My journey with TUOG ~

The ALS have had the 1st tutorial, 1st online with Alex and 3 group meetings. I-ling and Melinda had been very quick to get the mission impossible started: 1) Sexuality Education Group and 2) Mission of Youth: Depression in adolescent - Assessment and Intervention which seemed to have some difficulties as we have to look at our competency level in both these important areas. I have not been consistent in attending the meetings punctually...being held up and falling sick. I personally feel we have to understand the dynamics of the group in the wider sense.

I thought the mission in TUOG will be easy, but it turned out to be the toughest.
When being asked what are my views from the ALS group work selected, I have to be honest to say again we seemed to have taken a tough project instead of working on something that we are familiar in and improved on it further.
It is good to do something that is challenging as this will make us capable.

We were also being advised by Alex to relook at what we have done in the current group work and improved on it. I do see a big potential area to work on and fine tune to bring it to the next level.

In today's online supervision, using I-ling project paper was beneficial as S-Binn and myself were working with the children in-house and having the opportunity to know what is happening. Being there it gave us the opportunity to talk to the children, staff and management. Some of the items that were discussed were training the carers with creative play skills in child care and parenting. We managed to discuss short and long term plans into 2010. Currently there are 50 children, and 12 has went through the program with BOLD. With the completion of the current group, it gave us a better learning opportunity and have a more concrete plan when we start again in early October - Nov'09. A proposal to BOLD on the 2010 CAT programs for staff too besides the children. Somehow over the months most of the children were familiar with us and openly requested when is their turn to be in the special room?      
  
Key tips from Alex: **Not eliminate the negative behavior but soliciting the positive behavior.
In relation to "' the things that you don't want what is it that u want?"

A sharing here since we completed our 8th session today, though we planned what we wanted to do for this final session which is a CLOSURE... however things did not happen the way we planned. The bonus was the 10 children seemed to be able to read our minds and delivered a performance much to our surprise. A well choreograph dance movement, poetry reading, giving away of presents to us: SBinn, Keith, Supv Chong and myself. A speech of thanks to us was also delivered in English and BM by 2 'MC'. We allowed the children to complete their entertaining program first before resuming on our plans.  
The children did group art,  presenting an imaginary gift to one another, followed by passing the "light". Children expressed their happiness as well as sadness and what is light to them? Though there were occasions when they regressed.... being the last session, they wished us well before they left. One child came back to confide in us after the rest has left....    


 Below is a link I found on work with youth.
www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/DF85EA5E-2C8A-44FC-AD5A-85467479C75D/0/Assessmenttools2007.pdf

The impossible dream

  To reach the impossible dream... It is not easy though S-Binn, Keith n myself were working on a play group with the Ramakrishna children. Time flies as we are at the 7th session and ending on the 8th session 24 Sept. I m still learning to use the dramatherapy format and there seemed to be so many hidden secrets and gems to unfold. M listening to the supervision audio from Alex. Something he mentioned on 'self-disclosure' tend to bring the group together to negotiate for ground rules, add humor...etc...

Planning the activities in the dramatherapy format is no fun ... as it requires so much of inner thoughts, reflections, aims for the session to be met. Every game has an intent on what to achieve from the very 1st instruction and to think of all the potentials (why chose to draw a horse, why not a home, a tree....?) What is the purpose and intention? A string of ??????........
Thought that this group work will helped in the CPPD '09 module on TUOG and project submission will be easy but it wasn't.
Everything seemed so tough for a while, I have run BOLD's group work in 2006 and this is so much of analysis, post-mortem and etc... "Chung chi...hern nan le..." and this is meeting the impossible dream.

Alex's WORDS: "Nothing is fixed...keep on thinking....how can I use one activity and developed it into another... Use character role play to develop social skills..." and many many more....

  

Applications

I put together all the 6 sessions of creative activities we had in Ramakrishna Group play. Reflected on the play intent ~objective, aims and what was carried out. Frankly, a little penning here n there too, fitting in the jigsaw puzzle, finding the right piece! What is right really? except to go along with the flow... n allowed the process to happen naturally. 

The Best learning here is being able to refer what was learned with the ten children and whether we (Seok Bin, Keith and myself) are moving along with them, knowing where they are at now rather to take them to where we wanted them to be.
*The dramatherapy format provided by Alex was helpful.

