Process skills for therapeutic group work

 

In the last Communication Skills class of my visit, we looked in more detail at the role of the leader in therapeutic groups.







History of therapeutic group work in OT
We also had an overview of how therapeutic group work and the theory that underpins it has changed and evolved over the years, moving through what could be described as a 'project' era (1920s-30s), a 'socialisation' era (1930s to 50s), a 'group dynamics-process' era (1950s), 'psychodynamic' era (1960s), 'adaptation' era (1970s -90s) to the present 'wellness' era that began in the 1990s.


Leadership Skills
Leadership in a therapeutic group requires a high level of skill if the group is to achieve it's goals as a group and for individuals attending it. Skills include: active listening, observing cues and clarifying meaning, giving and receiving information and 'reality testing'. The leader needs to understand some of the processes, such as transference, that can occur and strategies to deal with them. The leader provides a powerful 'model' of behaviour and needs to ensure they present a positive model at all times.

PARS- process skills
We moved on to discuss ways of gathering information about the 'process' occurring in a group that, if well facilitated, enables the group to progress and achieve goals. A model developed in the field of counselling was introduced and we watched a really good DVD- unfortunately you have to buy it, but the link below will take you to an article about it.
http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/J_Benshoff_PARS_1999.pdf

                                     PARS- a way to 'illuminate the process'.

                                              P- processing

                                                 A- activity

                                                    R- relationship

                                                       S-  self

 The examples given- building a shed and 'group juggling'- illustrated how once the activity is completed, the full therapeutic benefit is gained by skillful facilitation of a process of reflection on the activity, how the group worked together, how individuals worked etc. This reflection can then be developed into understanding of an issue and then to how what has been learned can be applied within the group, but more importantly, outside the group in future situations.

PARS model- overview

	Activity	Relationships	Self
Reflecting	Reflecting/ Activity	Reflecting/ Relationships	Reflecting/ Self
Understanding	Understanding/ Activity	Understanding/ Relationships	Understanding/ Self
Applying	Applying/ Activity	Applying/ Relationships	Applying/ Self

 I felt that this model fitted well with the concepts of 'story telling' and story making' that are explicitly part of the Lifestyle Redesign approach, and present in all occupational therapy interventions whether explicitly or implicitly.

Schwartzberg, Howe & Barnes Chapter 5- The  Leader in the Therapeutic Group-  was the reading material for this class (see Books tab at top of page).