REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
MARAWI CITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
PHASES IN GROUP DEVELOPMENT
(MARGARET HARTFORD)
1. Pre-Group Phase – what happens and what the worker does before a group is actually organized.
Hartford describes this as actually consisting of three phases:
a) Private Pre-Group Phase
✓ The period when an idea occurs to one or more persons to organize a group for some
purpose.
b) Public Pre-Group Phase
✓ Decision to have a group and this decision is shared with others.
✓ Announcements are made, verbally or in writing.
✓ All these are communicated to prospect group members.
✓ Intake interviews are conducted.
c) Convening Phase
✓ When the prospective members, or some of them, meet for the first time.
✓ The members at this time are sizing up the situation in terms of whether or not their
expectations are going to be met.
✓ Feeling of resistance or ambivalence about committing themselves is natural during
this phase.
2. Group Formation Phase – when the group gets organized.
o The formation process may be achieved during one session or many sessions depending on the
members, their capacities, and the purpose of the group, among other things.
o Group goals and norms evolve, and the group’s role system begins to develop during this phase.
o The practitioner takes the lead role in in promoting communication and interaction between
herself and the members and among the members.
3. Group Integration, Disintegration, or Reintegration Phase
o Interpersonal ties increase and a sense of group bond or “we feeling” begins to become
apparent. Goal-directed activities engage the members since by this time group goals shall have
been clarified. In the case of developmental and task groups the role and status structures
usually begin to emerge, and task and emotional leaders can already be identified.
o There may occur disagreement on issues, or interpersonal problems. Members may openly
express anger, frustration or hostility and withdraw from participation. Tuckman call this phase
“storming”, the appearance of conflict around “interpersonal issues” and expressed resistance
to group influence and task requirements.
o The struggle or conflict may be serious and if not resolved can lead to the group’s total
disintegration. On the other hand, if the conflict is minor, the consequence may be a state of
disequilibrium which the group may be able to overcome.
o The worker must be prepared to bring such conflicts into the open for discussion and resolution.
The group, with the help of the worker, may have to restate its goals, modify its structure,
establish new rules for operating, define/modify norms, and redefine tasks. The efforts can
make the group move forward to a reintegration phase. This usually means a higher level of
integration which may mean more stable group structure, a greater influence of the group upon
the members, clearer norms, higher levels of interdependence and cooperation among members,
more awareness of the significance of the group experience, and a state of equilibrium.
MSU | MR. BELGIRA’S FILES
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
MARAWI CITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
4. Group Functioning and Maintenance Phase – The period when the group, with the guidance or
help of the worker, works at implementing its plans in order to achieve the defined goals.
o A sense of “groupness” is developed during this phase.
o This is manifested in the members concern for the group and their engagement in activities
which, along with the relationship patterns, promote the functioning and maintenance of the
group.
o In place of conflict, there is more group harmony, and when unavoidable conflicts arise, the
group is now able to deal with them in a more mature and acceptable way.
5. Termination Phase
a) Pre-termination Phase – the group is prepared for its imminent ending.
b) Termination – the actual ending, which means the last group meeting.
c) Post-termination – the period after the group ceases to function and involves plans to continue
to meet as a group if this is desired.
INDIVIDUAL-FOCUSED ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING ASSESSMENT
ASSESSMENT
Also termed “social study” and “diagnosis” in the social work literature. It involves
information-gathering and analysis towards an understanding and consequently a definition of the need
or problem of the client.
Pre-group interviews / Intake
o Prospective members of a group are usually interviewed by the social worker prior to
group formation. The interview may be private, one-on one type of meeting, or with
a group of other prospective members
o Whether intake is being done or just additional interviews to supplement previous
intake work, the following are usually discussed during these pre-group formation
interviews:
1. The agency and its services
2. The agency’s purpose for the group program
3. Agency expectations in terms of attendance and participation
4. Activities that are likely to be undertaken since discussion of this helps to
increase motivation and discourage those who are not really serious about
membership
5. The duration of the group program
6. The basis for termination of membership
Individual Client Profile
o As a minimum requirement even for groups that are not treatment oriented, individual
profiles should be written up. These should contain the following information:
1. Name and other basic identifying information
2. Need(s)/concern(s)/problem(s) relevant to the group program
3. Strengths/resources and limitations, if any,
4. Worker’s observations/comments
MSU | MR. BELGIRA’S FILES
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
MARAWI CITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
Group intake
o Is resorted to for several reasons:
1. It is effort and time-saving since a large number can go through the procedure
at the same time, in an open-forum style
2. Seeing other prospective members and hearing them raise and clarify questions
can reinforce the desire to join the group program
3. Those present can motivate others to join and also help interpret the agency in
the community
Case Assessment / Problem Definition
o The information that have been obtained during pre-group interviews should now be
studied and analyzed with care in order to arrive at an adequate understanding of the
individual client’s concern or problem. This is referred to as “social study”, “social
diagnosis”, “problem definition”, and “assessment” in the social work literature – a
process and a product of understanding on which action is based.
