Another great question from a reader was sent in this week about how to use expressive therapies to build group cohesion. This is such an important step in building rapport among group members so that trust and safety can build over time. As a closeted introvert myself, I find that it is crucial to begin a group with unintimidating activities that encourage each person to slowly open up and connect in the milieu. I also like to create a sense of fun and play to reduce tension of being in a new place with new people. If I have a large group, I might break the group into smaller groups of 5 - 7 people.
I am fond of using some of the activities on my list of group activities on this website to foster group cohesion, particularly the Friendship Mural (#4) and the Pride Collage (#27) so clients could learn about each others' differences and similarities. Here are some other ideas:
- Sometimes for ice-breaker activities, I start with a simple game of word association using a ball. The rule is that each person has to say a word that relates to the last word spoken.
- One of my favorite group games is called the "Question Game" in which participants stand in a circle and throw a ball to someone in the group and ask a question. The recipient then throws the ball and asks another question to someone else without pausing and without answering the question. The game becomes interesting when people start asking very personal or provocative questions to each other, causing the recipient to laugh, pause, or accidentally answer the question.
- I also suggest teaching a simple song for the group to sing together as a way to build a sense of unity. Drumming, clapping, and moving in a circle can be a powerful way for a group to connect. You could pick a song that has a serious or silly mood (or both!) depending on what you feel the group would benefit most from.
- Here is one art activity that is fun to get the group in a playful and interactive mood: Each person starts with a sheet of paper and writes a silly sentence. Each person passes their paper to the person on the right. Each person then folds the paper downward so the sentence is invisible and draws a simple sketch that expresses the sentence. Each person passes their paper to the right. Then each person looks at the picture and tries to guess what the picture is about. They fold the paper down again so the drawing is invisible, and write a sentence that represents the picture. The papers keep going around until they arrive at the original person who started the drawing. It is fun to look through the paper and see what people made.
- I also enjoy telling stories in which one person starts the story and then passes it to the next person until someone says, "The End." I encourage each person to take a turn starting a story.
Anyway, there are some general ideas that I hope are helpful.
Feel free to comment and add your own favorite group ideas!
I am fond of using some of the activities on my list of group activities on this website to foster group cohesion, particularly the Friendship Mural (#4) and the Pride Collage (#27) so clients could learn about each others' differences and similarities. Here are some other ideas:
- Sometimes for ice-breaker activities, I start with a simple game of word association using a ball. The rule is that each person has to say a word that relates to the last word spoken.
- One of my favorite group games is called the "Question Game" in which participants stand in a circle and throw a ball to someone in the group and ask a question. The recipient then throws the ball and asks another question to someone else without pausing and without answering the question. The game becomes interesting when people start asking very personal or provocative questions to each other, causing the recipient to laugh, pause, or accidentally answer the question.
- I also suggest teaching a simple song for the group to sing together as a way to build a sense of unity. Drumming, clapping, and moving in a circle can be a powerful way for a group to connect. You could pick a song that has a serious or silly mood (or both!) depending on what you feel the group would benefit most from.
- Here is one art activity that is fun to get the group in a playful and interactive mood: Each person starts with a sheet of paper and writes a silly sentence. Each person passes their paper to the person on the right. Each person then folds the paper downward so the sentence is invisible and draws a simple sketch that expresses the sentence. Each person passes their paper to the right. Then each person looks at the picture and tries to guess what the picture is about. They fold the paper down again so the drawing is invisible, and write a sentence that represents the picture. The papers keep going around until they arrive at the original person who started the drawing. It is fun to look through the paper and see what people made.
- I also enjoy telling stories in which one person starts the story and then passes it to the next person until someone says, "The End." I encourage each person to take a turn starting a story.
Anyway, there are some general ideas that I hope are helpful.
Feel free to comment and add your own favorite group ideas!
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