Group support can be a valuable and effective intervention for people living with complex or difficult circumstances. The ability to share your knowledge and experiences with others while also learning from the knowledge and experience of others can lead to new ways of thinking and approaching situations, as well as supporting a reduction in feelings of isolation. Groups can be organic and unpredictable, with each instance bringing new personalities and new complications. By learning how groups form, engage, and resist, and by understanding how to create an environment that emphasises the needs of the group as well as those of the individuals within it, support groups can maintain focus, cohesion, and effectiveness.
Aims
This workshop is designed to support staff and organisations in voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) to understand group dynamics within a support setting and to manage and coordinate groups or supervise volunteers to do so.
Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- Understand where and why group support is desirable
- Be confident in how groups form and develop
- Have explored situations that can occur and how they can be managed
- Have considered how to overcome challenges in a group situation
Our workshop includes:
- Formats: discussions of the different forms of support groups
- Stages of group development: the stages of group formation
- Group factors: the various elements that affect group dynamics
- Interventions: how to manage challenging behaviour in a group setting
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