1 There’s No Substitution for Preparation

In the world of real estate, there is a simple slogan that summarizes what’s important when it comes to buying property: location, location, location. In the helping professions, a similar saying might apply to our clinical work: preparation, preparation, preparation.

One of the things I hear from student interns that bothers me the most has to do with co-facilitating a poorly planned group. When students tell me they are helping to lead groups, I am happy to hear they are engaging in meaty client work. But when I ask about the focus of the group, I am often greeted with a response of “We just wing it.”

Even for a seasoned counselor, the idea of improvising a group topic is a risky proposition. Understandably, groups frequently go in unexpected directions. Improvisation is already a hallmark of group leadership as the facilitator adapts to ever-changing dynamics. Why make that role even more challenging by leaving the entire structure of the interaction up to chance? That’s what you are doing if you fail to prepare for a group.

A better approach, particularly for newer professionals, is to spend as much time as possible preparing various elements.

1. Know your topic or focus for the group – What will you and the group members be discussing? What is it that you hope people gain from this group? Is the group educational, recreational, or process-oriented?
2. Have materials ready – Handouts, videos, slides, any supplies you’ll be using.
3. Have the space ready – Are clients sitting in rows like a classroom, in a circle that lends itself to discussion, or perhaps even clusters where small groups can be formed? Also, is the room physically comfortable (temperature, lighting, etc.)? If you are running a virtual group, you need to spend extra time making sure people can access the group, see and hear what’s happening, and are able to participate. Know how to use the tools of the virtual chat as well.

   Key Takeaways

   Physical space is an influential part of the client experience

   • What message does our physical space send?
   • What can we do to improve the experience for the client or group members?
   • Even in a virtual interaction, space needs to be considered
4. Make an agenda – Whether or not you share this directly with the group, it helps to have a schedule and agenda laid out. You might not be able to follow it perfectly, but at least you have a structure in mind. Letting your group see some of the main points you will address can help them stay on track as well.
5. Plan for more than you need – It’s much better to have too much material prepared than not enough. You can always save the extra for another session.
6. Consider your group members – Are there special needs for anyone in the group that you need to attend to before group? What are some of the concerns people in the group are dealing with?
7. Consider how the group has been run before – If there is a typical structure to the group, then you should try to follow it. Your own style of running a group will be different from other facilitators, but completely upending the format of a group is likely to cause confusion and dysfunction in the group. If you are changing something about the usual format, then tell the group you are doing so (e.g., “Instead of starting with check-ins, tonight I wanted to have you watch this short video first”).
8. Consider potential interruptions – How will you handle disruptive situations, such as:
   • Client coming significantly late to group
   • Client who is intoxicated
   • Client who is rude in group or distracting others
   • Client who is using a phone in group
   • Client who asks you about yourself (self-disclosure)
   • Client who gets up and leaves the group frequently
9. Be flexible – While having a plan and structure to follow are important, you also need to be ready to adjust on the fly as the group unfolds. The dynamics of a group are constantly changing. Be aware of points where it seems like you are losing the group (staying focused for long periods of time is difficult). If necessary, take a short break. However, try not to simply dismiss a group early just because it feels like people are bored or you’re struggling with the material.

You can see how a lack of preparation has the potential to cause your group to come off the rails. You will never be able to anticipate every scenario, but you can account for several of the primary obstacles you will face. Furthermore, being prepared will enhance your sense of confidence going into the group. You will already know how you want to proceed and how you want to handle any concerns that arise.

The same concept of preparation holds true for individual encounters. Meeting with a client without having read his or her chart is a mistake. We can easily forget important details about their situation that need to be addressed, or topics that arose in previous interactions that have slipped our minds.

A useful tip to increase continuity from one meeting to another is to leave off a session with something you can follow-up with for the next time. This might be homework, a question you want the client to consider, or a story the client will share. This way, you will already know where to begin the next interaction, rather than saying “What do you want to talk about today?”

Just like with group work, if you are going to be teaching the client a new skill or completing an activity in-session, you need to have the materials ready. How frustrating is it for a client to watch the helping professional keep leaving the room to retrieve a pen and paper, make copies of a workbook activity, or go searching for a book they wanted to share?

Sometimes individual meetings are done on short notice, especially in settings such as residential facilities and hospitals. It might be the case that the client was unaware of the meeting until just before it happens. When that’s the case, spend a few minutes explaining to the client the purpose of the meeting, even when you don’t have a lot of time.

One example of an individual meeting structure would go as follows:

• Connecting with the client: 2-3 minutes (This opening segment involves some small talk, which might seem wasteful to some professionals, but is tremendously valuable. It gives the client some time to settle into the session and to establish or re-establish rapport with the professional.)
• Sharing new information: 5-10 minutes (if there is news to share with the client, do so before going into other topics. This might include test results/feedback, confirmation of a newly scheduled appointment, or anything else affecting the client’s status. For example, if your client is waiting to hear that his discharge date was confirmed, you need to share this early on.)
• Follow-up: 10-15 minutes (What was the client working on? Was there homework, something you wanted her to consider since last time, was she planning to attend a support group meeting or complete a journal entry, etc.?)
• New material: 15-20 minutes (This is the transition from what has been happening to what ‘s going on currently and what will be the next steps. Are there new concerns? Have previous concerns been resolved? How can you build on client’s progress?)
• Wrap-up: 5 minutes (Close the session with a summary, making sure at this point not to ask the fated question, “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?” Once you know there are only a few minutes left, you need to guide the client toward a conclusion, so new topics are not welcome here. Set the stage for a follow-up by reminding the client of the next scheduled activity – meeting with you again, attending a group, going to a scheduled appointment – and providing a breadcrumb that you can begin with at the next meeting (“And then you can tell me more about your daughter.”)

Not all sessions will have the same amount of time allotted, and these sections are just a general guide. It may be necessary to allow more or less time for each of these portions. Again, we have to be flexible, but it is the structure that will allow for flexibility. As a counselor who I worked with for many years used to say, “There is freedom in routine.”

By preparing for your group or individual sessions as much as possible, you will be able to more quickly adapt to an ever-changing environment. You will also project confidence to your clients, which in turn draws their respect and attention. Although this aspect of your work is easy to overlook, I think it will pay tremendous dividends in your career.