April 1994 ERIC Digest EDO-CG-94-02

Effective Group Counseling

There is a natural tendency for people to gather in ceptions about groups, leaders can utilize pregroup
groups for mutually beneficial purposes. Through interviews to identify fears related to upcoming groups.
groups, individuals accomplish goals and relate to oth- Through feedback and explanation, misunderstandings
ers in innovative and productive ways (McClure, 1990). can be immediately clarified and corrected (Childers &
People would not survive, let alone thrive, without Couch, 1989).
involvement in groups. This reliance and interdepen-
dence is seen in all types of groups from those that are
primarily task-oriented to those that are basically Rules in Counseling Groups
therapeutic. Counseling groups run best when the rules govern-
In order to be effective, group leaders must be aware ing them are few and clear. If there are more than a dozen
of the power and potency of groups. They must plan rules, many members will tend to forget some of them.
ahead and they must be sensitive to the stage of develop- Likewise, if the rules are vague, some members will
ment of the group. Equipped with this knowledge they inevitably violate the letter or spirit of them. In counsel-
can utilize appropriate skills to help their groups develop ing groups, rules should follow the ethical standards of
fully (Gladding, 1994). Proper preparation and strategic professional organizations, such as the Association for
intervention increase the chance of running a counseling Specialists in Group Work. Members should agree to keep
group smoothly and effectively. each others’ confidentiality, not attack each other verbally
or physically, to actively participate in the group process,
and to speak one at a time.
Beginning Counseling Groups
A crucial element in starting counseling groups is Time and Place of Groups
making decisions beforehand. Pregroup planning is the
first step in the process. Leaders design groups so that Although counseling groups vary, members need a
they will yield productive and pragmatic results for par- specific, consistent time and place to meet. Most groups
ticipants. Among the most important considerations are meet for one and one half to two hours each week for 12
those associated with objectives, membership, rules, time, to 16 sessions. The meeting room should be quiet and
place, and dynamics. inviting and away from other activities. Groups work
best when chairs are arranged in circles where everyone
feels a sense of equality with one another and the flow of
Objectives of Group Counseling communication is enhanced (Gladding, 1994).
Group counseling involves individuals who are hav-
ing difficulties they wish to resolve that are of a personal, Group Dynamics
educational, social, or vocational nature (Corey & Corey,
1992). These groups are primarily run in educational in- Group member interactions appear simple but they
stitutions or agencies. They deal with specific, non- are not. They are complex social processes that occur
pathological problems that members are aware of prior within groups and that affect actions and outcomes
to joining and which do not involve major personality (Lewin, 1948). Group dynamics occur in all groups, and
changes. For instance, group counseling may focus on involve the interactions of group members and leaders
how members achieve such goals as relating better to their over time, including the roles the members and the lead-
families, becoming organized, or relaxing in the presence ers take. Individuals have an impact on groups just as
of supervisors at work. groups influence members. The number of group inter-
actions increases exponentially as the size of groups
grows. Therefore, keeping track of communication pat-
Group Membership terns in counseling groups is a demanding job.
Group membership is either homogeneous or The complexity of interaction is magnified by the fact
heterogeneous. Homogeneous groups are composed of that messages are sent within counseling groups on a
individuals who are similar, such as adolescent boys, verbal as well as a nonverbal level. The nature of this
single parents or individuals working with grief and loss communication is crucial to comprehending what is hap-
issues. Heterogeneous groups are made up of people who pening within groups. For example, a member who
differ in background, such as adults of various ages with physically or emotionally distances from a group influ-
varied careers. While homogeneous groups can concen- ences how the group operates as clearly as if he or she
trate on resolving one issue, their members may be lim- makes a statement. As groups develop, members fre-
ited experientially. In contrast, heterogeneous groups quently switch roles and patterns of interaction.
offer diverse but multifocused membership.
Effective group leaders screen potential members be- Group Stages
fore accepting them. Screening allows leaders to select
members and members to select leaders and groups. The In addition to preplanning, effective group counsel-
ideal group size of eight to 12 allows members an oppor- ing leaders recognize that groups go through five stages:
tunity to express themselves without forming into sub- dependency, conflict, cohesion, interdependence, and ter-
groups. In order to help dispel and overcome miscon- mination. The stages are often called “forming, storm-
ing, norming, performing, and adjourning (Tuckman & Conclusion
Jensen, 1977). Recognizing group stages gives counselors an
opportunity to Conducting effective group counseling relies on the
devise or utilize appropriate leadership interventions. preparation of group leaders and their abilities to plan and
conduct groups. Extra time in preparation is crucial to the
The first group stage is “dependency” or forming. At life of the group. This process includes screening of mem-
this time, group members are unsure of themselves and look bers, selecting a manageable number of group participants,
to their leaders or others for direction. This process gives establishing a regular place and time for the conducting of
members an opportunity to explore who they are in the group the group, and setting rules. In running groups leaders must
and to begin establishing trust. The second stage in group then recognize and utilize group stages and employ appro-
counseling is “conflict,” or storming. It may be overt or priate counseling skills in a timely fashion. Successful group
covert. The type and amount of conflict that is generated counseling is dependent on many factors. Ultimately, the
relates to how much jockeying for position goes on in the secrets of conducting effective counseling groups are in learn-
group. ing how groups operate and then personally investing in
Stage three focuses on “cohesion,” or norming, which can them.
be defined as a spirit of “we-ness.” In it, members become
closer psychologically and are more relaxed. Everyone feels
included in the group and productive sharing begins to References
occur. In the fourth stage, performing, the main work of the
group is begun. Interdependence develops. Group mem- Childers, J.H., & Couch, R.D. (1989). Myths about group coun-
bers are able to assume a wide variety of constructive roles seling: Identifying and challenging misconceptions. Jour-
and work on personal issues. The level of comfort in the nal forSpecialists inGroupWork,14, 105-111.
group increases too. This is a prime time of problem solving.
It occupies about 50% of a typical group’s time. The final Corey, M.S., & Corey, G. (1992). Groups: Process and practice
stage, adjourning deals with termination. Issues of loss in (4th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
separating from the group are raised. Celebrating the accom- Gladding, S.T. (1994). Effective group counseling. Greensboro,
plishment of goals is also a primary focus within this stage. NC: ERIC/CASS.
Lewin, K. (1948). Resolving social conflicts: Selective papers on
Group Counseling Skills group dynamics. New York: Harper.
As with other groups, leaders of effective counseling McClure, B.A. (1990). The group mind: Generative and regressive
groups need to employ a variety of interpersonal skills (Corey groups. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 15, 159-
& Corey, 1992). Among the most important of these are: 170.
a) active listening, where leaders are sensitive to the lan- Tuckman, B.W., & Jensen, M.A. (1977). Stages of small group
guage, tone, and nonverbal gestures surrounding mem- development revisited. Group and Organizational Studies,
bers’ messages; 2, 419-427.
b) linking, where leaders help members recognize their simi-
larities;
c) blocking, where leaders keep unfocused members from Samuel T. Gladding is a Professor of Counselor Education at
disrupting the group by either redirecting them or pre- Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
venting them from monopolizing conversations; and
d) summarizing, where leaders help members become
aware of what has occurred and how the group and its
members have changed.
Empathy, personal warmth, courage, flexibility, inquiry,
encouragement, and the ability to confront are vital skills too.
Counseling group leaders must wear many hats in helping
their groups make progress. The more skills within the coun-
selors’ repertoires the more effective they will ultimately be-
come.

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ment of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Contract No. RR93002004. Opinions expressed in this report do not
necessarily reflect the positions of the U.S. Department of Education, OERI or ERIC/CASS.

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