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The Group Guide
Connecting People to Community
Group
Group start

For group leaders · Checklist on the back

Before the group starts

Good groups are built before the first session. These steps follow current practice guidelines for group psychotherapy.

Six things to settle first

Set the frame
Decide the type of group, its goals, how it works, open or closed, and size before you pick members.
Screen, then assess fit
Rule out what would make group unsafe now, then look at fit and readiness.
Prepare every member
Build the alliance, explain how group helps, ease worries, and go over agreements.
Talk about harm and repair
Say plainly that ruptures can happen, how they'll be handled, and ask what helps each person feel safe.
Do your own prep
Reflect on your identities and biases, and on what you assume a "good" group looks like.
Plan for access
Captions, breaks, health and disability needs, and a way to tell you about lateness or absence.

Why it matters

Preparing members before group lowers anxiety and early dropout, and guidelines recommend it for every member, from a single short meeting to several sessions.

Keep in mind

Group leadership is its own specialty. Ongoing training, consultation, and supervision protect you and your members.

A practice tool for group leaders, not legal or clinical advice. Follow your own professional code and state law. The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic.

Sources: American Group Psychotherapy Association, Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy, updated edition. Burlingame et al., Small group treatment, in Bergin and Garfield's Handbook, 2013.

Group Leader Prep Checklist · Your page
Name Group start

My prep checklist

Set the frame once. Use the session columns every week.

Group type and goals
Format
Open or closed Min Cap Sessions
Outside contact
FineBring it back to groupNot while in group
Before the first session
Agreements draftedEach member preparedCo-leader roles agreedAccess needs plannedConsult or supervision set
Before each session
Reviewed last sessionCo-leader huddleRoom or link readyKnow who's new or leavingAny rupture to revisit
After each session
Debriefed with co-leaderNoted any riskFollowed up on absencesRead check-out cardsNotes written

More tools for group leaders

Templates, scripts, and the full toolkit. Scan or visit thegroupguide.com/provider-toolkit.