if you want to know what they think. Process questions should be open questions. A closed question should only be used for a valid reason.
- Setups and links are important tools to help members be prepared for the next activity and session. They assist members to focus their attention and follow the conceptual flow. Setups and links connect activities and sessions. Connections can be made to previous sessions and activities or future sessions and activities. They should also serve to energize and motivate, increase the desire to learn. When actually leading groups your voice tone and enthusiasm will also help to motivate.
- The session outline format was developed to help you succeed. I learned the format from students over many semesters as they worked to understand the conceptual flow needed for group work. Stay with the same format!!
- One last comment. Yes, this is a lot of work. The actual job of typing the session outlines is easy, but the thought process going into the work takes much more time than you expect and you will need to revisit the outlines several times to have them organized in the way you want. So start early and give yourself a break. My job is to train you as a professional group worker/counselor and this works!! Because group work is quite complex, it may seem overwhelming at first. Just hang on and go with the process. The next time you design a group it will be much easier. And, for those of you taking the group practicum after this class, you will find yourself well prepared for session outlines. In group practicum you will focus on the skills needed to lead a structured group–skills which will transfer to all types of group work. I will be available to review your session outlines and see if you are on the right track.
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