GROUP PROCESS IN OT

Discuss about the group process with importance to it’s characteristics, group leadership, group
development and using groups to evaluate client function

GUIDED BY PRESENTED BY
MRS GRACE LYDIA PARTHASARATHY M
VICE PRINCIPAL MOT FIRST YEAR (NEUROSCIENCES)
SRMCOT SRMCOT
CONTENTS

 Introduction
 Characteristics Of Groups
 Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors Of Group
 Group Leadership
 Group Development
 Using Groups To Assess Function
INTRODUCTION

• A group is an aggregate of people who share a common purpose that can be achieved through
collaboration.
• Occupational therapists give intervention in groups in various settings including school, hospitals,
skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric services, daycare programs, independent living centers and
community social service agencies .
• Group interventions in occupational therapy provide opportunities to develop task skills and
interpersonal interaction skills(mosey 1973)
• Groups used in occupational therapy intervention are typically determined and planned based on
the purpose or goal of the group and include energy conservation groups, psychoeducational
groups, social skills groups, activities of daily living groups, reminiscence groups, leisure
groups,and sensorimotor groups, among others
 Group intervention are cost effective and versatile ,build social relationships,provide social

support and are designed for achieving multiple goals simultaneously.

 Enhance communication and self-expression

 Provide an atmosphere of non judgmental acceptance

 Offer multiple opportunities to share learning and

 Facilitate client participation" and provide a context for problem solving in relationships (Cole,

2012)
GROUP CHARACTERISTICS
CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUPS

o Group context and climate

o Boundaries/membership
o Roles
o Group cohesiveness
o Group norms
o Group goals
GROUP CONTEXT/CLIMATE:
 These contexts impact the internal functioning of the group and its relationships with other
systems.
 According to Schwartzberg, Howe, and Barnes (2008), "group climate refers to the physical and
interpersonal or emotional environment affecting the group"
 An inviting physical environment and a safe, accepting inter personal climate enhances group
function.
 GROUP BOUNDARIES:
 It may be flexible, rigid, or have variable degrees of permeability. Typically, intervention groups have inclusion
and exclusion criteria for membership.
 Groups can be closed, with no new members added, or open with changing membership. Members can be selected
to be similar to one another or heterogeneous.
 Small groups can range in size from 3 members to 10 or even 12 members.
 It influences group methods ,leader strategies and outcomes.
ROLE:
 A role is a set of socially agreed on behavioral expectations, rights, and responsibilities for a
specific position or status in a group or in society.
 Roles may be related to task accomplishment or to the social/emotional needs of group members,
both of which are critical to the effective functioning of the group.
 GROUP COHESIVENESS:
 Group cohesiveness refers to the degree of under standing, acceptance, and feelings of closeness group
members have toward each other and the value they place on the group.
 It is the group members' sense of liking, their trust and desire to work together, a feeling of togetherness,
and sense of security.
 It facilates group function and individual development.
 Group cohesiveness can be enhanced through frequent group meetings, emphasizing similarities among
group members, competition against other groups.
GR0UP NORMS:
 It reflects the value system of the group-what members believe are appropriate ways of thinking, feeling,
and behaving.
 Norms provide a safety net, and expectations of the individual and group are clear.
 Norms can be explicit or implicit and change over time as the group develops and matures. Some groups
have specific written rules or contracts that govern attendance, expectations, roles, and interpersonal
interactions.
 GROUP GOALS:
 Group goals are a future state toward which most group members' efforts are directed.
 Goals determine the group's focus and may be explicit or implicit.
 Goals give the group identity and provide meaning: goals are the standards by which the individual's and
group's activities may be judged.
 Groups function better when members are clear about and invest in the group's purpose and goals
YALOM’S THERAPEUTIC FACTORS OF GROUP

1. Altruism sharing with others, reaching out to others, giving oneself to help others
2. Catharsis sharing feelings and experiences, expressing and releasing emotions
3. Cohesiveness sense of belonging, developing relationshipsbased on trust, support, and caring
4. Imitative behavior observing the behaviors of others and then experimenting and applying
positive behaviors modeled by other group members and the group leader to one’s own life
5. Imparting information learning about one's health, ill ness, or disability through discussion
with other group member
6. Instillation of hope receiving reassurance, experiencing optimism and pouitive expectations
based on observation of improvement in others
7. Interpersonal learning learning about and from others inthe group, developing an awareness of others,
correcting past misinterpretations about others
8. Self-understanding discovering and accepting previously unknown aspects of the self, developing insight
9. Socializing techniques learning practicing, and developing social skills
10. Universality recognizing shared feelings, developing an awareness that one is not alone and that others
have similar problems and experiences
11. The corrective recaptualization of the primary group : It can stimulate the family group by allowing
patients and clients to work through family problems.
GROUP LEADERSHIP
 GROUP LEADERSHIP

