Post-Group Facilitation Reflection #2

Today, I facilitated a group of my classmates on the topic of safety and emergency maintenance.  The group protocol was designed for a population falling into Allen's Cognitive Levels of 4.5 to 5.5 who seek to live independently.  I paired Allen's Cognitive Levels with Cognitive Behavioral theory to focus on a change of mindset and habits in relation to safety.  The title of my group was called "Living Safely in Your Home" and this session was focused on kitchen hazards and a fire escape plan.  The group session followed Cole's 7 steps: introduction, activity, sharing, processing, generalizing, application, and summary. 

In the introduction, I felt I adequately explained the purpose, communicated my expectations for the members, and provided a simple outline of the structure of the group session.  In the activities portion, I felt my preparation was good and that I gave directions clearly to the group.  I felt the timing of the activities was good as well, in that they were not too short or too long.  After each activity, each of the group members were allowed to share.  I felt I used appropriate communication, but I felt I could have done a better job of linking the comments of the members and encouraging more in-depth thinking through asking subsequent questions.  In processing, I felt I could have done more to ask each group member about their feelings about the experience and each other.  In generalizing, I think I could have done more to point out similar and dissimilar responses and generalize overarching principles.  I felt that I did well with the application portion in pointing out the meaning of the activities and encouraging the members to think about how the activities apply and can be used in their lives.  I felt that I summarized the group well by repeating important concepts that were covered.  At the end of the session, I thanked each member for their participation and ended the group on time.  During the group session as a whole, I felt that group motivation was excellent and that my listening and responses to comments encouraged more discussion.  I felt that I limited unwanted behavior without changing the positive dynamic of the group.

Overall, I felt this group session went well.  I feel that there are still ways that I can improve, but I can tell that I am more confident in my abilities as a group facilitator.  From the last group session I led, I feel I am more succinct in my directions and comments and that I was better able to listen to each person's comments.  I am excited to see these improvements and I am eager to continue improving!