Ending a group successfully

Completing a group session or ending a group successfully seems to be just as important as starting the session and/or the group itself. How the session or group is ended can impact the members in a positive or negative fashion. Before ending a session it is best to have a strategy in place to handle how the member’s need to internalize, process, and put into action the content of the group session/s. The point of most of the strategies that can be implemented revolves around the members refining or understanding new ideas presented within the group that might help them, and how those ideas can be used in their own lives now and in the future. There are several activities that can be employed to help in the group closing process. Of those activities available, this paper will look at only three.

Written Reaction

When members of the group, the leader of the group, or both write down their thoughts during a group session, they are reacting in written form to what has transpired within the group that day, to that particular point, or the entire program if the group is finished and will be closing. Finding a good source for this practice was quite a challenge. There are so many activities that can be used to effectively close a group session. In my experience, the "grief-share" group I have been a part of and led has utilized the written reaction in a very helpful way. Therese Borchard, Associate Editor of PsychCentral, penned an interesting look at writing that can relate to individual and group therapy sessions,

"The exercise of writing it is astonishingly therapeutic. I’ve written many old boyfriends letters that I never sent, some family members, and my father after he died. I needed a way to communicate that was for purely selfish reasons. So that I could hear myself say good-bye to this person that I really liked, or loved, or enjoyed having as a Facebook friend" (Borchard, 2009).

For group purposes, written reactions help lay the foundation for a smoother transition to closing a session than many other ways. Writing thoughts down seems to be the least threatening way for a group member to communicate their thoughts. For shy people, writing down feelings and thoughts could open the avenue for greater insight into what they are processing and how far they have, or have not progressed. For the talker, writing can help to eliminate rambling verbal thoughts that might become hard to follow, all over the map, or possibly counterproductive to the groups aim. Unity, once achieved, can be managed better when written reactions are employed over other actions such as verbal rounds. There still remains the need for verbal "good-byes," and a good leader needs to make sure time is allowed for this as well. Are written reactions the best way to conclude? Maybe. Maybe not?

Written reactions, used exclusively, could leave some issues unresolved through possible helpful verbal interactions that could further ingrain the ideas and coping mechanisms developed within the group. There is also the possibility of not making the best use of the relational aspects of the group (if there is cohesion). All this aside, it may not work in all types of groups.

Time-limited groups can benefit from written reactions. These groups, being less oriented to members coming and going because of the fixed nature of the group and issues, can use this practice to enhance or define new skills and how they might best use them. Journaling these from each session should also enhance their success, through offering a resource, when incorporating what they have learned within the group.

In group grief therapy, written reactions can be very valuable on the journey to bringing closure to someone who has lost a loved one. Many times death is so sudden that final words are not spoken, goodbyes are left unsaid, and apologies have gone unoffered. Allowing the group members to write those things down (express their emotions and thoughts) seems to have quite the healing effect.

Rating Sheets

The use of rating sheets allows members to reveal an overall, although brief, picture of themselves, other members of the group, the group leader, and the group as a process. They are good for covering many areas in a brief format. The Department of Health and Human Services defines them this way, "a quiz or rating sheet is used to assess how well clients learn and apply the skills taught in group sessions" (Dupree & Schonfeld, 2005).

Rating sheets tend not to be as in depth or revealing as summarizations, rounds, or written reactions. However, they can be much more precise in targeting and eliciting desired responses. The directive nature of rating sheets helps the designer to be more concise with less ancillary material. For example, a quiet group member might not engage in rounds very well, and a talker might monopolize time, test patience, and not remain on topic. Therefore, both types of members might not ever achieve closure.

Rating sheets seem to be best utilized when trying to assess the effectiveness of a group, or possibly to determine how the members reacted to one another without peer influence. Anonymity through the use of rating sheets can help reach real opinions, feelings, and desires. This practice is useful in gaining understanding the members overall experience, how they feel about interacting with the rest of the group, what they took away (learned) from the process, and if they found it helpful. However, using rating sheets as closing tools exclusively may not always give one a true picture.

One of the great ways to use rating sheets is to employ them at the beginning and ending of session times, and even at the very beginning and end of a time oriented group. The initial sheets might contain brief statements pertaining to what the member expects to take away from the group. Matching this sheet up with one similar in content, but asking for actual feelings about how things transpired, can yield valuable information. For the member, did the group meet expectations? What was the difference? For the leader, did the results (takeaway) in fact match the initial goals of the group? How could both be improved?

Homework

Within the group therapy/counseling setting, homework is putting into action the ideas, behavior, and coping mechanisms learned in the group session/s. Group members think about the issue at hand, determine their feelings about the situation, and then work to modify behavior accordingly. Homework seems to be most helpful in task oriented groups. Homework is the bridge from learning to everyday life.

Homework, however, is not always something to "assign" at the end of a session. It can be utilized during the session as a transition tool to the closing of the session through role-play. Role-play can be useful in group sessions to help the members gain a better understanding of an assignment, how it should be employed, and what they outcomes could be. "In-session exposures also provide clients an opportunity to practice their cognitive restructuring skills and experience successes in an approximation of the real situation before they tackle it as a part of a homework assignment" (Leathy, 2009). Transferring the ideas of the group to the members everyday life would seem to be the overarching goal of the group. Homework provides a measureable and guided way to implement what has been discussed.

Works Cited:

Borchard, T. (2009, March 29). 8 Steps to Closure When a Friendship Ends. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from PsychCentral: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/03/29/8-steps-to-closure-when-a-friendship-ends/

Borchard, in this web article, covers 8 ways that someone might deal with relationships that have come to an end. It is not necessarily connected to group therapy. However, the techniques she writes about can be very useful when employing written reactions at the end of group therapy/counseling sessions, and during the termination of a group.

Dupree, D. L., & Schonfeld, D. L. (2005). Substance Abuse Relapse Prevention for Older Adults. (DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 05-4053) . Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This is a section of the larger publication that covers several activities that can be done in a group setting prior to closing. They prove to be useful for closing sessions and terminating groups as well. The forms and procedures they offer aid in gaining a more accurate overview of the objectives of the group.

Leathy, R. (2009). Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy For Social Phobia: A Treatment Manual. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from The American Institute for Cognitive Behavior: http://www.cognitivetherapynyc.com/pdf/heimberg2.pdf

In this manual on cognitive therapy, the author places a heavy emphasis on restructuring behavior through exposure techniques. In order to change the behavior issues of the individual within the group, the person needs to understand how to take what they have learned and utilize the information in their everyday life, and then follow up by reviewing their progress and assess the outcome in order to make adjustments as necessary. This is a very good illustration of how to use homework, and acts as a model for how it might be used across other various types group therapy/counseling sessions.