• A leader is "a person who can influence others to be more effective in working to achieve
their mutual goals and maintain effective working relationships among members
• A leader "helps members learn new behaviors that will increase their ability to balance the
task and social emotional aspects of the group" and "members learn to effectively and
appropriately meet other members' needs while achieving group goals"
• Leadership implies a relationship between an individual and a group built around some
common interest.
• The leader employs the skills of interactive reasoning, including establishing rapport
through empathic listening, building alliances, giving and receiving information and
feedback, validating success, sharing personal stories,and reflective responding
FOUR FUNCTIONS OF LEADERSHIP THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO GROUP
MEMBERS

 Emotional activation (eliciting feelings, facilitating emotional expression, challenging, and confronting as
necessary)
 Caring (offering support, concern, acceptance, etc.)
 Meaning attribution (providing clarification, explanation, interpretation, etc.)
 Executive function (managing time, setting limits,recommending strategies and procedures)
Kouzes and Posner (2007) describe five practices of exemplary leadership. These include
1. Modelling involves setting an example by clarifying, affirming, and acting on values shared by the
group.
2. Inspiring a shared vision based on collective aspirations builds commitment to action among group
members.
3. Challenging the process promotes initiative, creativity, and innovation among group members.
4. Enabling others to act fosters relationship building, collaboration based on trust, and the develop
ment of individual and group competence.
5. Encouraging the heart demonstrates appreciation for group members' contributions and creates a
spirit of community in the group
GROUP DEVELOPMENT
 GROUP DEVELOPMENT

• Intervention groups can be short term (crisis intervention) or long term (recovery).
• Whether they are short term or long term, groups change over time.
• The phases of group development provide a conceptual model of the evolution of group issues.
 Tuckman (1965) identified four stages of group development:
 (1) forming -uncertainty of one's role in the group, purpose, and procedures of group
 (2) storming -conflict and rebellion in group because members resist group influence
 (3) norming -group discovers ways to work together, set norms to enable cohesiveness
 (4) performing -group is flexible in ways of working together to achieve aims
 GAZDA’S STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT

 Exploratory Stage:
 Set ground rules/norms for the group
 Clarify goals
 Inform participants of their responsibilities
 Leader centered
 Getting acquainted
 Establishing roles/functions in the group
 Transition Stage
 Conflict and polarization
 Resistance to group influence
 Emotional responses
 Insecurity
 Defensiveness and frustration
 Problems seem insurmountable
 Group survival is in question
 Action stage
 Work/task focus
 Resistance is overcome
 Trust and cohesiveness is developed
 Increased self-disclosure
 Increased spontaneity
 Decreased reliance on the leader
 Problems are easily resolved
 Termination Stage
 Usually short duration
 Decreased self-disclosure
 Attempts at closure
 Need to say good-bye and move on
EVALUATION OF GROUPS
 USING GROUPS TO ASSESS FUNCTION

Occupational performance is the product of the inter action between the client, the occupation, and the
environment.
As a result, groups can be a useful context for evaluating certain client factors, performance skills, and
performance patterns.
Although various client factors can be assessed during group activities, specific and global mental functions
that are readily apparent in group situations include attention, memory, perception, thought, temperament and
energy, and drive.
COGNITIVE SKILLS

 Cognitive skills such as judging, selecting, organizing, sequencing, prioritizing, and problem solving are
evident when a client is planning and managing the performance of an occupa tion or activity in the group
context and while interacting with other group members.
 Observing clients during craft activities, such as those included in the Allen Diagnostic Module, may be
useful to evaluate cognitive skills during group task sessions.
 The Comprehensive Occupational Therapy Evaluation (COTE) can also be used to assess task-related
behaviors and skills.
EMOTIONAL REGULATION SKILLS

 Emotional regulation skills are those "actions or behaviors a client uses to identify, manage, and express
feelings while engaging in activities or interacting with others.
 These behaviors include managing frustration and anger, empathizing and responding to the feelings of
others, displaying emotions appropriately, and coping with stressful situations.
 Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) diary cards are useful for clients to monitor their emotional reactions
and their use of emotional regulation skills.
 By tracking emotions and behaviors on a daily basis, problematic patterns become apparent and can be
addressed.
COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL SKILLS

 Communication and social skills are nearly impos sible to evaluate outside of the group context.
 The skills that can be observed during group interaction include maintaining eye contact, initiating
conversations, responding to questions, taking turns, sharing limited supplies, respecting the perspectives
and beliefs of others, and use of appropriate interpersonal distance.
 There are many useful occupational therapy assessments for communication and social skills, including the
Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS) based on the Model of Human Occupation, the
Social Interaction Scale (SIS) of the Bay Area Functional Performance Evaluation (BaFPE), and the COTE.
REFERENCES

 WILLARD AND SPACKMAN’S OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY – 12TH EDITION

 GROUPWORK IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY-LINDA FINLEY
THANK YOU