Working Stage of a Group,

Working Stage of a Group, the author looks at the group work process and what occurs at the working stage of that group. It is important to understand what constitutes a working stage; it is the stage of the group in which there is member commitment to explore their problems, attend to the group dynamic, and begin problem solving. It only comes after groups have been established and the group members have already learned self-directed participation in the group. In this article, the author explores the differences between working and nonworking groups by contrasting the definition of the working groups with previously established definitions of the non-working group. The author also looks at the different group members to aid in the identification of working and non-working group members. The author then examines how clients can use the group process for self-help. The article examines the role that mental health professionals can play in the group process, emphasizing the facilitation capacity. The author also explores the limitations of the group process, and how they may not be appropriate for all scenarios.

One of the interesting issues that the article discusses is the idea of self-disclosure in the group process. Interestingly enough, the group work scenario could be seen as one type of interview, although a far less structured interview than many of the traditional one-on-one approaches. This article demonstrates that there are elements in group work that are actually conducive to greater honesty and self-disclosure from the participants. Rather than feeling as if they are in a patient-doctor type scenario, they instead feel as if they are part of a group. These feelings may be enhanced by self-disclosure on the part of the facilitator. This leads one to wonder whether, outside of the group context, this same type of self-disclosure might have a beneficial impact on the interview process.