22
christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
With all this potential for healing,
how do some small groups end up inef-
fective or even destructive? I believe
there are two primary pitfalls which can
undermine the healing power of any
small group. First, skilled and effec-
tive leadership is required to provide the
safe and secure environment needed for
therapeutic factors to unfold. The most
significant problem with many small
groups is that leaders have not been
adequately trained or prepared to provide
active skills essential to making groups
work. Even volunteer leaders of church-
based support and recovery groups need
a comprehensive training curriculum
before leading their first group. Leaders
must have a clear understanding of
group dynamics, how to create safety
and handle problems, as well as proper
training in the stages of group develop-
ment. There are many wonderful group
and lay counselor training curricula
available to prepare leaders. In addition to
training, leaders need ongoing supervi-
sion. I recommend that all first-time
leaders be paired with a more experi-
enced mentor and co-facilitator to learn
and grow. Mental health professionals
should be available for regular supervision
and ongoing oversight. Any small group
leader training program must include
information on ethics and boundaries.
The second pitfall to effective
groups is inadequate screening of group
members. I find this to be a common
problem. In order to have an effective
group experience, there must be members
who both desire a healing experience
and are also emotionally and cognitively
ready for the therapeutic factors groups
offer. Often, for therapy groups, all that
is needed is a recommendation by the
individual’s primary therapist. I find it
helpful to have an additional screening
with one of the group leaders, particularly
if the primary or referring therapist is not
one him/herself. This allows the leaders
to assess for psychological readiness, but
also for compatibility with the style and
type of the group, as well as with other
potential group members. The right mix