We had a chance to do small world play with the whole group. They worked in pairs and created the small world with hotel, restaurants and recreational stores for children. In the previous sessions. hospital. children's home: children getting sick and hospitalized, going to school and restaurant with abundant food.
A few children now are able to negotiate when things don't fall in place. They are reminded of the ground rules that the whole team agreed n drawn up - referring to the drawings on the wall. 
We have 2 more sessions to completion. The children journal in a book at the end of every session to allow them to express what they felt. The opening and closing ritual of 'namastate' ~ wishing one another well, happy and safe...'
  

One of the children wrote "Don't be so sad my dear Brother...' when she saw the words 'Today I m so sad in his journal.

*learnings from P-Nie in her blog for our learning:.

 What is a Group?

• A set of people engage in frequent interactions
• They identify with one another
• They are defined by others as a group
• They share beliefs, values and norms about areas of common interest
• They define themselves as a group
• They come together to work on common tasks and for agreed purposes

Groups are intended and organic, not some random experience and as a result, they have 3 crucial characteristics:-

1. There are parts
2. There is relationship between the parts
3. There is an organizing principle.
   

Groups are not just systems or entities in their own right but exist in relation to other groups. 
  Sie-sie nie P.Nie...

The Tsunami on 261204-- beautiful sky above but deadly waves below... 

I didn't know what was Tsunami then..."impermanence, what is there to fight when there is so much to give n love ..."

Guess we are all very blessed to still have the opportunity to learn n serve...

ALS project...TUOG

The team called for the 1st meeting which I was not able to attend at 7.30pm... however I managed to still connect with them at 10pm, and our discussion went on till 11.30pm, TRULY dedicated: I-ling, Melinda and Seok Binn...

A topic suggested by the team  which I felt was a challenging one though it is critical in our adolescent today. My concern is whether we are knowledgeable and well versed in this area though it is always good to take on challenges. We need to equip ourselves should we decide to work on this topic.

R we are able to carry it out as the subject matter is still consider a "Hush-Hush" in schools.
I find no answer to some of the questions I asked...n look forward to the next ALS meeting on Sept 17 @ 8.30pm. We may be able to break the hidden codes together through our creativity while coming together as how we did in TOUS... 

Learnings contributed by Nie2

""Would like to give thanks to Phaik Nie for her research on group work in her TUOG blog which was set up in July.  I only discovered her treasure box-blog today while setting up on elagg... With many weeks of story telling the information she provided helps me to changed gear and aligned myself  after the 1st tutorial with Alex where he told us on the TUOG mission impossible.

Hey, we need to  'leap' above the barbed wires together and continue the journey while enjoying the scenery of the green hills, mountains and valleys ...

I took the easy way to 'cut-copy-paste' what Phaik Nie has provided to help me in my revision. Gan-en Nie....

   

Research work of Phaik Nie in early July.

•  Yalom's curative factors of group treatment

•  Group processes & dynamics

•  Creative art therapy groups

•  What is a group?

•  Bion's basic assumption group

Benefits of Group base on Yalom

•  Instillation of Hope

•  Universality - I am not alone!

•  Imparting of information

•  Altruism - capability of help another person make you feel good

•  Correction recapitulation of primary family group - second chance

•  Developing of socializing techniques

•  Imitative behavior

•  Catharsis - releasing emotions

•  Existential factors - meaning of "life"

•  Direct advice - coaching, encouragement

•  Interpersonal learning - feed back mechanism for self-awareness 

        (Johari Window)

Creative Art Groups' Focus:

• Creativity and expression - promote right brain

• Task, skills and learning - test the behavior through role play, by-product,  communication and daily learning skills, experience of decision making, cooperative skills, goal specific, facilitator a role model.

• Insight, self-awareness & change - personal change, transformation aesthetic; regaining those things which we have lose out in reality (artistic)

Mime; non verbal, the use of movements to express what you want to say without using words, or a play where the actors use only movements.

Improvisation; impulse, sudden thought, inspiration, flash

Rationale and Objectives

•  Why

•  What

•  How

•  Where

•  Who

Ideal group members - 8 to 12 persons

Aims

•  Facilitator's aims for the group

•  Institution's aims for the group

•  Group's aims

•  Facilitator's own self aims

•  Individual aims

•  Company aims

Do & Don't

Planning and Preparation

• warm up

• main development

• closure

All these must meet the initial main aims.

