You may have accessed this page because you are unsure whether group work would be beneficial to you, or it may be that you would like some information on how you might prepare for group work.
Either way the questions and scenarios below will give some insight into the work of the therapy group. It will also give you an opportunity to think a bit more about your own thoughts, emotions, attitudes, behaviours and the life experiences that have formed these.
We would recommend that you spend time reflecting on the questions. It might help to print off this page so that you can refer to it over a period of time and possibly use it alongside journaling.
Be honest with yourself – no one else is going to see what you write and there are no right or wrong answers All of this might sound like hard work but reflecting on self before joining the group will pay dividends later when you are part of the group. Change can only come from within and whilst the other members of the group and the group facilitator can help that process, much of the ‘work’ will originate in you.
One of the important things you need to know about yourself is am I willing to give time and energy to this process? Group work is a great opportunity for psychological and emotional growth but it does require you to be able to tolerate potential frustration and impatience with yourself, the process and others. That is all part of the learning that contributes to growth. Even if you decide group is not for you, the questions may give you an opportunity to understand yourself a little better enabling you to make different choices for yourself.
Before attempting to reflect on the questions below, if you haven’t already done so, you will probably find it helpful to read the other group pages which will give you more information on the types of group we run, how group work can be helpful, some insight into how others have found the group experience and how to register http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/howcan gchelp/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/ongoingcounsellinggroup/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/postgra duate_group/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/closedg roupforallstudents/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/cbtstruc turedgroup/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/registra tionforgroupcounselling/

Before looking at the questions you may find it helpful to read the following scenario. Jane is preparing herself for a group she is planning to join and talks about it with her friend Cameron who has been part of a therapy group.
Jane: I’m feeling a bit worried about joining this group. I’ve looked at the literature and feel that I understand myself a bit better but …….?
Cameron: I remember feeling the same before I started.
Jane: So what would you say to me at this point?
Cameron: I would say, don’t underestimate the experience you will bring to the group.
In my group we all brought very different things but the important thing was that we all had lots of experience of different groups, some positive some negative. Can you think of any groups you really liked being part of?
Jane: Oh lots, I was part of a dance team at school. It was all girls and we had a great time. I always enjoyed holiday time, you know, like Easter and Christmas with my Mum and two sisters. We’d always try to go away together somewhere……and I had great group of friends at primary school. Secondary school was more difficult. Dad left us just as I was starting Secondary. It was awful. He’d always been a bit distant but after he left I hardly ever saw him. I don’t know why but making friends seemed very hard at that point and I did feel quite lonely. I suppose I threw myself into work and was known as a bit of a ‘swot’
Cameron: I guess that would have felt difficult? You must have felt quite isolated
Jane: I did at first but it got better. The turning point came when I went to Sixth Form
College. I started my dancing again and became friendly with a group of girls who were studying the same subjects as me. Actually that was a good group! We supported each other with our work, went to bands and gigs together helped each other when things went wrong.
Cameron: S o you’ve spoken of some positive group experiences and a time when it felt hard to be part of a group. Do you remember any bad experiences?
Jane: I went to Africa in my gap year before coming to University. That was very challenging, being thrown together with others in difficult circumstances.
Cameron: What was challenging about it?
Jane: I had chosen to study Engineering at University and I joined a project to provide clean water for a small community. That was good, really interesting but I really missed home, my friends and despite being with people I felt isolated, especially at first, although it did get better. I just threw myself into the work which I really enjoyed. There were quite a few guys in the group and one of them in particular annoyed me so much!
He was just so ‘into himself’, like he couldn’t ‘see’ anyone else! He’d go off leaving the rest of the team to clear up at the end of the day and he’d often turn up late in the morning. It felt like he wasn’t really interested in the project, like he didn’t really care!
The other guys seemed to be okay with this and in the end it was one of the girls who challenged him. Well of course he didn’t change. He never did feel part of the team and in the end I just used to ignore him. Oh, thinking of that again makes me feel really mad and quite upset too. How strange, I haven’t thought about him in ages. I’m feeling quite shaky……
Jane and Cameron do not actually exist and their story is fictitious but it can be seen from this scenario that just by talking, Jane is beginning to reflect on some important stages in

her life and is surprised at the strong feelings it has stirred in her. She will need to develop the conversation she had with Cameron into one that she can have with herself.
She will need to develop the capacity to reflect upon the work she will do as part of the group and to continue the reflection during the week following group
So what things might Jane begin to reflect on after her conversation with Cameron? She is surprised at the strong feelings she is left with and continues to have an internal dialogue with herself. As someone who is not emotionally involved in this scenario you may already see some of the links in the material Jane has described. Is she just angry with the young man who distances himself in the group or did he trigger the anger and sadness she felt over her father’s abandonment?
And what about the way she dealt with it? Maybe it is not surprising that she felt helpless when she comes across someone who reminds her of her father and her relationship to him; although even in recounting the story she does not make the connections herself.
Something of her 11 year old self kicks in at this point and she decides to throw herself into work. She speaks positively of all female groups she has been part of but Jane will have to learn how to relate to the males in the group. She will need to be aware of the attitudes she holds, eg. that men let you down, that they can’t be challenged, that the way to deal with the anger and frustration and sadness is to ignore it.
The next step is to look at the questions below which will help you to explore your experience of groups to date and facilitate your thoughts around the group you are considering joining.
What attracts you to group counselling?
What do you hope to learn from being in a group? What differences would you like to see in yourself?
What role do you find yourself taking in groups in your life? (Eg friendship groups/family groups/work groups).
*see below for suggested roles – You may think of others.
In different groups, do you find you play different roles? *
* joker, leader, facilitator, guru, observer, carer, conciliator, competitor, martyr rescuer, deviant, teacher, rebel, outsider, servant
Are you able to

listen to others well?
Are there any subjects/issues you might find difficult to listen to?
What sort of person in a group would be your worst case nightmare scenario?
What sort of person in a group would help, support and facilitate you?
How would you react if someone became very upset?
Do you imagine you might get angry or upset? What might trigger this? How would that feel?
And what if someone else was angry? How would you react to that?
What are the challenges you anticipate for you in being in a group?
Are you able to offer challenges to others in a group setting?
Are you able to receive feedback/challenge in a group setting?
Would you feel differently in an all female group from an all male group?
What if the facilitator was a woman?
What if the facilitator was a man?
How would you feel if you found there was someone else in the group that you know?
How would you handle this?
Think about positive and negative experiences you have had in groups. What was it that contributed to either a positive or negative feeling? Can you identify what it was about

the group that contributed t this feeling? Was it size, membership, leadership, task, context or something else that you can identify?
Personal information:
Significant relationships : Who are the helpful and accessible support contacts
(friends/family) in your life presently (include the relationship not necessarily the name)?
Family genogram : include parents/step parents/ siblings/step siblings/half siblings and any significant others:
Psychological history : have you had any form of psychological intervention before, and if so, what? (Eg previous counselling with the UCS or elsewhere; psychiatric intervention; psychologist)
Are you taking any medication? – If so, what?
Any questions you want to ask at your pre-group meeting?
What next
Having reflected upon these questions you will now have a better idea of your experience of groups and how you might be in a therapy group .An important part of preparation for group is in meeting with the group facilitators(s) where you will hear more about how groups work and have a chance to ask questions. So if you would like to take this further and meet with the facilitator(s) then you can register your interest at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/tutors/counselling/student/groupcounselling/registra tionforgroupcounselling/
Acknowledgement: The questions and ideas discussed above are based on the book:
Rose Chris, The Personal Development Group: The students Guide, Carnac 2008