CSAM Group Therapy & Facilitation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A group member repeatedly redirects the conversation away from their own anger to criticize others. The most effective facilitator response is to:
- Ignore the behavior to avoid confrontation
- Gently name the pattern and invite the member to refocus on personal experience (Correct answer)
- Ask other members to give the person feedback
- Remove the member from the session temporarily
Correct answer: Gently name the pattern and invite the member to refocus on personal experience
Naming the deflection pattern non-judgmentally and redirecting to personal experience maintains therapeutic focus without shaming the client.
Question 2: Which stage of Yalom's group therapy model is characterized by members testing norms, competing for roles, and experiencing interpersonal conflict?
- Forming
- Storming (Correct answer)
- Norming
- Performing
Correct answer: Storming
The storming stage involves members challenging authority, testing boundaries, and working through interpersonal tensions before cohesion develops.
Question 3: In anger management groups, 'universality' as a therapeutic factor refers to:
- Applying the same intervention to all group members
- Clients discovering that others share similar anger struggles (Correct answer)
- Using universal relaxation scripts for all participants
- Standardizing homework assignments across all members
Correct answer: Clients discovering that others share similar anger struggles
Universality reduces shame and isolation when clients recognize their anger experiences are shared by others in the group.
Question 4: A facilitator notices two subgroups forming in an anger management group that undermine overall cohesion. The best intervention is to:
- Separate the subgroups into different sessions
- Create structured exercises that require cross-subgroup collaboration (Correct answer)
- Confront the subgroup leaders directly
- Allow the dynamic to resolve naturally without intervention
Correct answer: Create structured exercises that require cross-subgroup collaboration
Structured exercises requiring cross-subgroup interaction disrupt coalitions while building broader group cohesion.
Question 5: Which facilitation approach is most appropriate when a group member discloses an acute crisis mid-session?
- Continue the session and address the crisis privately afterward
- Immediately end the group session for all members
- Acknowledge the disclosure, stabilize the member, and arrange individual follow-up while resuming group with care (Correct answer)
- Ask the group to offer advice to the member in crisis
Correct answer: Acknowledge the disclosure, stabilize the member, and arrange individual follow-up while resuming group with care
Stabilizing the individual, ensuring safety, and arranging follow-up allows the facilitator to honor the crisis without abandoning other members.
Question 6: Pre-group screening for an anger management group primarily serves to:
- Ensure members have identical anger presentations
- Assess suitability, set expectations, and identify contraindications (Correct answer)
- Determine which CBT workbook to assign
- Rank members by severity for grouping purposes
Correct answer: Assess suitability, set expectations, and identify contraindications
Pre-group screening identifies contraindications (e.g., active psychosis, severe domestic violence perpetration requiring specialized treatment) and prepares members for the group process.
Question 7: A facilitator uses 'process commentary' during an anger management group session. This technique involves:
- Summarizing the session content at the end of each meeting
- Directing members to write process notes after each session
- Observing and narrating the group's interpersonal dynamics as they occur (Correct answer)
- Reading from a psychoeducation script about anger cycles
Correct answer: Observing and narrating the group's interpersonal dynamics as they occur
Process commentary draws members' attention to here-and-now relational dynamics, turning the group interaction itself into therapeutic material.
CSAM Group Therapy & Facilitation 2
A group member repeatedly redirects the conversation away from their own anger to criticize others.
The most effective facilitator response is to: