Product Details

A support group allows people to express their feelings and provides a forum for discussion in a safe and confidential environment, amongst peers. Groups are guided by facilitators who assist in directing discussions and can provide insight and understanding in regard to issues raised.

• An ADAVIC group IS a place for community discussion, support and sharing of ideas.
• An ADAVIC group IS NOT a place for therapy or crisis intervention. 

A facilitator is a person who is required to manage the process of group centred meetings. The facilitator ensures that everyone’s contribution is heard and the process being used are both productive and empowering to all. Facilitators work primarily through leading and blocking techniques, basically directing traffic within a group discussion. Facilitation can also involve managing group member’s emotions and defusing tensions. To be an effective facilitator, you don't have to be a counsellor or psychologist, however, you need to have the ability to be neutral to the discussion, non-judgemental and empathy etc. Knowledge of the group process, sensitivity and keen observation skills are also non-negotiable. You also need to be aware of the 5 stages of Group Development, recognise these stages and know the best approach within each stage. A facilitator will also ideally attend to both process and content. After all, process and content feed one another. Good meeting processes create better content, keeping to relevant content makes for a great discussion process. A productive discussion can only happen when the content is on track and the meeting flows in a functional way. In this workshop we cover the 5 stages of Group Development and the process and content of support groups.