When someone consulted with me about her frustration with “group members working on the same issue every week,” I wanted to figure out why. The Mastery Counseling framework is designed for progress and success at every session. So, I wondered what was up. Either the framework wasn’t being followed or the clients weren’t engaging with it honestly and fully (faking it).
In this case, an important clue was that it wasn’t simply one or two group members working on the same issue every week. It was most of them. It turned out that the group was too large, and clients apparently didn’t feel safe enough to truly open up. So, they would repeatedly start with general issues such as “stressed a lot” or “family problems,” and then would try to keep the sessions vague. They didn’t really focus or engage in meaningful work.
Group Size
Yes, group size matters!
Fidelity to The Seven Challenges program mandates a maximum group size of eight, though fewer participants are often optimal. In determining group size, other considerations include length and frequency of sessions and the types of clients attending. However, we know that effectiveness is substantially compromised at numbers greater than eight.
Group size should ultimately be determined using your clinical judgment. Consider:
- The available time (e.g., 60-minute vs. 90-minute groups and one group per week vs. multiple groups per week)
- The needs of the clients (e.g., severity of the problems)
- Whether each client will have a meaningful opportunity to receive individualized help during each session or each week (if you have multiple groups each week)
For example, in a 60-minute group with eight clients, if the check-in takes four minutes (and that’s fast), that would leave exactly seven minutes per client. Ask yourself whether that amount of time is sufficient for the youth you serve and the work they need to accomplish. That’s a tight squeeze.
I like to say, “Eight or less is a group. More than that is a mob.”
Structured for Progress and Success
Returning now to the consultation I had about the “same issue every week,” I proceeded to review how the Mastery Counseling framework is structured for progress and success at every session.
First, clients are asked to bring an issue that concerns them. Something meaningful to them. This is the initial issue. If needed, we help clients with this.
Next, we help clients clarify the issue and ultimately hone it down to at least one achievable session goal that matters to them. The goal may be either insight-oriented (to come to an understanding about something that concerns them) or behavioral (to decide upon a course of action).
Then, we help clients consider the options (possibilities) and select one (resolution). If the resolution is insight-oriented, we ask what they have concluded. If it is behavioral, we ask what they will be doing. With behavioral decisions, we offer further coaching and planning for implementation. We need progress.
Finally, there is closure. One of the important parts of this stage of counseling is to ask: Did you get what you wanted? If the answer is NO, then we work to determine where the problem lies. Once determined, we must get back to the session goal and make sure the client achieves it. If time permits, we do it then and there. If not, it goes on the agenda for the next session. If the answer is YES, “I got what I wanted,” then we remind clients who committed to a behavioral goal that we’ll ask how they did with it at the next session. We need progress.
We follow up at the next session by asking clients how they did with their behavioral goals. If they had problems implementing, we troubleshoot and help them get things right. If that’s impossible, we help them learn from the experience and select a new goal. We need progress!
One Issue at a Time
Let’s return again to the consultation I had and consider clients who start with vague, very general initial issues. It’s no problem to start out general. The challenge is to get a focus. Mastery Counseling recognizes that only so much can be achieved during a single session. Very general issues such as “stress in my life” and “family problems” won’t be solved in a single session. An important Mastery Counseling skill is helping clients break down their big problems into manageable pieces. (Eat the pie one slice at a time.)
For example, when the issue is “stress in my life,” we help them narrow it down. We start with the clarification process and ask questions such as:
- What do you mean by stress?
- What are the sources of your stress?
- How do you respond to stress?
Next, we help them select one slice of the “stress pie” as the session goal. Then, clients get at it. There will be progress!
This won’t work with a mob. The first requirement in Mastery Counseling is that clients feel safe enough to move beyond vague, generalized conversation. Effective group work depends not only on the framework, but also on creating conditions that support honest engagement and individualized attention.