Stages of a Group

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Gerald Corey's STAGES OF GROUP THERAPY:

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Terms in this set (6)

>> (Pre-group Issues: Formation of Group)
1. Initial Stage: Orientation & Exploration
2. Transition Stage: Dealing with Resistance
3. Working Stage: Cohesion and Productivity
4. Final Stage: Consolidation and Termination
>> (Postgroup Issues - Evaluation & Follow Up.)

Corey's INITIAL STAGE - Tasks

Orientation and exploration

Central task- establishing trust

Leader- establishes structure and models trust

Members- developing trust by how leader handles the group's fears and hesitations

Initial resistance- listen to fears and encourage full expression of them

What is necessary to move form initial to transition stage- cohesion, climate of trust, establishment of implicit and explicit norms

"For a group to meet the working stage it is essential that members make a commitment to face and work through barriers that interfere with the group's progress."

Corey's TRANSITION STAGE - Tasks

This stage is about recognizing group problems such as conflict, anxiety, defensiveness, challenges to or conflicts with the leader.

Characteristics of the Transition Stage- anxiety, defensiveness and resistance, fear, conflict (most common in this stage), challenges to the leader

Corey's WORKING STAGE - Tasks

Key Issues:
Disclosure versus anonymity
Honesty versus superficiality
Spontaneity versus control
Acceptance versus Rejection
Cohesion versus Fragmentation

Characterized by member's commitment to explore significant problems that they bring to the group and by the attention they pay to the dynamics of the group. The leaders structure and intervention is lower than at the initial and transitional stages.

Greater cohesion evidenced by increased self-disclosure, giving and receiving feedback, discussion of here and now interactions, confrontation, turning insight into action.

Corey's FINAL STAGE - Tasks

Characteristics- sadness and anxiety, fears of separation and application, evaluation of group experience, plan for follow-up sessions.

Major task facing members is consolidating their learning and transferring it to the outside environment:
-deal with feelings about separation and termination
-prepare to generalize learning to everyday life
-complete unfinished business
-make future plans

Leader functions- provide a structure that enables participants to clarify the meaning of their experiences in the group and to assist members in generalizing their learning from the group to everyday life.

Tuckman's Model

Forming
Norming
Storming
Performing
Adjourning