GROUP-FOCUSED ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING
Group-level assessment and action-planning may be said to start even before the group is
convened. This is because as the worker does pre group interviews with each prospective group
member, he is “processing” in his mind the information he has been getting, thinking about who will
be in which group (if more than one group is going to be formed), what concern or problem the group
will likely address, and what activities may have to be undertaken.
Two (2) Important Aspects of Work with Groups:
A. Group Composition
B. Group Formation
Group Composition
o Refers to the selection of group members and deciding the size of the group, two important
group-related tasks that have to be attended to by the group’s worker.
 Selection of members – is very important because the members of the group, their behaviors
and interactions create the social processes that will later happen in the group. Client attributes
are also used as basis for group composition. Among these attributes are age, interest, interaction
style, maturity and personality characteristics.
 Size of the group – the purpose of the group is a good general guide for deciding on the number
of members appropriate for a group. For example, a treatment-oriented group that uses mainly
discussion for its activity should probably not go beyond seven so as to allow for a more
intensive but confidential sharing of personal matters, while a task group of 15 members who
have a variety of talents and skills will greatly facilitate task completion.
Group Formation
o The process of getting a group organized so that it can start to function and move toward the
attainment of its planned goals.
MSU | MR. BELGIRA’S FILES
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
MARAWI CITY
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
o A common practice during the organizational or group meeting is to conduct one or two
appropriate “unfreezing” or getting-to-know-you exercises which the worker should prepare
before coming to the meeting.
o During group formation, the group should discuss and agree on the following important matters:
1. Common group concern/problem
2. Norms and rules
3. Schedule and venue of group sessions
4. Group goals
ACTION-PLANNING
Based on assessment and is the outcome of assessment. The task involves a consideration of the most
appropriate ends and means that should be pursued that directly respond to the client’s concern or
problem. Action-planning that is focused on the individual client at this stage will require the following
tasks from the worker:
C. Formulating Goals – while all social work practice has one ultimate goal, the enhancement or
improvement of the client’s social functioning, we have to be very clear about the specific ends,
outcomes, or results desired and expected from every professional helping relationship. Goals
should be clear, specific and realistic. Goals should be formulated with great care because they
have at least two very important uses:
1. To provide direction to the helping process
2. To serve as basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the helping relationship.
Every client should be given the opportunity to participate in goal-setting although this may
not always be advisable given some factors in a client’s situation. Age, mental capacity and
emotional state are among these factors. However, each of these still has to be carefully
considered and should not be used as a “blanket rule.”
D. Establishing specific helping plans – if there are ends, then there are also means to achieve
them. In social work, these are called intermediate goals, objectives, interventive plans or action
plans.
➢ SMART – a guide to goal-setting which means, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,
Time-Bound.
➢ PROGRAM MEDIA – refers to the activities, verbal or non-verbal, which the group engages
in for the purpose of achieving its goals. Plan Implementation
“Once assessment and planning are done, PLAN IMPLEMENTATION takes in. During this phase,
all activities, worker intervention and group action which the system directs towards the achievement
of individual and group goals.”
Records That a Group Worker Usually Write or Keep:
1. Pre-group/intake interview records
2. Individual case assessments
3. Statements of the group concerns/problems, group goals and plans
4. Attendance records
5. Process or summary recordings of group sessions
6. Records of marginal interviews
7. Records of collateral interviews / interviews with “significant others
8. Evaluation records
9. Transfer/closing summaries
MSU | MR. BELGIRA’S FILES