The Year Ahead
Not many in-person groups next year but private groups (structured or informal) are welcome to contact me.
How does private group work ah…work?
Many of you already know that I have been supporting people for a long time and that much of what I have studied and practiced is an experiential type of process that allows whatever is needing to emerge to come up safely and be processed or released or integrated.
This means that what is focussed on is whatever people bring in to the space, rather than me providing the specific answers to issues.
I provide the structure and guidance, then it is a group exploration that takes over and it may at times be relaxing, easy, messy, chaotic, stuck, exciting, boring, confusing, clarifying, amazing and any other human experiences.
Creating safe space and slowing down helps a group to discover what the ‘process’ is that is waiting to be experienced, so we do this at the beginning.
This process may be what people have imagined they are turning up for or nothing like what anyone imagined, or elements of both.
To allow a process to unfold may also be to allow a shadow/s of a group to emerge and be explored.
A shadow is the unconscious or denied or avoided aspects of a group. All groups have these as do individuals.
To work effectively with a group shadow the group needs to be prepared to begin to find out where they, individually and collectively, are part of this shadow and not focus on one individual or ‘problem person’ who may be expressing the shadow for the group.
To go ahead in the best way with a day process for this group, I would be asking participants (via whichever communication system is best) a few days before the date:
- What do you want from this day (it is fine if you don’t know)
- What are your expectations, if any?
- Do you have support after the group completes to de-brief or be held with what has emerged for you during the day? The day itself will be supportive, however some people may need more support afterwards.
- That you are aware that there may be more work to do as it may not all complete in one day?
- That we do our best to complete on a positive note however the day may not wrap up neatly.
I love group work and I feel it is an honour to walk beside a group in exploration.
I believe it can be a wonderful format for very useful, expansive and clarifying processes that everyone can benefit from.
