Excellence In Training

This type of group allows individual members to go on a journey of self exploration and this is done in the context of the interpersonal interactions among and between members. The bulk of the work is done in the here and now, and highlights for each member (so they can better understand), the way they push people away or draw people into relationship thus creating more intimacy and harmony or distance in their interpersonal relationships. Group participants are presented with a wide and varied suite of relationships, so they must learn to deal with their likes, dislikes, similarities, dissimilarities, envy, timidity, fear, attraction, and competiveness. In this way, the group setting itself becomes a very specific and powerful therapeutic tool for change.

The process group is a unique form of therapy that captures interpersonal experiences for growth that are not found in any other type of therapy. Many of the psychological symptoms that people present with today stem primarily from issues and difficulties experienced in family of origin and other early relationships. The origin of these problems is interpersonal in nature, and members will soon create their outside world within the group setting, and engage in the same manner and exhibit many of the same maladaptive behaviours. In this way, each members’ interpersonal behaviour becomes a social microcosm of their social existence in the outer world. The process group setting provides a member-to-member, and member-to-facilitator experience that relies on the giving and receiving of feedback, while a safe and honest environment provides the ground for emotional and corrective experiences for all members.

In all human interactions, process and content are the main ingredients. Attention is usually on content, that is, the subject matter or task the group is dealing with. Process – what is happening between the people involved – is given little attention but is most likely the cause of ineffective functioning. Process is more complex in group interactions because of the number of people involved.

If you work in health or allied health or facilitate groups and are interested in joining a group for your own professional and personal development please call me on 0412 494 479 or (02)8216 0739