In order to gauge the effectiveness of the group, there are key markers that distinguish an effective group. At semi-regular intervals, it is important that you evaluate the group to ensure that there is effectiveness and consistency among the groups. The following are questions that we as a ministry will use to assess groups for effectiveness and consistency: Continue reading
Counseling
Navigating the Holidays Healthily
While Christmas and other holidays are meant to be some of the happiest times of the year, often for many people it quickly becomes a time of difficult emotions including but not limited to: stress, anxiety, depression, and grief.
Compounding the problem of those emotions with the irregularities of schedule during the holiday and the overabundance of people crowding in on you, it can be increasingly difficult to catch your breath and make it through the holidays well. Below are a few recommendations for making it through the holidays well so that they can be restful and enjoyable. Continue reading
Returning Participants
This includes anyone who has been one or more times. Most of the time, those that have been only once before will still be a bit timid in their entry because they have not become completely familiar with our process yet.
- Welcome Each Participant: Each participant whether they have been only once before or are a regular should be greeted with a warm and welcoming greeting.Be sure that everyone who walks through the door feels that their presence is important. For some, this will be the most welcoming greeting they get all week.
First-Time Participants
These are individuals who have not been to G4 before and are perhaps nervous about the idea of joining our ministry because of the stigma that is attached to attending “group counseling.” Our goal is to make these individuals feel welcome and as though they have made the right choice in taking the tremendous step of courage walking through the door for the first time.
Introduce Yourself: Most often we see first time guest walk in a little bit slowly because they are nervous. They are looking around to check for some sign that they are in the correct place and are most often not carrying curriculum. When you see someone who seems nervous, introduce yourself, offering your name, and ask them if it is their first time. Continue reading
Overview of Training
We will outline four major areas at G4 throughout this training that we will walk through in order as they will happen on the night of G4:
- Welcome & Sign-in Procedures (15 minutes): This training will equip you to engage with and welcome new participants in a manner that is welcoming and helpful.
Often participants make up their mind about whether or not they will come back to an event before they ever make into large or small groups.The welcome they receive at the door matters. In addition to being welcoming, it is necessary that you are able to follow a specific procedure that allows guest to be properly signed-in so that so they get connected with the correct group and are informed about the nature of our ministry (an important liability protection measure for anything counseling-related).
John H. Chapman 