This course is part of the Group Facilitation Programme that offers the opportunity to gain a Gestalt Centre CPD certificate for each one attended. The programme also offers the chance to gain the Gestalt Centre Certificate in Groupwork upon completion of four programme courses, along with required course work and assessment including a case study. The Certificate in Groupwork includes this workshop and three other courses, all combining theoretical input with experiential learning and practice. All courses are ordered in-person and some also online. See specific dates for detail.
- Group Facilitation, Key Concepts and Personal Development
- Working with Conflict and Confrontation in Groups and Teams
- Group Facilitation Training Intensive
UNDERSTANDING AND WORKING WITH GROUP DYNAMICS
This immersive two day workshop will increase your awareness, understanding and skills to work with underlying processes which affect how groups and teams function.
When a group or team meets to do a particular job, such as planning a budget or reviewing output production, the members concern themselves primarily with content, that is, the task or subject matter. Difficulties which appear to have no direct relation to the budget or output production issue may develop in the group. Problems of communication occur even the language being used is seemingly clear. Difficult feelings may also emerge between people. These indirect matters involve processes, dynamics, and need special attention it the group or team is to get on with its work.
Learn more about the distinction between these levels of functioning and increase your capacity to work effectively with your group or team.
Groups also develop structure, that is, ways in which the different parts of the group relate to each other and to the group as a whole. Part of the structure includes norms, rules, roles and procedures. Some of these are explicit and overt and other develop less obviously. Awareness and understanding of these can greatly enhance your effectiveness as a facilitator.
Who is the course for
The course is for people who have some experience of facilitating groups and lead teams and want to increase depth of work and capacity and confidence working with the whole group and dynamics below the surface to increase effectiveness.
Programme participants include professionals working with people and teams such as coaches, consultants, team leaders, GPs, counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, teachers, lecturers, NGO leaders, residential workers, voluntary sector workers and others.
This course will be run by Sachiko Kishi. Please see our Group Facilitation overview page to view our tutor profiles.
Course Outcomes
- Develop your capacity to think about and work with the group as a whole
- Be able to apply theory and key facilitation concepts to your groupwork setting
- Increase your skills in working with content and processes in groups
- Appreciate more fully the impact of dynamics below the surface on group functioning
- Learn about norms and roles in groups and how to work with them
- Understand how group dynamics affect change processes in groups