Group Processes Dynamics

1. Group Interaction

- Task interaction

•  When, who

• Task leadership, social-emotion, leadership role

• Time keeping

- Relationship interaction

•  Social emotional is the most important factor to look into for a successful

        group work

•  Use of humor, sharing of interest

2. Group Interdependence

•  Need to be together whether we like it or not

•  Affects each other & cannot avoid that

3. Group Structure

•  Group size - always need to balance between support & challenge

•  Group norms - implicit & explicit behavior, ground rules

•  Roles - role clarity, role need to be evolved, ego-centric role, coordinator

        role, supporter's role, poor-me ignorance role

4. Group Goals

• Method to achieve the goals or mission statement

5. Group Cohesion

• Sense of the group coming & working together, a lot of attention required 

       during group formation

• Sense of proximity or sharing of common goals or interest

6. Group Development

• Forming

• Storming - stage where members are fighting for power, influence, acceptance as a valued member. If it is not handled properly, it might create conflicts.

• Norming - stage from dependence (children) to independence (adolescent) to

• Interdependence (mature). Group members start to come together and  sharing happens at this stage.

• Performing - group members are getting the objective met (the peak) & most

       satisfied.

• Adjourning - Good bye, group dismissal & mourning stage

- Storming & Norming might happen concurrently in the cycle.

Basic Assumption Groups Base on Bion

• Looking at the unconsciousness of the group. Unconscious defenses against

       anxiety or unpleasantness. Group experiences internal emotional & 
       psychological barriers not related to the task. Members are not conscious of
       the barriers.

• Basic & because the anxieties expresses are primitive and instinctual.

• Assumption & because the group operates "as if" the assumption was implicit 

       truth.

Type of Basic Assumption Groups

• Dependence - always look for leader to take away the problem. If leader fail, will look for new leader.

•  Fight/Flight

•  Pairing - subgroup

What is a Group?

•  A set of people engage in frequent interactions

•  They identify with one another

•  They are defined by others as a group

•  They share beliefs, values and norms about areas of common interest

•  They define themselves as a group

•  They come together to work on common tasks and for agreed purposes

Groups are intended and organic, not some random experience and as a result, they have 3 crucial characteristics:-

•  There are parts

•  There is relationship between the parts

•  There is an organizing principle.

Questions

1. How to facilitate the children & parent?

2. What is group therapy sessions?

3. How can therapeutic work in the group of 2?

4. How can I apply the group of therapy in my organization or work place?

5. How to integrate group of special need children & non special need children to love each other?

Groups are not just systems or entities in their own right but exist in relation to other groups.

Key Learning from the session:- Always Start with the  Easiest!

The Journey begins now..., the final module of CPPD'09. I look forward to another round of interesting learning with the ALS team... "Stretch your eyes a little and see what is inside this picture?"

1st tutorial TUOG

Wow... finally arrived at the last lap of the CPPD'09 for TUOG. How to pronounce this word I wonder...TUOG (2oak?). In this session itself the mission impossible was delivered to us by Alex...that is fast! almost immediate!
This module itself is a little relief having the experience that we, Seok Binn, Keith n myself were already in the 4th session of our weekly play group at Ramakrishna. Now is the time to fine tune it n relooked at what we have done in the earlier 4 sessions, make it melodious and soothing to the ears n the heart for all.

Told myself I will have to put in more effort since TUOG is coming to an end in October'09. Will there be a CPPD 2010?
The blog was up again, had a new name too. Miester, Slideshare, google doc and etc...will be up too. It will be going through another round of in depth learning with Alex before we close the year.

Some thoughts ... How can SWP and Therapeutic story be incorporated in this 3rd module through the activities planned for the group. Got to remember the Warmer, Main and Closure... or I called it Appertizer > Main > Dessert. I wonder what is cooking on the menu of this new cafe called Cmil-Sbppn...(how to pronounce ahh?)

After TUOS, the ALS is all ready for TUOG n we are having our 1st meeting this Sat - f2f over breakfast-lunch! The art of eating n food brings us together...that's great!

enjoy the sunrise....a new beginning of Hope n Inspirasi...
(photo taken from the balcony - sunrise, the sea so calm n serence, yet in the same area I witnessed tsunami in 26122006=10, a full 10points). Noticed Pulau tikus island, and it is Kedah Peak after the sea on the opposite side...hmmm, the 1st pic I select for TUOG)