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The Group Guide
Connecting People to Community
Group
Start date

For group leaders · Planner on the back

The pre-group call

A short conversation before the first session helps people walk in knowing what to expect, and research links that kind of preparation to less early dropout.

What to cover, in 15 to 30 minutes

What they hope for
What brings them to group, and what they want to be different.
Fit, right now
A current crisis, the schedule, knowing another member.
How group helps
How a session runs, how feedback works, and how the first few times usually feel.
Worries and myths
Being judged, not getting enough time, "group is second best." Name them.
Harm and repair
Ruptures can happen. Say how they're handled, and ask what helps them feel safe.
Who they are
Identities that matter to them, and any access needs: captions, breaks, health.
Agreements and leaving well
Privacy and its limits, attendance, outside contact, and saying goodbye in group.
Logistics and questions
Date, place or link, cost, a starting commitment, and how to reach you.

One way to open the call

"Before your first group, I like to talk for a few minutes so you know what to expect and can ask me anything. Most people feel a little nervous before a first group, and that's normal."

Why it works

Reviews find that preparing people before treatment lowers early dropout, and group practice guidelines recommend it.

Keep in mind

The call is also a screen. If group isn't the right fit right now, say so kindly and offer another option.

A practice tool for group leaders, not legal or clinical advice. The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic.

Sources: Walitzer, Dermen, and Connors, Behavior Modification, 1999. Ogrodniczuk, Joyce, and Piper, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 2005. American Group Psychotherapy Association, Practice Guidelines for Group Psychotherapy, updated edition (building on Bernard et al., 2008).

The Pre-Group Call · Your page
Name Call date

Call notes

Use initials only, and keep this with your records, not in a shared space.

Initials and date of call
What they hope will be different
Anything that would make group hard right now
We covered
How a session runsConfidentiality and its limitsHarm and repairIdentity and access needsAttendance and outside contactLeaving wellCost and paymentWorries named
Starting commitment
Agreed to come to the first sessions
Sent
Date and timePlace or linkWelcome email
Their questions
Fit
Good fit, starting on the date aboveNot right now; offered another option

Notes

More tools for group leaders

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