Quick Guide for Clinicians - SAMHSA Store - Substance Abuse and ...

Group Leadership: Concepts and Techniques 47To encourage a member to share more, a leadermight introduce the topic of how well membersknow each other and how well they want to beknown.Fear of losing control. Sometimes clients avoidopening up because they are afraid they mightbreak down in front of others, a fear particularlycommon in the initial phases of groups. When thisrestraint becomes a barrier to clients feeling acutepain, the therapist should help them rememberways that they have handled strong feelings in thepast.When a client’s fears of breaking down or becomingunable to function may be founded in reality(e.g., when a client has recently been hospitalized),the therapist should validate the feelings offear, and should concentrate on the strength ofthe person’s adaptive abilities.