HLSC 2120
Oct 9, 2007
Developmental Model (Tuckman)
Models of Group Psychotherapy
Working in the Hear & Now
Developmental Model
(Tuckman, 1963; Weber, 1982
Stage
Stage
Stage
Stage
Stage
1
2
3
4
5
~
~
~
~
~
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Transforming
FORMING
~ Behaviours – polite and superficial
as they establish similarities,
common needs, and compatibility;
give and seek advice.
~ Feelings – suspicion, fear, anxiety
and curiosity
~ Goals – “please include me”
FORMING-Leadership Focus
~ Leadership:
- Encourage sharing of treatment goals
Foster trust & links around shared similarities
- Normalizing (members fears & anxiety)
Increase involvement; decrease isolation
- Group Task
Engagement/committment
STORMING
~ Behaviours – defensive; competitive; covert
non-support; and direct attacks
~ Feelings – anger, disappointment, frustration
~ Goals – ‘need for control” regain individuality,
power, and influence; challenging authority
increase trust in themselves and their
contribution.
STORMING: Leadership Focus
~ Leadership –
Assist members in exposing and productively
managing their tension
~ Group Task:
Tolerance of differences
Reminder that this is an important stage of
development although it may appear counter
productive
NORMING AND PERFORMING
~ Behaviours – sharing personal
struggles; discussing group
dynamics; gain and share insight;
risking new behaviours
~ Feelings – affection, caring and trust
~ Goals – “me and you”,
connection/tolernace of closeness
NORMING & PERFORMING:
LEADERSHIP FOCUS
~ Leadership:
meaning attribution of individual, interpersonal,
and groups dynamics
~ Group task:
Non-defensive openness and exploration of
group relationships
TRANSFORMING
~Behaviours:
Acknowledgment or denial of the ending
~Feelings:
Loss, abandonment, sadness, regrets, affection
~ Goals:
Disengagement
TRANSFORMING:
Leadership Focus
~Leadership:
Review of the members typical manner of
addressing good byes
Encourage acknowledgment of highlight and
regrets
~ Group Task:
Self-responsibility
Stage Response to the Leader
Stage 1 ~ attempt to have their needs
met by the leader
Stage 2 ~ rebels against the leader
Stage 3 &4 ~ able to express strong
emotions toward co-members and leader
Type of Groups
~Focused Criteria Groups
~Individually Oriented Change
Groups
~Interpersonal Learning & Change
Groups
~Psychodynamic Groups
Nancy McWilliams,
… for therapy to be therapeutic, it is more
important for the clinicians to understand
people than to master specific treatment
techniques (p. 9).
… what helps one person can damage
another, even if the presenting
problems of the two people seem
comparable … (Nancy McWilliams, ‘04)
Focused Groups
~ these short term groups are specifically designed
to change, alter or eliminate a group member’s selfdestructive or self-defeating target behaviour
~ usually highly supportive or confrontive
~ this homogeneous groups look for similarities in
order to mobilize compliance and behavioural change
(Flores, 1997)
Focused Groups
~ have a high degree of structure
~have a specific & limited target issue
~ strongly goal – oriented
~ efficiency valued (homework etc.)
~ have a high educational function
~ discourage attention to transference
(McKay and Paleg, 1992)
Individually Oriented Groups
~ uses the rest of the group as an
auxiliary/audience while [the leader is]
working sequentially with one group member
at a time (Flores,’97)
~ vehicle of change is an intrapsychic focus
coupled with group leader intervention
Interpersonal Change Groups
~ the aim of this approach is to help
members understand the effect their
behaviour has on others and … how
others’ behaviour affects them. … these
groups place an emphasis on
interpersonal interactions that occurs in
the group (Flores, 1997)
Interpersonal Change Groups
Interpersonal learning:
1. the importance of interpersonal
relationships
2. the corrective emotional experience
The groups as a social microcosm. (Yalom,
1995)
Psychodynamic Groups
This approach has a wide spectrum of
influence and many diverse
interpretations
There are three primary forces
operating: 1) intrapsychic or individual
dynamics, 2) interpersonal
dynamics/system and 3) group as a
whole.
The Here and Now
~Do not go around issues, go through
them
~ As group grows, let the members
share this task of promoting the Here
and Now.
~ Members become more aware of
their power, and increased self-esteem.
(Goddard, 1998)