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?"