Group counseling strategies and skills chapter 11

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Introducing, Conducting,
and Processing Exercises

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Chapter 11


Inform the members of the purpose and
procedures
Avoid confusing directions
Avoid lengthy directions

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc.

Set the right tone

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Introducing an Exercise


Allow members to not participate
Be prepared for emotional reactions
Change or stop an exercise if not going well
Inform members of the time, if appropriate

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc.

Make sure members follow instructions

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Conducting an Exercise


Participate if it will be helpful
Don’t participate if the members are going to
focus on your comments
Never participate if you are working on your
unfinished business

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It is always an option

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Leader Participation in Exercises


Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc.

Understanding the processing of exercises is
essential because it is by far the most important
phase of any exercise
Always consider the purpose of the exercise when
processing
Give thought to the various ways of processing

before using an exercise
Anticipate potential problems

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Processing an Exercise


To stimulate members to delve deeper into
thoughts and feelings
To stimulate sharing and discussion related to
the group dynamics and group process

Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc.

To stimulate sharing and discussion about topics
or issues

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Goals of Processing


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A leader should make sure there is adequate
time to process the exercise to the depth desired
Novice leaders move on to something else and
don’t allow enough time for processing
Recognize when the exercise has served its

purpose…then move on

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Time Needed for Adequate
Processing


In dyads or triads
Through writing
Comments from the entire group
Any combination of the preceding four ways

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Through rounds

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Ways of Processing


“What feelings were stirred up for you?”
“How can you use this exercise to help you in
your life?”

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“What insights did you get from doing this?”

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Kinds of Processing Questions


Other times, the discussion of the exercise leads
to deeper work and the leader may want to shift
to working on the issues that came up as a
result of processing the exercise.

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Sometimes discussing the exercise is the
processing.

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Time Spent Discussing the Actual
Exercise


Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc.

Exercises often cause members to delve deeply
into themselves. The leader decides if he or she
wants to focus on one member or the entire
group. It depends on the group and the issues.
Often it is best to focus on the entire group and
then on one or two members who may wish to
process more deeply.

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Focusing on One Member or on the
Entire Group


Copyright © 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Cengage Learning, Inc.

Inexperienced leaders hold the focus too long on
one person, often the first one to speak.
It is usually best to hear from all or the majority
of members before focusing on one member
Inexperienced leaders shift the focus too
frequently, thus preventing the group to go very
deep.

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Holding and Shifting the Focus


The leader has to decide if the value is in
spending the majority of the time in the past or in
how the past is currently effecting the members.

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Some exercises are focused on the past—
childhood, early memories, etc. These

exercises are valuable.

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Processing Past-Centered
Exercises