Monday 5th October is World Teacher’s Day, and I thought it would be nice to acknowledge it here. When I think about all the teachers I have known, I have been influenced by them on so many levels. There are teachers in my family, those who have taught my children and of course my own teachers over the years. In 1999 I was a teacher at a 6th form and adult education college – I lasted about six weeks! The official explanation is that I lost my childcare and had to leave, but in reality I found to my cost how difficult teaching is. Ironically, I later began developing lots of group work and training days when I worked in various social care and mental health teams, I really enjoyed this way of working with people and it gave me an opportunity to hone my skills as a facilitator. A good facilitator will not tell you what to do, but will instead try to provide a safe space for the group to explore what they need.

Whenever I attend a group or webinar myself, I find it really useful to have other perspectives and group work is a great way of gaining information, especially if you’re less keen on one to one. As an introvert there are times I might not fancy being in a group, but I think it can take some pressure off as if someone is not confident in giving their opinions, you can sit back a little and listen and gradually feel safer to share some input.

When I facilitate groups there are often group members who take some time to warm up and feel a bit more comfortable to speak, but when they do…it’s ALWAYS worth the wait! For this reason, I have always kept verbal input optional and used gentle encouragement rather than pointing someone out and saying, “What do you think?” I would be really uncomfortable with this and I’m not here to make anyone’s life harder.

Having said that, there is so much value to be gained by contributing to a group and sharing your experience. A good group facilitator will help the group establish ground rules from the off. Examples might be agreeing group aims; respectful language; no judging; not talking over each other and so forth, so the group themselves can decide what is a safe environment for them. When everyone feels safe, learning can occur.

So, what times of groups might be offered?

· Email list information – joining a list can give the wider group access to tips, advice and tools. New content is generally then sent regularly.

· Online webinars and groups which again serve a wider group – you can be present in this type of group and choose whether to comment for example or just sit back and absorb the information. An advantage of these groups is that they are often on demand, so you can view them at your convenience.

· Live online groups or webinars – again these may be passive, but may also involve more active learning such as exercises, feedback in the comments or break out rooms where you can interact with other participants.

· Face to face groups – joining a group in your locality can provide a resource for those who value that experience of interacting with others and does bring a bit more social interaction.

So, what can be gained from joining a group or webinar?

· Learning new skills – opportunities to practice new strategies.

· Learning from others – listening to others’ perspectives and seeing things from a different angle.

· Belonging – being around individuals who have had similar experiences or want to achieve similar things, feeling part of something.

· Feeling heard and validated – being able to share your experience and receive empathy and support.

· Accessing useful resources and signposting.

What skills do I need to take part in a group?

· No skills are required, just a willingness to be open and curious.

And finally, it’s okay if you don’t think you are a group work person! There are lots of ways to learn and all sorts of ways of to move forward with your goals, including individual work. One to one work can also take place online, by phone or face to face. So, there are options here too. Most group facilitators will really value feedback from participants so they can tailor their content to the groups needs. There are lots of groups and online resources out there and it’s something else to consider.

I hope you have a lovely week, see you next time! 😊

What about groups?…

The Basics: what does self-care look like to you?