Transition Stage of a Group

1. Transition Stage of a Group • Characteristics of the transition stage • Transitional phase is marked by feelings of anxiety and defenses • Members are: • Testing the leader and other members to determine how safe the environment is • Struggling between wanting to play it safe and wanting to risk getting involved • Observing the leader to determine if he or she is trustworthy • Learning how to express themselves so that others will listen

2. Storming – Work to Be Done • Identify what individuals expect from each other and how they expect to work together. • This often looks like: • Opportunities to state expectations • Identification of differences • Experiences of conflict

3. Conflict, both within and outside of group Uncertainty about roles Possibly overzealous interactions Strong resistance to group formation Frustration Discrepancy between hopes and reality Competition Possible formation of cliques Storming – Behaviors and Dynamics That May Be Observed

4. Storming – Questions to be Answered • What do I expect from others? • What do they expect from me?

5. Storming – Problems that will continue to surface if not addressed • People getting upset because their expectations are not being met • People feeling they are having to do too much of the work • People feeling they are not an important or useful part of the group

6. Common Fears Emerging at the Transition Stage • Fear of making a fool of oneself • Fear of emptiness • Fear of losing control • Fear of being too emotional • Fear of self-disclosure • Fear of taking too much of the group’s time • Fear of being judged

7. Examples of Problematic Styles of Behaving in a Group • Silence • Monopolistic behavior • Storytelling • Giving advice • Questioning • Dependency • Intellectualizing

8. Group Leader Interventions in Dealing with Difficult Behaviors of Group Members • Avoid responding with sarcasm • State your observations and hunches in a tentative way • Demonstrate sensitivity to a member’s culture • Avoid taking member’s behavior in an overly personal way • Encourage members to explore a resistance – don’t demand they give up a particular “resistive” behavior

9. Some Guidelines for Effective Confrontation • If you confront, know why you are confronting • Confront if you care about the other • In confronting another – talk more about yourself than the other person • Avoid dogmatic statements and judgments about the other • Give others the space to reflect on what you say to them

10. Thoughts on Dealing with Resistance Therapeutically • Don’t label all hesitations as a sign of resistance • Respect resistance – Realize that member resistance may be serving a function • Invite members to explore the meaning of what appears to be resistance • Describe behavior of members – avoid making too many interpretations • Approach resistance with interest, understanding, and compassion

11. Leader Functions During the Transition Stage • Show members the value of recognizing and dealing fully with conflict situations • Help members to recognize their own patterns of defensiveness • Teach members to respect resistance and to work constructively with the many forms it takes • Provide a model for members by dealing directly and tactfully with any challenge • Encourage members to express reactions that pertain to here-and-now happenings in the sessions

12. TRANSFERENCE • Re-experiencing or re-living of emotions, old relationships and patterns, which are projected onto a person in the present

13. COUTNER-TRANSFERENCE • The counselor’s living response to the client’s emotional state. • What is a “living response”? • Your thought, feelings, somatic (physical sensations), images, history, experiences – your total being.

14. Additional Questions to Ask Yourself Regarding Counter-Transference • What am I feeling, thinking, sensing somatically (physically)? • What images, if any, are present? • What does the client need? • Am I responding in the best interest of the client? • Do I have an agenda? • How can my response be used in a way that is useful to my client?