Format: Live-online Lecturer Led Classes (Virtual-Classroom) via Zoom

Duration: 1 Evening Every Week 6pm to 9pm

Online Live Attendance: 30 Hours

Self-Directed Learning: 30 Hours

Total CPD Credits: 60 Credits

Assessment: Written Assignment +/- Viva Voca Assessment

Award: Accredited Professional Diploma

 

Course Accreditation:

- Professional Development Consortium

- Provider of Excellence

- CPD Standards Office

- Irish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (ICPA)

- Irish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (Directory)

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Class 1 – Foundations of Group Therapy

• Definitions: therapeutic groups vs. other types of groups

• Historical development of group psychotherapy

• Major theoretical frameworks (psychodynamic, humanistic, CBT, systemic, integrative)

• The role of the group therapist vs. individual therapist

• Overview of course structure, learning outcomes & assessment

 

Class 2 – Stages of Group Development

• Models of group development (e.g. Tuckman, Yalom, Corey)

• Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning in therapeutic context

• Typical client experiences at each stage

• Facilitator tasks, stance and interventions at each stage

• Recognising when groups are stuck and how to respond

 

Class 3 – Group Dynamics: Roles, Norms & Power

• Explicit vs. implicit group norms

• Formal and informal roles (scapegoat, spokesperson, gatekeeper, caretaker, etc.)

• Power, authority and leadership in groups

• Subgroups, alliances and coalitions

• Using observation skills to “read” the room and work in the here-and-now

 

Class 4 – Therapeutic Factors & Corrective Experiences

• Yalom’s therapeutic factors (cohesion, universality, catharsis, etc.)

• Building and maintaining cohesion and trust

• The group as a microcosm of relational patterns

• Facilitating corrective emotional and relational experiences

• Balancing process vs. content focus in sessions

 

Class 5 – Assessment, Screening & Group Design

• Indications and contraindications for group therapy

• Assessing suitability: clinical, relational and risk factors

• Group composition (size, open vs. closed, homogenous vs. heterogeneous)

• Pre-group preparation and informed consent

• Contracting, boundaries and expectations (time, attendance, confidentiality)

 

Class 6 – Core Facilitation Skills & Interventions

• Basic facilitative stance: presence, attunement, neutrality, use of self

• Opening and closing sessions; structuring time and flow

• Tracking themes, reflecting process, summarising and linking members

• Use of questions, prompts, and here-and-now feedback

• Balancing individual and group needs in real time

 

Class 7 – Working with Emotion, Resistance & Defences

• Recognising and working with resistance (silence, intellectualisation, humour, withdrawal)

• Containing strong affect (anger, grief, shame, anxiety)

• Managing triads and projections in the group space

• Therapist countertransference and parallel process

• Techniques for deepening emotion safely

 

Class 8 – Diversity, Culture & Ethics in Groups

• Intersectionality and cultural humility in group work

• Power, privilege and marginalisation in the group process

• Trauma-informed principles applied to groups

• Ethical decision-making: confidentiality, dual relationships, ruptures and repair

• Responding to microaggressions and harm done within the group

 

Class 9 – Managing Risk, Crisis & Complex Presentations

• Working with high-risk clients (self-harm, suicidality, aggression) in a group context

• Clear procedures: risk assessment, documentation, consultation and referral

• Managing intense conflict and splitting in the group

• Co-facilitation dynamics and team communication in complex situations

• Boundaries of competence and when to step back or end a group

 

Class 10 – Integration, Evaluation & Professional Practice

• Integrating theory, process awareness and facilitation skills

• Case presentations and reflective practice

• Using supervision effectively for group work

• Evaluating group outcomes and client feedback

• Developing your own style: ethical marketing, service setup and career pathways in group facilitation