Post Group Facilitation Reflection #1

Group Topic: Time Management

I co-lead a group on the professionalism topic of time management. The group lasted an hour and consisted of a game, a survey, an activity, reflection, and discussions lead by myself and co-facilitator. For me, the most significant element was when we had our discussion at the end. Initially, I did not think that our group members would be as talkative as they were. This could be because I did not think they would be interested in the topic of time management. This is similar to other presentation I have given, because I doubt myself and my abilities to successfully lead a group. Having experienced this group, I now feel more confident as a group leader. This makes me feel excited as I go forward in this class and for my level two fieldwork in a community mental health setting. Next time, I will trust in my abilities and keep my expectations a bit higher.

Going through the leadership evaluation form, I feel proud of myself and my co-facilitator. We stuck to our written group protocol and bounced off of one another when asking discussion questions to the group. For the introduction, we explained the group purpose, provided an outline, and communicated our expectations. We also played "minute to win it" games to prepare our group members. For our activity, we used blank clocks for participants to draw out their typical day. This allowed them to have a visual of how they are spending their time. We had all of the appropriate materials for the participants and provided clear instructions, as well as an example. Following the activity, each member was given time to share their clock. Participants also completed a time management survey and were provided with an opportunity to share their results. I felt that the questions we asked encouraged the members to process their feelings and speak up when they did not understand. All throughout the group, we were able to point out common themes and differences amongst group members time management skills. We kept our group motivated by having positive and welcoming attitudes. Each member had adequate time to speak and express themselves throughout. We did not have any inappropriate behavior during our group. Following all of the activities we asked the participants to relate the activity back to their daily lives. We then followed up with ideas that the group members did not mention. Our summary and wrap up were successful, I feel all of the group members knew the purpose of the group and were prepared to implement their knew skills going forward.