Group process

• Group Process


  How groups are used in Occupational Therapy and the skills needed by the group leader
• Groups have been used in Occupational Therapy since the beginning of practice
• Skills needed by the group leader

  • Taking into account individual members' needs
  • Concerns of the group as a whole
  • The environment
  • Problematic forces within the group
• Effective group leadership

  Employing skills in a strategic manner to help both the individuals and the group function at its highest level
• Leadership functions and skills

  • Emotional activation
  • Caring
  • Meaning attribution
  • Executive functions
• How to compose a group and establish a group contract

  1. Survey the population and individual members' needs

  2. Assess functioning in cognitive, social-emotional, and physical motor areas

  3. Determine group size, open or closed, and number of sessions
• How to select members and activities for a group

  1. Assess member ability and determine group goals

  2. Select modality based on members' needs
• Group dynamics


  How individuals develop into a group and how they interact with one another
• Group norms


  Spoken or unspoken rules that guide how team members interact, collaborate effectively, and work efficiently
• Types of group sessions

  • Social Skills Training
  • Creative Work Groups
  • Health Related Groups
  • Health Promotion Groups
  • Support Groups
  • Functional Task-based Groups
  • Rehabilitation/Therapy Groups
  • Wellness Groups
  • Paediatric Groups
• Principles for promoting positive group dynamics

  • Communication and interaction patterns
  • Cohesion
  • Social integration and influence
  • Group culture
• Strategies for motivating and encouraging client participation

  • Buddy up/group work
  • Record keeping or tracking of progress
  • Having motivating, realistic, achievable goals
  • Explain what you're going to do and why
  • Keep activities meaningful, interesting and age appropriate
  • Listen to their story or objections
  • Keep a positive attitude
  • Keep a positive environment
  • Allow balance of rest and work
  • Involve family and/or significant others
  • Allow some choice in activity
  • Allow people to make mistakes
• Empowering clients


  Encourage independence<|>Allow the client to ask questions, decide who they want with them, take part in decisions, wear their own clothes<|>Provide easy-to-understand information<|>The right to a second opinion, privacy, give a compliment or make a complaint
• Group roles


  Tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way
• Role of the facilitator/co-facilitator

  • Put group members at ease
  • Interpret non-verbal communication
  • Elicit views and address individuals' needs
  • Balance the needs of the task with the group process
  • Manage different individual styles
  • Identify and manage issues of equal opportunity and non-discriminatory practices
  • Deal with issues of power, influence, and authority
• Stages for conducting groups

  1. Planning

  2. Facilitation/Leadership

  3. Evaluation
• Considerations when planning a group session

  • Principles of group dynamics, group roles, and group learning
  • Physical environment
• Minatory


  Threatening or menacing
• Practices in groups

  • Deal with issues of power, influence, and authority
• Group Facilitation/Learning

  Performing the role of facilitator, or co-facilitator, for a group of clients to assist them in achieving positive health outcomes
• Planning a group session

  • Considering principles of group dynamics, group roles, and group learning
  • Varying the format or process
  • Preparing audiovisuals
  • Speaking slowly and clearly
  • Revisiting important points at the end
• Physical environment

  • Essential component of risk management
  • Considering electrical equipment, sharp objects and accessibility to exits for group safety
• Group size

  Planning the number of group participants for optimal group size
• Facilitation includes managing the situation

  1. Try to conciliate power struggles and re-focus the group

  2. Ensure some people don't 'take over' the group

  3. Acknowledge anger and conflict, decide how to deal with it

  4. Call a break or introduce a new activity when things are very difficult
• Evaluation


  A tool to ensure we are providing the best possible service
• What makes a group a group?

  Three or more people who come together and think of themselves as a group<|>An intentional coming together to produce change for the members<|>A place where participants can learn about themselves and their relationships
• Common properties that characterise almost any group

  • A background, history and purpose
  • A structure imposed by the group leader
  • An interaction pattern
  • Communication or action taking place
  • Cohesion or a 'we' feeling
  • Standards or rules of acceptable behaviour
• Small-group learning


  The term 'small' does not imply a definite number, it depends more on the features displayed by the group<|>Meaningful interaction occurs more readily with fewer people, but some larger groups may work effectively
• Characteristics of effective small-group work

  • Active participation
  • A specific task
  • Reflection
• Benefits of small-group learning

  • Active learning
  • Encouragement of self-motivation
  • Facilitation of application and development of ideas
  • Promotion of deep learning
  • Promotion of an adult style of learning
  • Development of transferable skills
  • Teamwork
  • Problem-solving abilities
  • Communication skill
  • Collaborative learning
• Conformity in groups


  • Influenced by individual factors, group size, and task difficulty
  • Increases and achieves a plateau until 4 members
• Obedience in groups


  • Influenced by leadership characteristics like intelligence, sensitivity, productivity, capability, and sociability
• Perceived problems of learning in small groups

  • Dislike small-group work
  • Facilitator/leader do not know how to teach in small groups