THE BEGINNING
STAGE
The Beginning Stage
 Primary
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Goals:
Help members to work together in a
cooperative and productive manner.
Help members to feel that their unique
contribution to the group is respected and
appreciated.
The Beginning Stage
** A difficult stage of the group –
- Members seek direction about how to
proceed but are ambivalent about
following any suggestions.
- Members want to maintain autonomy
but also want to fit in and get along with
others in the group.
The Beginning Stage
Objectives of Beginning Stage:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Facilitate member introductions
Clarify purpose and function: worker,
members, and sponsoring organization
Confidentiality
Help members feel they are a part of the
group
Guiding the development of the group
Task and socioemotional focus
The Beginning Stage
Objectives of Beginning Stage:
Goal setting in group work
8. Contracting
9. Facilitating members’ motivation
10. Address ambivalence and resistance
11. Anticipating obstacles to achieving
individual and group goals
12. Monitor and evaluated the group as the
change process begins
7.
The Beginning Stage
 Facilitate
member introductions:
Universality:
- Helps members share mutual
concerns and interests and develop trust
- Information should depend on the
purpose of the group and bring out
commonalities
The Beginning Stage
Round Robin
My Name
Interviews
Top Secret
Treasure Hunt
Problem Swapping
Consideration: Pre-existing
relationships/groups – become familiar
with group dynamics and history
The Beginning Stage

Defining the purpose of the group:
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Always state/restate the purpose – helps clarify and
improves effectiveness of goal attainment.
State purpose positively – “placebo effect” – focus on
positive goal/objectives to be accomplished.
Include brief description of the functions of the
sponsoring agency
Involve members – provide input/feedback on
purpose and identify personal goals.
The Beginning Stage
 Confidentiality:
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Discuss during first session with on-going
reminders throughout group process.
Identify expectations and limitations
Identify social work group values (optional)
Help formulate a set of guiding principles for
group operation
The Beginning Stage
 Help
members feel they are a part of
the group:
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Build cohesion while respecting individuality
Help members feel safe and comfortable in
the group
Point out shared interests and common goals
Differences should be acknowledged and
appreciated
Protection from “injury” – misinformation,
personal attacks, adverse emotional effects
The Beginning Stage
 Guiding

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the development of the group:
Structured vs. Unstructured
Process centered vs. Time Limited
Psycho-educational groups
Agendas
The Beginning Stage
“Structure should be viewed as a tool that
should be used differentially in practice
situations to help members and the group
as-a-whole achieve agreed-on objectives”
The Beginning Stage
 Task

and socioemotional focus:
Balance is essential – careful assessment of
group’s needs and members’ needs.
The Beginning Stage
 Goal

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setting in group work:
Considerable amount of time is spent
discussing goals in the first few meetings
Group-centered – functioning & maintenance
and problems & concerns faced by all group
members
Individual-centered – specific to each member
The Beginning Stage
** Developing goals is a
PREREQUISITE for
entering the middle
stage of group work.
The Beginning Stage
 Contracting:

Mutual agreements that specify expectations,
obligations, and duties
•
•
•
•
•
Group and agency
Group and worker
Group and a member
Worker and a member
Two or more members
The Beginning Stage
 Facilitating
members’ motivation:
“Motivation is the key to the successful
achievement of the group and member
goals.”
The Beginning Stage

Motivation:
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Determined by the members’ expectations about:
• The worker’s role in the group
• The processes that will occur in the group
• What can be accomplished through the work of the
group
Work through ambivalence and resistance
Expectations about role performance
Authentic communication about purposes and goals
The Beginning Stage

Addressing Ambivalence and Resistance
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Pay attention to overt and covert messages about
accomplishing the group’s work
Acknowledge ambivalence and provide realistic
appraisal for chances of success
Help members work though ambivalence and
resistance
Assist members to recognize the range of choices for
participating in the group
Help members work with each other to recognize
where points of resistance may occur and to
overcome challenges to full participation
The Beginning Stage
 Anticipating

Obstacles:
Awareness allows for creation of proactive
strategies before entering the middle stage of
group work.
The Beginning Stage
 Monitor
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and Evaluate the Group
Clearly document initial concerns and problems
Communicate changes throughout
Consider how you will assess individual and
group goals and formulate them and implement
any evaluation devices
Begin future group sessions with goal “check in”
to keep members focused through-out group
process
Partialize goals and identify what members can
do between meetings (action steps)