The Group Guide
Connecting People to Community
For group leaders · Planner on the back
Keep your group full
An ongoing group needs a steady trickle of new members, and new members are most likely to leave in their first few sessions. These habits keep seats filled and newcomers staying.
Six habits that keep seats filled
Keep the listing current
Not knowing enough about a group is a main reason people don't go.
What to do: Mark openings: Accepting, Full, or Waitlist, and the next opening.
Ask before you're short
Referral sources send people to the groups they remember.
What to do: A short note every month or two, and right away when a seat opens.
Add newcomers in pairs
Yalom recommends adding two at a time so no one is the only new person.
What to do: When you can, hold an opening until a second person is ready.
Prepare both sides
Preparing people before they start lowers early dropout.
What to do: A pre-group call with the newcomer. Tell current members someone is joining.
Watch the first sessions
Dropout is most likely early. Text reminders raised attendance from about 68% to 79%.
What to do: Remind before each session for the first month. Check in after any miss.
Ask, don't guess
Clinicians are poor at spotting who is about to leave. Routine feedback lowers dropout.
What to do: A two-question check-out card every few weeks.
Why it works
Each habit answers a research finding on attendance, dropout, or belonging. The toolkit has the notes and scripts to go with them.
Keep in mind
Members are welcome to share your public listing, but don't ask them to recruit, and never offer anything in exchange for referrals.
A practice tool for group leaders, not legal or clinical advice. The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic.
Sources: Dilgul et al., PLOS ONE, 2018. Yalom and Leszcz, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, 2020. Walitzer et al., Behavior Modification, 1999. Gurol-Urganci et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013. Lambert and Shimokawa, Collecting client feedback, Psychotherapy, 2011.