Group Activities for Personal Development

Sheena Duboust, Pamela Knight

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781351688338
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Aimed at professionals working with groups that are developing social skills and exploring relationships, this photocopiable handbook is a vital collection of workshops covering specific themes. Each theme is clearly divided into warm-ups, main exercises and closures. Intended to help professionals save on preparation time, the organisation and format of this book reflects its highly practical content.

Exploring Relationships

Group Leader’s Introduction

Making and maintaining relationships is a central and very important part of most people’s lives, yet it is an area which can cause many problems and difficulties. However, we can be encouraged to identify and challenge these difficulties and to explore ways of overcoming them by dealing with them in a different way. We will be looking at the building-blocks, such as trust, expression of feelings and self-understanding, learning to listen, negotiating and caring, which go to create healthy, enjoyable relationships.

By reflecting on past relationships and our role within them we may begin to understand how they may influence present and future partnerships. Members of the groups will be encouraged to look at different types of relationships, such as those with family, friends, partners, children and colleagues. Relationships amongst group members will also be looked at to explore relevant issues.

Activity Locator

1 Exploring Relationships

AIMS

1. To identify and acknowledge personal characteristics.
2. To encourage us to think about how we are seen by others.
3. To explore what we look for and expect from friendships.
4. To gain insight into possible difficulties in becoming close to others.
5. To build up trust within the group.

MATERIALS Paper and pen for each person — at least three pieces of paper each; three extra chairs; felt-tips or crayons.

2 Exploring Relationships

AIMS

1. To explore feelings related to ‘belonging’ and those related to being isolated from others.
2. To identify a specific situation which we are unhappy with.
3. To identify our own needs in a relationship.
4. To promote problem solving.

MATERIALS Art paper, A4 paper, pens, paints, markers.

3 Exploring Relationships

AIMS

1. To explore risk taking in relation to forming friendships.
2. To help identify one’s own needs in a relationship.
3. To facilitate problem solving.
4. To encourage us to support one another, thus improving self-esteem and confidence.

MATERIALS A4 paper and pen for each member.

4 Exploring Relationships

AIMS

1. To explore the roles we take in different relationships.
2. To facilitate the feelings of being controlled and held back and, conversely, of controlling someone else.
3. To promote decision making.
4. To have a sense of fun.
5. To look at the way we work with other people.

MATERIALS See under ‘Main Exercise’; glue, sellotape and scissors will also...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 Exploring Relationships
• 2 Learning to Trust
• 3 Developing Self-Understanding
• 4 Non-Verbal Communication
• 5 Expressing Feelings
• 6 Assertion Training
• 6 Decision Making
• Bibliography