NAMI Connection Recovery Support
Group
Facilitator TrainingGroup Dynamics
Why Do We Need A Model?
• to help navigate around the predictable negative group dynamics which can torpedo a successful group process
• a support group can operate much like a personality with a will of its own, and that collective group willfulness can pull even the most experienced facilitator off course
Group DynamicsWhat is a group?Two or more people interacting with each other
2= Dyad
3= Trio
10-15 = Work Group
20-500 = Audience
200-1000 = Crowd
Group Dynamics
• NAMI Connection groups are peer working groups of 10-15 people
• Support groups should be maintained at this size
What are Group Dynamics?
• Groups act and react as individuals do
• Groups have many of the same dynamic (interactive) problems as individuals
• If you understand how individuals react in certain circumstances, you can explain problems that arise in groups.
Dynamic issues that concern groups• Leadership
• Boundaries
• Rules
• Goals
• Subject Matter
Problems caused by negative group dynamics in support groups
Problems in group dynamics• Related to leadership
• Related to group boundaries
• Related to observing group rules
• Related to group goals
• Related to our specific group subject – mental illness
Problems related toLeadership
Problems related to Group Boundaries
Problems related to Observing Group Rules
Problems related to Group Goals
Problems related to theGroup Subject – Mental
Illness
What is the remedy for these problems?• A Capable Leader
• Clear Boundaries
• Stating and Enforcing Rules of Relationship
• Clarifying Goals and Purposes
• Identifying the “Common Cause” in a Positive and Optimistic Manner
Problem Dynamics
• Challenges to leadership
• Negative group dynamics start to rule
Why do people go to a Support Group?To leave feeling better than when they came
To feel that they contributed as well as they were supported
To feel in a very real way that they have something in common with others.
What do they want at a Support Group?• A safe place
• To not be judged
• Boundaries that are enforced
• Capable Facilitators
Encouraging a group to do its own work
You are present to help the group meet its
needs, not to have the group help you meet yours
A well-functioning Support Group• Has a skilled Facilitator
• Does its own work
• Involves as many group members as possible
• Encourages self-enforced observation of behavior guidelines
A well-functioning support group• Allows group members to feel they have contributed
• Provides strategies
• Connects participants to resources and services
• Makes members feel they have benefited from attending
NAMI Connection Strategies, Structures and
Group Processes
The model that ensures
an effective
support group meeting
What Facilitators need to know• To recognize problems in group dynamics – there are cues that the Facilitator needs to transition the group
• Know what structure or group process to use to remedy the problem
• Have the skills to shift the group from where they are to where they need to go
Cues and Remedies• Each Structure and Group Process exists to remedy a particular set of negative dynamics that commonly occur in support groups.
• Strategies help to shift the group smoothly and naturally
Identifying negative dynamics (cues) and possible remedies (structure or process)
Dynamics and Remedies
When you hear this Cue:
• Someone taking too long during Check In
Move to this Structure: Agenda• 1-2 minute time limit for Check In
When you hear this Cue:• A “downer” meeting needs to be closed on a positive note
Move to this Structure: Agenda
• Closing
When you hear this Cue:
• People can’t stay in the present
Move to this Structure: Group Guidelines
• Keep it in the here and now
When you hear this Cue:• Someone or the group is negative or hopeless
Move to this Structure: Principles of Support
A principle can represent something we can all strive for
When you hear this Cue: Someone expresses intense feelings (emotional stage reactions of feeling overwhelmed, anger, grief)
Move to this Structure:Emotional Stages Chart
• Acknowledge that strong emotions fall within the predictable stages of emotional response
When you hear this Cue:• Someone relates a traumatic event (violence, commitment, arrest, restraint, or traumatic loss)
Move to this Process: Hot Potatoes
A step by step way to address traumatic events and close the discussion of the trauma on a positive note
When you hear this Cue:
A basic issue or question can be clarified by the group
Move to this Process: Group Wisdom
Provide basic information or helpful and constructive ideas to a group member, share coping suggestions
When you hear this Cue:
A discouraged person needs new options to solve a long-standing problem
Move to this Process: Problem Solving
Moves person away from what doesn’t work by offering new/different options to approach their problem
NAMI Connection Facilitators
• “Take charge” when shifting the group and then step back to let the group do its own work
• Shouldn’t sound or act like therapists
• Provide a safe, nurturing place
What is the PRIMARY DANGER for facilitators of a structured
support group model?
Not using the model
Structures and Processes
Remember, as a capable Facilitator:
You are present
to help the group meet its needs,
not have the group help you meet yours.
Top Related