The Initial Stage of Group Work - Research Paper Example

The inability of Thomas to set his personal goals even after two sessions is indicative of the disorientation that he suffers from. And this is normally bound to happen in the initial stage of a group therapy. The special bonding between Amir and Bob is an act of exclusion as well, as Bob is excluding all other group members from his personal realm by only maintaining contact with Amir. All the same, Bob is also suffering from being excluded from the group as he might not be getting enough emotional support from other group members except from Amir and that could be the reason why he is always looking at Amir while he talks.

The problem with Tyrone is that of adaptation and initial engagement because he still has not been able to realize that he is functioning inside a group dynamics, which demands give and take. First of all, while working with this group in the next session, I will have to restate more assertively my “own expectations for the group” (Corey, 2011). With Bob, Thomas and Tyrone, I will have to look for not only what is being said by them, but also for “subtle messages conveyed beyond words” (Corey, 2011). . I will try to “see the world” as Bob sees it and convince him that I really care for him and his issues (Corey, 2011).

I also will encourage Amir to start a discussion on the issue being told by Bob so that Bob feel more relaxed with the person whom he currently trusts, intervening. The problem with Thomas seems to be that he has not yet been able to break open his real self out of the “public image” that he is projecting before the group (Corey, 2011). It is a usual occurrence that in the initial stage, the members would just keep to their “public image” and will never open up too deep (Corey, 2011).

It has been observed that this is caused by “certain degree of anxiety and insecurity about the structure of the group” (Corey, 2011). Hence I need to facilitate more sharing of personal information within the group so that there is more clarity on the dynamics of this particular group. Only then can Thomas be more open about his needs and others can help him set his personal goals with more clarity. In order to make Thomas feel that this group is a “safe place” to handle his personal problems, I would like to share certain personal experiences of mine which I feel are similar to Thomas’s (Corey, 2011).

By being open myself, I think I could manage members like Bob to be open and trusting themselves. I will also encourage Bob, Thomas and Tyrone to discuss “any factors that inhibit their trust” in this group (Corey, 2011). Only by openly discussing such fears that they would realize that these are fears shared by others as well and not their exclusive fears. And once two group members express the same fears or apprehensions, then naturally