Types of Groups

(as defined by ASGW, 2000)

Psychoeducational Groups
 Use educational methods to gather information and develop meaning and skills;
growth through knowledge
 Purpose can be preventive, growth oriented, or remedial
 Goal is to prevent future development of debilitating dysfunctions while
strengthening coping skills and self-esteem
 Size may go up to 20-40 individuals, but subgroups are limited to 10-12 adult
members and fewer if members are children
 Session length: typically 50 minutes to 2 hours
 Average number of sessions is 8-10
 Leader manages the group as a whole, disseminates information, and breaks
groups into subgroups when necessary
 Leader should take preventive steps before the group’s first session: planning
for session length, session frequency, number of sessions, and what will occur
within sessions
 Activities typically include nonthreatening exercises or group discussions

Counseling Groups
 Preventive, growth oriented, and remedial
 Focus is on each person’s behavior and development or change within the group
 Goals are personal, but the group as a whole may also share them
 Emphasize group dynamics and interpersonal relationships
 Ideal for individuals experiencing usual, but often difficult, problems of living
that information alone will not solve
 Size ranges from 3-4 in children’s group to 8-12 in an adult group
 Number of meetings is 6-16 sessions
 Leader facilitates the group interaction but becomes less directly involved as
the group develops
 Topics are usually developmental or situational, such as educational, social,
career, and personal
 Short-term duration
Psychotherapy Groups
 Address personal and interpersonal problems of living among people who may
be experiencing severe and/or chronic maladjustment
 Emphasizes helping people with serious psychological problems of long duration
 Remedial in nature
 Found most often in mental health facilities
 May be either open ended (admitting new members at any time) or closed
ended (not admitting new members after the first session)
 Purpose is to reconstruct or rectify the personalities or intrapersonal
functioning of those involved in the group
 Size varies from 2-12 members
 Duration is measured in months or even years
 Leader is always an expert in one of the mental health disciplines and has
training and expertise in dealing with people who have major emotional
problems
 Leader’s responsibility is to confront as well as facilitate
 Operate from a theoretical position

Task/Work Groups
 Emphasize accomplishment and efficiency in successfully completing identified
work goals through collaboration
 Task forces, committees, planning groups, community organizations, discussion
groups, and learning groups
 Do not focus on changing individuals
 Group success is determined by group dynamics (the interactions fostered
through the relationships of members and leaders) in connection with the
complexity of the task involved
 Works best with fewer than 12 people
 Length varies but is similar to other groups
 May disband abruptly after accomplishing their goal
 May have considerable contact with others in an organization in which the
group is housed

Mixed Groups
 Multiple ways of working with members
 May change emphasis at different times in the development of the group
 Self-help groups