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GROUP DYNAMICS & DYNAMIC GROUPS

Basic Support Group Facilitation Skills

• Rev. Traci Houts, MDiv, MSW, BCC

GENERAL GROUP FACILITATION SKILLS

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Spiritual Care in Group Settings

• Able to reach more people; Time invested vs. Number

impacted

• Draw upon the collective spiritual wisdom and strength of

the group

• Helps individuals feel less isolated

with their situation

• Responds to changing healthcare
• Shifts in healthcare:
• Inpa(ent → Outpa(ent
• Patient-centered → Family-centered Care
• Hospital-based → Popula(on Health (Community)

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Types of Groups

• Inpatient: behavioral health, stroke support (rehab)
• Outpatient: pain clinic, behavioral health, neurology clinic

(M.S., myasthenia gravis), cardiac rehab

• Community: grief support, perinatal loss
• Caregiver groups

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Invitation for further brainstorming:

• What are the unique needs of our population? Our

hospital? Our community?

• What groups should Spiritual Care be providing?
• What groups should Spiritual Care be involved in?
• Who can we partner with? Collaboration is key!
• What resources are needed: staffing and materials?

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Formats of Groups:

Benefits and Challenges

Open vs. Closed

• Flexibility for busy people
• Driven by individual determining

his/her own need

• Can’t prepare for group dynamics
• A group of “groupies”
• Closed can allow for higher

degree of trust/vulnerability

• Help people move to next step;

prevent from getting “stuck”

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Formats of Groups:

Benefits and Challenges

Non-structured Peer Support

• Vs. Curriculum Based
• The power of peer support
• The group identifies priorities and needs
• The risk of unsolicited advice by peers
• Curriculum based: knowledge is power
• Gives a focus to the group
• More preparation invested at developing a thoughtful

curriculum

• Provides a framework that can better support the facilitator

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A Word of Caution: Support group vs. Social group

• Group can bond and become “intimidating to newcomers”
• The needs of the group become more social at some point
• How to support those social needs and “launch” a group on

their own

• My bias: closed group with curriculum then help support

transition to greater independence

• Identifying natural leaders
• 6-8 week closed group then once a month then transition

leadership

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Formats of Groups:

Benefits and Challenges

Spiritual Care to Existing Groups

• Allows for partnership and

collaboration

• Lets chaplains practice within

their scope and expertise

• Can reach a lot of different types
• f groups
• Spreads the work among several

chaplains rather than on-going commitment of one

• For those participants who desire

more, can follow-up individually

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Getting Started:

Referral and Screening through Registration

• Important to understand motivation of individual
• What are they looking to get from a group?
• Must have similar losses/issues
• Are they ready for group?
• Can they make a commitment?
• It’s o.k. to decline, but then have

a referral ready

• Ideal size for closed group:

no fewer than 6; no more than 10

• Ideal length of closed group: 6-8 sessions

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Best Practices:

Co-facilitators

• Allows for two sets of eyes on group dynamics
• Shares the workload
• Can “play” off each other—Help when you’re stuck
• One can stay with group if one needs to follow individual
• Can be two chaplains or one chaplain and another

professional

• Simply better from a risk management perspective
• Make sure that philosophies and styles are not contradictory
• Balance among co-facilitators
• Planning and debriefing each session is important

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Best Practices:

Keeping Good Boundaries

• Set expectations: what we are and what we are not
• Model respect, listening, and caring
• Solicit ground rules from the group: attendance,

confidentiality, speaking for self, honoring feelings, ability to pass, sharing time, no “should’s”

• Developing a routine can help provide emotional safety
• Begin with opening reflection/reading
• Use of ritual: lighting a candle, silence, ringing a bell
• Create sacred space but not a prayer group or Bible study

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Best Practices:

Keeping Good Boundaries

• Introductions for first session of closed group:
• Who am I and why I am here?
• What do I hope to gain from the group?
• What do I feel I can give to the group?
• Checking-in
• For smaller group, each member has given amount of time
• Use of timer--feels better than facilitator cutting off
• For larger group, have them sign in and “reserve” time for

check-in

• Another strategy: ask a check-in question that is focused
• n the topic of the day

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Boundaries of Facilitators

• Over-iden(fying → becoming a group member
• Therapeutic use of self for the sake of the group process
• Not a therapist and not a CPE group
• Not developing alliances with any certain member
• While you are a chaplain, this group may not be a

spirituality group therefore be careful not to turn everything into a spiritual/religious issue

• Become comfortable with silence, tears or anger, not

knowing “the answers”

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Managing Difficult Personalities

The Talker The Hijacker The Interrupter The Silent One

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Developing Your Skills

• Ask permission to sit in and observe groups
• Volunteer to co-facilitate with an experienced professional

as a mentor

• Invite stories from colleagues whom you know have run

groups

• Gather resources and build your files

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General Group Facilitation Skills

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