Review the "Stages of Group Counseling" video located in the Topic 4 Resources
and identify potential forms of conflict you can expect at each of the various
stages. What are your own reactions to conflict? How will this influence your
ability to help members recognize and work through conflicts?
When runing a group there is the risk of conflict at any stage of development. During
the forming stage defensiveness is at its highest among the group members. At this
point, it is not unknown for the group to have internal conflict as they develop their
individual identities within the group setting. During the storming stage conflict is
most common. The group members are often sorting out their hierarchy which can
cause conflict between both each other and the group facilitator. During the norming
stage of group development conflict is less likely to occur but it can happen. In this
stage subgrouping can happen and that can cause cliques to form within the group
that can cause the members of the group to conflict with each other. This also causes
conflict with the facilitator because they must find a way to defuse those subgroups
without alienating the group members themselves. During the performing stage there
is often less conflict but what does show up can be a little more intense. During this
stage you often find group members challenging each other and if this is not done in a
respectful way it can lead to discord within the group. Finally, the adjourning stage can
have conflict because there could be group members not wanting to leave, or in the
case of some groups like recovery groups members may be leaving at separate times
which could cause conflict if those left behind feel slighted when others have left.
References
Grande, T. (2015). Stages of Group Counseling. YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved October 13, 2023,
from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwdIblMSSFI
.
