Week 4

       Jack Nowicki paid our class a visit last week and gave a lecture on his methods and theories of Solution-Focused Group work.  During his lecture, he gave us a number of "nuggets of information" that are essential to successfully facilitating a solution-focused group.
       There were many strategies and skills that he brought forth, and many of them will certainly come with practice.  I feel like a lot of the skills have a lot to do with knowing the right comments to make and questions to ask.  As with any group facilitation, timing seems to be everything.  That is one area that definitely intimidates me.  I worry that I might feel rushed or flustered, and might interject at the right time.  Facilitating a group must be like playing a game of double-dutch; the timing has to be precise and deliberate for the group to go smoothly.  Another skill that might pose a challenge is the necessity to find positive spins on presenting problems.  I think that finding strengths is wonderful and useful, but I worry that there may come a time when I simply cannot find a way to take a positive spin.  What if I ask someone about exceptions to the event, and they don't have any?  What if i simply do not have the skills to help certain individuals?
        I understand that the concerns above are, for the most part, illogical.  I also understand that much of my clients' success is dependent on their personal efforts, in and out of session.  I just worry sometimes that I won't be able to help my clients, or that I'll hit a roadblock.  Leading a group, especially a solution-focused group, seems like much more pressure.  It's that many more opportunities to succeed, but that could go the other way as well.
        We participated in an activity that required us to think of creative, encouraging names and slogans for groups that might otherwise have a negative connotation.  I really enjoyed that activity, and I felt like it was something I was good at.  Even though this is simply the planning stage of a group, I like to think of it as something I can scratch off the list.  Perhaps being creative and honing skills like that will motivate me to be more excited about running groups.