Seminar - 4 hours/week
- Lecture
- Group discussion
- Group activities and exercises
- Student presentations
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- Groups have therapeutic potential.
- Groups and people are dynamic – they grow and change over time. Understanding group dynamics and developing group facilitation skills allows practitioners greater competency in their work.
- Group leadership and involvement helps develop communication, counselling, conflict resolution, feedback, and problem solving skills.
- Effective group leaders are intentional in assessing how, when, and why various facilitation skills are used and how outcome-focused activities can be used to promote group development.
- Group facilitation involves balancing task-centered work (content) with the needs of the group (process). Groups are successful to the extent that both content and process are attended to.
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain the therapeutic potential of groups through their experience as members and leaders in counselling, task, and psychoeducational groups.
- Define the differences between various types of groups and illustrate the leadership styles and facilitation skills suitable for each.
- Describe the stages of group development and demonstrate appropriate leadership skills for each.
- Recognize potential obstacles to group functioning and identify flexible and sensitive approaches that may promote group functioning.
- Design, plan, and facilitate developmentally appropriate group activities to promote growth in identified need areas.
Evaluations will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College Evaluation Policy and will include both formative and summative components. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Typical means of evaluation will include a combination of:
- Written assignments
- Journals
- Class presentations
- Examinations
- Class participation
This is a graded course.
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.
Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:
- No corequisite courses
Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:
- No equivalency courses